On Monday 14th March Malaka Spice arranged aSummer food tasting event.
I was there representing #Foodprowl team. We being invited exclusively.
Malaka Spice is a brand and already gained popularity in Pune. They are currently operating 3 branches in Pune. One is ofcourse the Koregaon Park’s very famous place, other one being at Pheonix Marketcity VimanNagar and the third one is the one where I went that day, the Baner branch.
Malaka Spice is the restaurant which actually introduced the concept of seasonal menu i.e Summer menu, Rainy season menu and the Winter menu. Their last menu that is the Winter menu was an absolute hit. And now the chefs are on their intelligence and skills high and introducing the Summer menu.
Now to summerize, Summer in India is damn hot and considering this the chefs have taken the whole menu to a new level. Ingredients for example watermelon, fenugreek, spinach, trout fish whose actual characteristic is being a cool and light are used in all the dishes.
We were around 17-18 foodies gathered around the table and each one of us got the menu. And after each menu there were empty brackets and a space to add a comment. 😉
It was a foodie exam kind of situation :D.
In all other food tasting invites what we are supposed to do is after a set course meal give feedback to chef and owner. But here situation was different. 34 dishes including soups, starters, mains, desserts were planned for us to taste. And after each one of those tasting we wrote respective ratings and comments on the provided sheet.
For each item there were four parameters which we were supposed to rate from 1(lowest) to 5(highest) and additional comment plus a column asking if that dish should be on Summer menu or not (Yes/No).
As most of people know that now they are serving beer on taps. We grabbed our beer glasses and explored beers from Independance Brewing Co, TJ’s Brew, Effingut.
All of them were equally good from Apple cider to Pale ale 😉
Soup –
1. CHILLED AND HOT WATERMELON SOUP –
Name itself implies that this is soup for namesake but actually its kinda chilly cooler. Watermelon scooped and added in chilly soup. Taste was somewhat sweetish and hot with hint of spices as well. Texture was a little thin.
2. SINIGANG SA MISO-
(Fillipino miso with tamarind broth and red snapper)
This was hot in temperature. Chuncks of red snapper fish were in it. I actually did not taste the tamarind flavour distinctly. Taste was average but presentation was good.
3. Neyeng mayeon-
(Korean Spicy cold noodle soup)
As the name suggest it was spicy enough to tickle my taste buds. Noodles in it were not upto the mark also were in very less quantity This soup was cold in temperature.
Salad–
1. Warm salad of Napa cabbage and peanut butter Thai crunchy vegetable salad with peanut dressing-
Yeah thats the name of a salad. Name itself is very descriptive actually 😉
I loved this salad a lot. Cabbage and crunchy vegetables were giving a hit on crunch and peanut on top were adding beautiful texture and balance to entire salad with its natural oilyness.
2. Yan Woon Sen-
This was a thai shrimp salad with fresh herbs. Taste was perfectly balanced. And shrimps were cooked beautifully.
3. Duck Watermelon and Red Pumpkin Salad-
OMG!! I loved every bite of it.
Special mentions which are highly recommended –
1. Lobster butter garlic with morenga and thai chilly
2. Lah bak
3.Korean honey chilli potato
4. Pimento and valor beans stir fry
5. Grilled fish in mint sauce
6. Stuffed calamary with peppery tamarind sauce
7. Cambodian jungle curry
8. Massaman curry mutton
9. Vietnam mi quang
10. Sambal rice
Dessert recommendation-
1. Malaysian sago pudding with palm sugar
2. Banana and coconut roll (So yummy)
3. Vidka lava with chocolate sauce
And the flavourful dessert wine.
We had total of 34 variety of dishes.
Very innovative dishes and beautiful presentation won my heart.
For the Chefs who are behind this beautifully crafted menu Hats off !!!
This specially hand crafted summer menu will be available from 1st week of April to all patrons.
We have got a part of Malasiya in our very own Pune. Do not miss the chance to indulge into delicious food at Malaka Spice and explore the Summer special menu.
Final verdict on Summer menu –
Food – 4/5
Ambiance – 3.5/5
Service – 4/5
VFM – N/A (invited)
Chinmayi Reviews 