Independence Brewing Company (IBC), in association
with Authenticook, recently conducted a Manglorean Pop-Up (unlimited food) which
I attended with mum. Here’s a short write up for the same.
We began the meal with a Ragi Malt drink which is not everyone’s
‘glass of drink’. 😛
It is a healthy, ‘acquired taste’ kinda drink and I sure as
hell hadn’t/haven’t acquired a taste for it. I asked why they hadn’t chosen Sol
Kadi or some other drink. The chef wanted to serve something different was the
answer to my question. Well, different is fine, I only wish they'd chosen a
better option. Taste is subjective which is why, for me, this meal began with a
1/5 rating. 😞
Next, they served Fish Rava Fry, Chicken Ghee Roast, Mutton Sukka and Prawn
Masala Fry.
The Mutton Sukka can ideally be named Bone Sukka. I informed the
person in charge about the bony pieces I'd received and requested another
helping. The second serving had one rubbery mutton piece, the rest of the
mutton pieces, once again, turned out to be bones. The masala in which they
cooked the mutton (bones) was delicious. That is precisely why it's a shame
that the dish fell short for lack of mutton pieces.
The Rawa Fish Fry, Prawn
Masala Fry and Chicken Ghee Roast, though, was a completely different story.
The chef had fried the Rawa Fry Fish to a perfect crisp, yet, from inside, it
was flaky in texture.
I ordered the Prawns Masala Fry thrice. That says it all,
right? The Chicken Ghee Roast was perfect in taste. The chef deserves full
marks for all three dishes. They were scrumptious!
For the mains, we ate Fish Pulimunchi with Manglorean
Rice, Chicken Kori Rotti and Prawn Gassi with Idli.
Fish Pulimunchi was spicy and vinegary. It had a
distinctive flavour; it paired gorgeously with the Manglorean rice.
The chicken
in the Kori Rotti gravy was succulent and the gravy perfectly spiced. That crisp
rice Rotti was elevated to a high when dipped in that moreish gravy. Chicken
Kori Rotti was stellar!
As for the Prawn Gassi with Idli, I could have bowed to
the chef and kissed her hand for this one. Oh! Those Idlis! Oh, oh those
spongy, pillow-y babies! Sigh! Not in all the 49 years of my life that I have
walked this earth have I ever had such fabulous Idlis. No, I am not exaggerating.
The toothsome Prawn Gassi complemented the Idlis in totality. I never expected
this dish to be what it turned out to be. It stumped me! There is no way I can
complain about any of the mains served that afternoon.
We ended the meal with Payassam. Payassam is a dessert
made of rice; this Payassam, though, was made from bottle gourd. It was a very comforting
dessert. It was creamy with the appropriate hint of sweetness. It was a delectable
end to a good meal!
Though the pop-up began with a disastrous take-off
(that drink – uff), it spread its wings and smoothened out its flight
beautifully (starters). Mid-way, it soared and flew high and majestically like
an eagle (mains) and eventually, the chef ensured it was smooth landing
(dessert). Except for those two hiccups (drink and bone sukka), the meal was
well worth the 1500 buckaroos (per person) paid for it. I look forward to
seeing Divya Shetty work her magic at many more pop-ups.
Authenticook hosts pop-ups of various cuisines and various
cultures. To keep a finger on the Authenticook pulse, to know when and where
they are hosting the next pop-up/s, please log on to their website https://www.authenticook.com/ or keep
an eye on their Facebook page.
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