To start with, I feel obliged to state that Benjarong has the best Thai food I've ever had. Also, they pay very close attention to the presentation, and you can see how every little aspect has been carefully embellished to create the dish. Major Eye Candy for any foodie.
The evening started with "Miang Kham", which is a traditional snack from Thailand and Laos. The name can be interpreted as meaning "eating many things in one bite" - from miang, meaning "food wrapped in leaves", and kham, "a bite". This was amazing! Sort of starts fireworks inside your mouth as it has such a variety of concentrated flavors - ginger, lemon, chillies, peanuts, onions and some sort of a tangy sauce. Miang Kham is thai version of the Indian paan - except that it's eaten as appetiser before the meal instead of being eaten as digestive after.
We were served a welcome drink called "Siam sparkle" - which again was very interesting with ginger and chillies along with the sweetness.
For appetisers we were served "Grathong Thong Je" (Water chestnuts, mixed peppers, corn and peas with minced chicken tossed in a delicate sauce served in rice tartlets), "Tod Mun Pla" (Thai fish cakes with peanut and cucumber relish) and "Larb Gai" (Minced chicken salad with mint and makrut leaves in a spicy dressing served in an iceberg lettuce cup). Out of these three, I absolutely loved the Grathong Thong Je. Tod Mun Pla was delicious as well, but I felt the Grathong Thong Je was also very uniquely Thai.
The soup was the star of the evening - loved the presentation! We were served a soup called "Tom Kati Goong" (Thai coconut cream soup with prawns, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves and galangal served in tender coconut shell.) Amazing contrasting flavors - the earthiness of coconut cream against the sharpness of chillies and just the right seasoning. It is deceptively spicy - which for me was a pleasant surprise.
The main course included "Pad Thai Goong" (Thai rice sticks cooked in a sweet and tangy sauce with prawns and wrapped in an omelette), "Hormok Talay" (Steamed seafood Mousse) and "Gai Tod Nam Prik Pow" (Chicken tossed in roasted chilli paste). I was bowled over by the Hormok Talay. It was mega-delicious! This mouse was generously flavored with thai red curry paste and mouth watering! Perfectly complimenting the Pad Thai.
Desserts included "Sakoo Piak Maprow On" (Thai sago pudding with young coconut and corn), water chestnut in coconut milk and finally Lemongrass Icecream. While each of these were unique and different - I absolutely went crazy about the water chestnuts in coconut milk. The water chestnuts were soaked in rose syrup and had a beautiful wholesome goodness to them and the coconut milk perfectly complimented the crunchy sweetness of the fruit. Lemon grass icecream was very pleasant as well, but honestly I wasn't too crazy about the sago dessert.
To sum it up, my favorites from the meal were Tom Kati Goong (The Soup), "Hormok Talay (The mousse), Water chestnuts in coconut milk and above all the Miang Kham. It was a wonderful experience dining with the chef who explained every single course and talked about thai cuisine, culture and inspirations throughout.
If you're looking for a Thai Fine Dining experience - go for it. Don't expect to be bowled over by the decor and ambience. VERY pricey!! Great food though.
My Rating - 4/5
Address: 1/3, Ulsoor Road, Near Manipal Centre, Ulsoor, Bengaluru, Karnataka, 500009
Phone:080 3221 7201
Bon Appetit!
Love,
Nidhi
My review at zomato.com
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