The Square at Novotel plays host to Chef Hee-Jin Park and Chef Jong-Man Kim, from Seoul who are bringing some of the traditional flavours of Korea to Bangalore. I was invited last week to try out the fare at The Square. The Korean section occupied a significant portion of the buffet at the restaurant. With numerous varieties of Kimchi (Where would any Korean food festival be without its Kimchi) and some delectable juices made from pumpkin and cranberry respectively, the evening looked promising.
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| Bibimbap |
We kicked off the evening with the
Beef in Soya Sauce with Noodles. Like a great opening partnership in cricket, this combination was luscious. The beef was cooked perfectly with just the right amount of gaminess and the combination of spice and soya flavours was perfect. This dish set the bar high for the rest of the evening.
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| Beef in Soya Sauce with Noodles |
While we waited for the rest of the dishes, we were served various meats including calamari, chicken, prawns and fish from the barbeque. While I was honestly hoping for the real deal when it came to the barbeque, where the meats are roasted in a gas or charcoal grill, we had to make do with the regular barbeque. I’ll have to admit that the barbequed meats did not excite me as the marinade hadn’t gone through fully and there were a lot of over-cooked spots on the meat. While the prawns made it past the line in terms of flavour and texture, the rest went largely untouched post the first helping. I was told that there were certain technical problems with the grill which was causing the unevenness. That being said, I was served a rather mouth-watering fish towards the end of the meal. The fish flaked beautifully and had a perfect blend of flavours from the grill and that of the seafood. It flaked perfectly and offered redemption.
The rest of the meal was much more appetizing and flavourful. The simplicity and subtleness of the Fried Rice made this a dish that could be had all by itself and still perfectly complemented all the other sauce-based dishes that followed. It went especially well with the
Stir Fried Seafood that was cooked with very familiar Asian flavours. A big tick-mark from the evening was the very comforting and familiar flavours of the
Fried Chicken in Spicy Sauce. Very reminiscent of the popular American-Chinese dish - General Tso's chicken, the chicken had a perfect mix of sweet and spicy and made me go back for seconds (and thirds).
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| Stir Fried Seafood |
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| Fried Chicken in a Spicy Sauce |
No Korean meal is complete without Bibimbap. I shared a bowl of the Beef Bibimbap, which was the perfect crescendo to end the meal with. The yolk from the egg blended perfectly with all the vegetables, the meat, the chilli pepper paste and the rice to hit the ball out of the park for this festival.
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| Bibimbaap |
While I was hoping for more Korean(ish) desserts, I grabbed a few little bites from the large dessert section. We were also served a Salted Caramel and a Praline Ice Cream; a thumbs up for the former. Priced at INR 1250 (plus taxes), the food festival is on till the 26th of the month and is offered as a part of both the lunch and dinner buffet. Despite the disappointment with the barbeque, the flavours of the Beef in Soya Sauce with Noodles, the Fried Chicken in Spicy Sauce and the Bibimbap make this a must try festival. I rate the festival 3.5/5.
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| Chef Park and Chef Kim |
PS - Check out Monica with fellow food enthusiast Natasha and I, rocking some aprons Gangnam Style.
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