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Sweet taste of summer

Le Jardin's kebab festival spices up the warm, summer nights with a plethora of grilled meats and veggies

RIGHT WEATHER Spicy kebabs are just what the gourmet ordered... Photo: Sampath Kumar G.P.

If there's one association every foodie makes with summer, it is the sinful indulgence of kebabs roasted on an outdoor grill. More than any other food, kebabs possess the perfect mix of tastes, smells, sights and even sounds that transform a process of mere sustenance into one of spiritual communion. Never mind that the meat and fat are communing with your belly and thighs at that very moment; that realisation doesn't come until many days later.

Now if you're the kind who didn't pay attention to the part about lipids because great, big hara bhara kebabs were traipsing joyfully around your head, Le Jardin's Just Kebabs festival at The Oberoi should be your next stop. A part of the restaurant's theme nights that serves up a different cuisine each evening, Just Kebabs is on every Tuesday and boasts of, you guessed it, nothing but kebabs.

Endless options

What makes the festival interesting is its obvious effort at variety. Thus, you have not the token three or four vegetarian kebabs, but an impressive eight different varieties to choose from. And although most of the kebabs are predictably made of potato and paneer, the occasional use of other starchy agents like colocasia and corn brings a little more excitement into the affair.

The aloo makkai ki tikki, for instance, is a substantial offering made special by the fibrous, crunchy feel of the corn that nicely mediates the soft texture of the mashed potato base. The ever-so-slight sweetness of the corn works in its favour, especially when teamed with the red chilli and garlic chutney that is surprisingly more bark than bite.

Then there's the bharwan paneer ka soola, a tepid, smooth creation that clicks primarily because it is doused in a generous quantity of garnishing that makes it juicy rather than chewy and bland like most dry, paneer preparations tend to be. I also try out the vegetable hara kebab, a must-have in every kebab festival. As is expected, it measures up rather well, cooked as it is to a pleasant crisp with a refreshing filling.

Among the non-vegetarian kebabs, one almost instantly notices a strong leaning towards lamb. No prizes for guessing Chef Narayan Rao's favourite meat. The Hyderabadi lamb kebab stays with one the longest, with a smooth, sour taste characteristic of a curd marinade. The Peshwari lamb kebab is an option for someone looking for something juicier. There's also interesting innovations like the daroo boti, which is soaked overnight in rum. But if you're a meat-eating health freak (an oxymoron at its best), or if you can't bear the thought of eating Dolly (although Foghorn Leghorn elicits no such sympathy), there's also a wide selection of kebabs made of chicken. The palak bhara murgh tikka is particularly memorable, with the bitter taste of stewed spinach. Other chicken options include murgh sula ka kebab and murgh tikka. A wonderful counterpoint to all these kebabs is the hariyali macchi tikka, which smacks of generous doses of mustard.

According to Narayan, the meal should end here for all intents and purposes. But if you insist on rounding off the meal with something more "substantial", the restaurant offers a choice of biryanis. Both the lamb and the vegetable biryani are nothing to really write home about. Made with simple, straightforward recipes, they are satisfying in their lack of flourish. And a delicious hung-curd raita makes this course smooth sailing.

The dessert platter doesn't stick to the strictly Indian theme. Here the selection comprises all the regulars — jamun, katli, mud cake, cheesecake and soufflé among others. Although I sincerely believe that there's no space left for dessert, both the chocolate walnut tart and the golden apricot cheesecake waft down my throat and find insignificant nooks to fit themselves into.

All in all, a very satisfying and unusually light meal. Just Kebabs is on at Le Jardin, The Oberoi on every Tuesday till September 30. Call 25585858 or 41358201 for details.

RAKESH MEHAR

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