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Desert all for this food fest

The Arabian Nights Food Festival at the Taj Residency has cuisines representing the regions of burning sand and starry nights

PHOTO: K. GOPINATHAN

ECLECTIC FARE Arabian Nights Food Festival offers Lebanese, Egyptian, Moroccan, Algerian and Arabic cuisine

If there's one body of storytelling that never ever goes out of style, it's the Arabian Nights. Think about your favourite stories, and chances are Scheherazade pops into your mind faster than you can say genie in the lamp (or bottle for all the Christina Aguilera fans out there). And what better way to celebrate the Arabian Nights than with a food festival that rejoices in the eclectic cuisines of the region.

Taj Residency has an ongoing Arabian Nights Food Festival offering a selection of Lebanese, Egyptian, Moroccan, Algerian and Arabic offerings that aim to transport the average gourmand to the burning sands of the erstwhile nomad-filled deserts of West Asia. And considering Bangalore's unnaturally sweltering weather of late, that doesn't seem like too hard a task.

Delicious shorba

The meal kicks off with a shorba, varieties of which could be made with rice or pulses. Our meal begins with shorba bil hummus, made with chickpea. The shorba, we are informed, can be made vegetarian or non-vegetarian, and that revelation makes all the difference. The vegetarian shorba is deliciously simple, serving up a plain, uncomplicated brothy taste, modified nicely by the presence of generous doses of rice. However, even as we enjoy the simplicity of it all, the non-vegetarian in us can't help but wonder how some shredded chicken might better the affair.

The carnivorous appetite has little waiting to do, though. A shawarma counter immediately follows, with a creamy chicken roll that does the trick quite neatly. The shawarma is well marinated, and the great helpings of salad garnishes that go into it complement the taste rather than oppose it, as is normally the case.

The barbecue counter doesn't disappoint either, with grilled offerings in lamb, chicken and fish. Although the various meats acquire a healthy crunch when well done, the best thing to do is have them cooked to just a little short of well done. This retains the juice in the meats, without leaving them rubbery.

Some hope

Vegetarians needn't worry either. The falafel works just as well as the shawarma, especially with the pickled taste that the added salad brings to it. And the grilled vegetables perform an adequate follow up job.

For the main course, non-vegetarians must try the maqlooba kusi or sheep grilled with rice. By itself, the rice is somewhat bland, but when eaten with the flavoursome mutton, it serves up a subtle gradation of flavour. The curdy shakriya (chicken) is also a good choice with the riz ib sheriya or vermicelli with rice. But the clear highlight of the main course is the lahme bis shan, oh-so-succulent minced mutton with the subtlest hint of spice. Make no mistake about it; this is one of the finest creations since sliced bread. Vegetarians can load up too, on interesting recipes like kusa ma leban or zucchini with curd and nazala bahunjan, a surprisingly good brinjal recipe.

Rounding off the meal is a fairly good range of desserts. The umali, which tastes like a nutty pudding, is particularly worth a try. For those looking for something lighter, the crisp baklava is also a good choice. And you can wash it all down with spiced black tea or cardamom flavoured black coffee and dates.

The Arabian Nights Food Festival is on for dinner at Café Mosaic in Taj Residency till September 16. For reservations, contact 66604444.

Ambience: Distinctly Arabian
Service: Buffet
Speciality: Barbecue
Wallet factor: Rs. 675 plus taxes per person

RAKESH MEHAR

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