I think it’s hard to compare the ambience of Monkey Bar located at Vasant Kunj with any eatery in the Capital. The pyramid shaped glass building which houses this funky and quirky bar is so unique and beautiful, which gives this place an edge over the others. Add to that some great food. No wonder it created ripples when it opened its first outlet in Delhi. As the name suggests, the team behind this Bangalore based establishment likes to play around with different cuisines and to serve on a platter, an experience that is fun filled and exciting.
This time they have played around with some coastal flavours and from 16th to 30th June they are showcasing an unusual menu that is their own take on the South Indian coastal cuisines involving not only seafood but also some great vegetarian and non vegetarian delicacies combined with distinct ingredients and spices.
Even the cocktails are not immune from the touch of South and carry traditional coastal flavours. ‘Vanakam Panakam’ consisted of whiskey, lemon juice and Panakam (A traditional Indian summer cooler consisting of jaggery, pepper and ginger made esp. during Sri Ramanavami and Narasimha Jayanti festivals). I found it a bit too sweet but the punch of flavours was refreshing and tangy. Another cocktail I tried was ‘Soulful Kadhee’ and it too consisted of unique ingredients such as Kokum Syrup, tender coconut, curry leaves etc. Kokum gives a great flavour to any drink and this one was no exception.
The various dishes offered in this festival are tastefully prepared in a modern way bearing southern influences. I understand fusion is not an easy cuisine to master and even though most of the newly opened pubs in Delhi NCR serve what they call fusion but it is not something easy to master unless one gets the basics right. It doesn’t work in a way that you take one ingredient from one cuisine, one from the other, borrow one technique from here one from there and present the dish in a fancy way. It requires lot of knowledge about flavours and mastery over traditional cooking for a Chef to take a step further and attempt fusion.
So has Monkey Bar succeeded in creating that magic? I would say, to some extent, ‘yes’. The biggest advantage this brand has is that it started it operations from Bangalore and the team has a fair idea about how the southern flavours work. For me, few dishes worked and few dishes didn’t, but that is probably due to my palate not being accustomed to such flavours. For Eg. The shellfish Clam was really a miss for me as I found it too sweet for my palette.
On the other hand some of the dishes like Mandeli Fried Fish (Rava Crusted fried fish), Kundapur Wings (Chicken Wings tossed in super spicy Kundapur Ghee Roast Masala), Kuttari Salad (a fantastic red rice salad), Prawn Ghee Roast (again consisting of Kundapur) and KP Tacos (Kerala style pulled chicken preparation served on a bed of kerala paratha) were phenomenal.
Go and experience the festival. Your palate may not have experienced many of these flavours before but hey variety is the spice of life so why not make it spicier with some rich southern coastal flavours.
You can find them on facebook here.
Quick Facts
Monkey Bar, Plot No 11,
Local Shopping Complex,
Pocket C 6&7, Vasant Kunj
New Delhi
Phone 011 4109 5155
Open
12:00 – 00:30
Website – http://monkeybarindia.com/
