Coming into town on Sunday was a great chance to check out The French Door’s Vegetarian Food Fest created by Chef Shreeya Adka. Just the list of names was tempting enough: Walnut and Mushroom Pâté, Strawberry Bruschetta, Beetroot Risotto, Ricotta Gnocchi, and more. It took us a while to decide on our orders.
Since there were just two soups to choose from and there were three of us, we ordered both. The Cauliflower Bisque was hearty and filling while the Soupe à l’oignon was lifted by the crunch of the caramelised onion and the baguette slathered with melted Gruyere cheese.
We argued long and hard over the entrées and finally settled for two deep-fried dishes: the Crumb-Fried Mushroom was stuffed with cheese that oozed out in a satisfyingly sticky way and finely diced red peppers. The Broccoli Croquettes was a mix of mashed potato and broccoli florets and offset by a spicy Cheddar sauce. In fact it was the garnish for the croquettes that first caught our attention: impossibly thin slivers of something that we first thought was cabbage, then onion and finally turned out to be leeks. Any misgivings about the calorie count were banished by promises to be good over the week.
We dithered over the main course menu too and chose Spiced Cauliflower Steak, Potato and Leek Phyllo Pie and Polenta Cake. When the dishes arrived at the table, we took a while to admire the presentation before we dug in.
Polenta Cakes
The two pieces of Polenta Cake were surrounded by steamed broccoli florets, spots of carrot purée and a sprinkling of pumpkin seeds. The steak was accompanied by herbed rice topped with a sprig of dill and a few marigold petals. An artistic splash of red pepper sauce completed the look.
The Phyllo Pie was the plainest of the three, in terms of looks. But the taste! A light pie crust and a flavourful potato and leek filling took this one to the top. Not that the others were far behind. The grilled florets were tender and went perfectly with the sauce and rice, while the Polenta cakes reminded us of the homely upma, if a more upmarket version.
We finished the meal with baked yoghurt and got another surprise. A sizeable dish came along a small bottle of melting strawberry jam, a piece of stewed apricot and a flambéed banana on the yoghurt; all topped with walnuts. A truly remarkable finish to a spectacular meal.
What made the experience even better was the service: polite, welcoming and quick. They even took the trouble to explain each dish and which of the garnishes were edible and which were not.
Vegetarian Food Fest
When: Until October 8; For lunch and dinner
Where: The French Door, 102, Bashyakarlu Road West, RS Puram
Call: 7094454044 for reservations
Meal for two: Around ₹2500
