We tried it: Summer Collection Menu, Mango Special at Spice Route, Imperial Delhi

Do you love mangoes? We do too. Join us as we devour the best of mango-infused recipes in the capital at Spice Route.

I happened to be invited to try the Summer Menu after trying out Imperial Salon’s Monsoon Hair Solution (stay tuned to our review!). While my desire to eat mango flavoured sushi was a lost cause, I was looking forward to one of the most innovative menus in the city at Hotel Imperial.

The Idea

Curated by Chef Veena Arora, a Punjabi from Thailand and now resettled in India, the summer menu is an annual affair at Spice Route. People in Thailand love their food with fruits that are why the complete menu revolves around mango, the favourite summer fruit, Chef Veena explains. Each time I plan it, it opens doors to new flavours and combinations with a sense of timelessness, she shares.

The Entrée

I started my lunch with a serving of Yum Mamuang and a helping of Maambalam Irachi Porichatu. The first is basically the staple Thai salad which was made with green mangoes and had crispy soy in it that looked like prawns. The salad is a burst of flavour and lends a freshness with each bite. The second dish is really well-cooked, tender lamb (made in a wok) and uses native spices as well as raw mango.

But what I loved the most was Tom Krathi Kai which is basically coconut milk soup. The freshness of lemongrass, kaffir lime and earthy zing of galangal with chunks of chicken soothed my throat. I’m telling you—it’s literally chicken soup for the soul.

 

 

The Mains

Upon Chef Veena’s insistence, I first ate the Maambalam Appams with Amba Curry. Seeing how appams are comfort food for me, I dived straight into it and was delighted to find that appams weren’t overly sweet but was carefully balanced. The assorted stew had veggies as well as Sri Lankan mangoes and tasted great too.

Next up was Ga Xao Hot Dieli which was a staple chicken fry with cashew-nuts and great Asian flavours. The hero would have to be Pla-E-Saan which is Sole fillets served with what I can safely say was the best sauce I’ve had in over a year. I could taste a bit of palm sugar, mint and mangoes of course. The portions are huge and can be made a meal of, just by itself.

Dessert

For dessert, we stuck to Asian flavours and order Khao Neow Mamuang which is basically sticky rice with ripe mangoes and sesame seeds.

Price

The cost for is Rs 8500 plus taxes.
Timings: Lunch 12:30 pm to 2:45 pm and Dinner: 7 pm to 11:45 pm.
The Summer Menu is a regular feature at Spice Menu, Imperial Hotel and is on until 31 July 2017.

All Photographs by Lakshya Sachdeva.

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