The Hindu Business Line : Zen at chef’s table

“If we put all our energies into making the best possible food we can with the best possible taste, then we are pleasing Buddha. A meal reflects the gentle nature and warm heart of the cook.”

— Koei Hoshino, the abbess of Sanko-in, a Zen Buddhist monastery for women.

What distinguishes Far-East Asian cooking from that of other cuisines? The stir frying, the spices? Or a subtle philosophy that derives from ancient wisdom, where the yin-yang balance emerges as a sensory burst of bitter, salty, sweet, sour and chilli-hot on the tongue?

The first step into Mugen at Bangalore’s upmarket Indiranagar is an invitation to savour the Zen moment. By engaging with pan-Asian flavours from beyond our subcontinent: from Thailand, Indonesia and China. By taking in the aesthetics of Buddhist wisdom in Thai script, on lacquered bamboo leaves. A haze of blue light permeates the space from a silvered bamboo ceiling, above parquet floors.

The Chef’s Table, where we dine, woos the eye. Perhaps taking its cue from the word ‘Mugen’, Japanese for ‘dream’ or ‘fantasy’. A ten-seater within the 90-cover restaurant, it features a low table within a sunken space. By the flickering light of floating tea candles, we scan our individual menus of Thai and Indonesian fare selected by Chef Sandesh Reddy. Each menu is garnished with an exotic bloom. Seated on silvery low sofas, we face individual khantok or traditional Thai lacquered tables. Atop each is exquisite, multi-hued Benjerong crockery, crafted by the same hands that make the service for the Thai royal family.

Between sips of fragrant jasmine tea, the starters enhance the easy camaraderie between our dining sorority of three. The first bite of the Balinese Satay Lilit is nirvana, hints of lemon-coconut-pepper in a minced seafood lollipop atop a lemongrass stalk, offset by a fiery sauce. The Peson Wong is as tantalising: a steamed leafy square that unfolds to reveal juicy, delicately marinated mushrooms offset by a flash of red chilli. One of us toasts the freshness of our fare with her spicy margarita from the minimalist bar in a far corner.

Another taste challenge, off our charted course, wafts in: the chef’s special Indonesian soup, Gedang Mekuah. A tongue-teasing medley of diced raw papaya in a home-style curry-rich stock, enhanced by fried onions.

Courteously, yet unobtrusively, our main courses are served on white plates with Benjerong borders for eye appeal. The Nasi Goreng, the shrimp-rich perennial favourite Indonesian fried rice, seems average, but only because the other dishes are in a superior league. Sampled with jasmine rice, the Mung Gorn Lui Frie is impeccable — morsels of succulent lobster in an Indonesian seafood sauce that, by degrees, reveals subtle notes of chilli, ginger and other spices. An irresistible whole pomfret, Mian Whan Pla Chon, offers delicate flakes of fish with a heady herbal crust dominated by coriander and Thai basil. Dry red chilli and cashew nuts enhance the subtle chicken dish, Gai Phad Med Mamuang Himapan. Melt-in-the-mouth lamb, Pe Phad Nam Mekuah, gently hints at oyster sauce.

High on irresistible Asian cuisine, we are persuaded to try the open-show kitchen. Perched atop high stools, facing a wall of green and gold tiles inlaid with altered mother of pearl, we watch Chef Lama and Chef Naoto transform fresh ingredients into superlative dishes. A dash of light soya, a quick stir-fry — and the tender-green beans we savour prove to be both crunchy and appetising, spelt Buah Kalang Mekuah. In a trice, saucy, spicy Samble Vegetables come our way. But the dish has us wondering: Are broccoli and baby corn traditionally used in Indonesian cookery? Or are they a concession to the global palate?

We pick up vital culinary cues at the open kitchen. That it helps to stir fry in a deep wok, with a ladle, into which one can toss the beansprouts, the spring onions and crushed peanuts that make a comforting dish of soft noodles, Bamee Phad.

The Chef’s Table.

As we return to dessert at the Chef’s Table, our eyes rest on a slate-cladded wall, an element drawn from traditional Indonesian and Thai architecture. Besides traditional basketry, we spy mysterious, shield-like metal ‘plaques’ on it. We learn that six of the plaques join together to form a Thai musical instrument! That whets our appetite, until we take in a Vietnamese steamer for traditional pancakes used to enhance Mugen’s décor by the doorway.

The spice of this discovery trail calls for cooler closing notes. Chef Reddy, who spent 12 years in Japan, then trained at Thailand’s famed Blue Elephant cooking school, followed by Bumbu Bali in Indonesia, rounds our meal off perfectly. With the delicate Thai crunch of Tub Tim Grub, red-infused cubed water chestnuts, afloat in chilled coconut milk, hinting at both fire and ice. A palate cleanser that keeps alive the culinary adventures that preceded it.

Mugen, we decide, is the perfect venue for a business meal or a family celebration. Not just because of Vivek Menzil’s unusual décor, or the magical transformations wrought by its three chefs with impeccable ingredients. But because it offers other unexplored options: such as pan-Chinese cuisine, and a more contemporary, Ming-inspired seating arrangement. Its troika of cuisines, with the Balinese dishes redolent of traditional home and festive fare, come at a reasonable Rs 900 for a meal for two, exclusive of drinks and taxes.

The Chef’s Table for six to ten persons, with its customised five- to eight-course meal, needs to be booked 24 hours ahead. The exclusive experience is priced at Rs 800-1,200 per individual. A price worth the privilege of a right royal dining experience.

(Mugen, 3rd Floor, No 2011, 100 Feet Road (Above Indigo Nation Store), HAL 2nd Stage, Indiranagar, Bangalore -560038. Tel: 41481414/99453-00004)