New Menu launch & Culinary Masterclass with Chef Shaun Kenworthy at Mustard & Cress,153 Biere Street, Whitefield, Bangalore.

April 22, 2016 Naveen Suresh

Happiest moment for every foodie is meeting a celebrity, who related to food. In my case, these moments had in the past as well, by meeting so many celebrated chefs. However, the interaction was comparatively less. But recently, I was part of one the master classes happened at Happy Chef, 153 Biere Street, which is one of the prestigious and beautiful properties in Bangalore.

Well, the Master Class was with Chef. Shaun Kenworthy, a professional chef from UK, Paris, Stockholm and now he almost settled in Calcutta. He is good at blending with smoking-hot creativity, garnished with a fresh approach to honest food and original presentation. The Master Class hosted by Mustard and Cress, a well-known restaurant for Mediterranean and Italian cuisines. The Master Class gave a feel of participating in the Master Chef Program, that’s something memorable.

The event kick started by Chef. Shaun Kenworthy introduces himself with Head Chef at Mustard & Cress! The Master class started with Wine and baking an Apple & Zucchini cake. Being a non-dessert lover, I was not so keen about this dessert. However, I fell in love with it. Because, it wasn’t too sweetish and slightly moist! The dessert should be consumed with Greek Yogurt and finely powdered cinnamon. This is definitely a must try dessert for people, who actually don’t like dessert to change the perception.

The second dish we prepared was tropical fruit salad, which can be prepared easily with simple ingredients like Pears, pomegranate, orange pieces, apples, bananas. The salad was outdone with pepper powder, flax seeds, salt, honey and extra virgin olive oil and garnished with Micro greens. This came out really well, though it’s a simple salad. It was eye catching with Vibrant Colors!

The Third and the final dish we prepared was Spanish Paella (Rice Dish) – The group had both Vegetarians and Non Vegetarians. So, Shaun prepared both the versions by using seafood and exotic vegetables. Shaun used a Madras Curry Powder to prepare and made the fusion dish. Being a Vegetarian, I was so keen to prepare the dish along with my partner in crime Capt. Hari Camala (A die hard foodie). The dish can prepare by adding a couple of spoons of Extra Virgin Olive oil and sautéed with Zucchini, Paneer along with finely chopped bell peppers, capsicum, ginger, onions for 5 minutes. Then the addition of Madras Curry Powder, Stalk, Spanish rice and some necessary ingredients like Salt, Pepper, lime and boil till the rice become soft and garnish with chopped coriander and some Micro greens to make the dish elegant. The dish was flavorful and élite, because of the Madras Curry Powder!

It was again a great interactive session with Shaun. Since, we got a chance to talk a lot about off topics and yes, it was a fun filled event. Shaun is such a casual and down to earth soul and he love to spend time with people, which I understood while having a conversation.

A scrumptious dinner was set at Mustard and Cress, post Master Class with Shaun. He was with us for dinner too! Our dinner started with some Beer and Sangria Cocktails, which were personally made by Shaun for us. Those were just fabulous! These were served from The Biere Club. We also got an opportunity to try out the Craft Beers at The Biere Club. I loved their Wheat and Stout Beers any time and they are consistent, when it comes to these 2 beers and others were not my liking. Choosing beers are again subject to taste!

Well, the dishes we tried were part of New Menu, which was introduced recently at Mustard & Cress. They have a philosophy of “from seed to plate”. The menu was more of a delicious European and Indo-Asian menu with the season’s best and locally sourced ingredients, which impressed everyone’s palate!

I fell in love with the dishes like Pan Grilled Butter Garlic Mushroom, Biryani Croquettes Minty Yogurt, Mini Green Pea and Mint Tikki’s topped with hot chili salsa, Classic Tomato Bruschetta with Rocket and Shaved Parmesan and Pizza made out of Jalaferezi Vegetables, dollops of cream cheese and coriander pesto drizzle.

Pan Grilled Butter Garlic Mushrooms – The portions are huge and Mushrooms were sautéed perfectly with the minimal seasoning. The mushrooms were soft, juicy and flavorful. This is an apt starter to kick start a dinner.
Biryani Croquettes Minty Yogurt – The Biryani Croquettes were crafted perfectly and served with mild mint flavored yogurt. The flavors just burst, as soon as you bite. Again, sufficient portions.
Mini Green Pea and Mint Tikki’s – A deep fried dish with the crispy outside and super soft inside, topped with hot chili salsa. It gives an exclusive flavor when you eat with hot chili salsa! The dish is slightly on the spicier side!
Tomato Bruschetta with Rocket and Shaved Parmesan – It was upright without any complaints!

It was an indeed great opportunity to Meet Chef. Shaun Kenworthy and would like to thank The Biere Club, Mustard & Cress, Mrs. Prarthna Vohra & Mrs. Sunaina Bajaj for having us!