A dish will be incomplete without addition of Salt! Well, I am talking about the newbie, Salt – Indian Restaurant Bar & Grill is the new add-on to the Classic Forum Mall, Koramangala. The restaurant is the brain child of Chef. Balaji Balachander, a renowned Chef who worked at the places like various star hotels and has deep knowledge about the culinary trend in India. He also owns a Salt restaurant in Chennai as well, which made a debut in very short span of time.
I happened to visit here for lunch and got a positive impression after seeing the décor and menu. Well, the décor is Trendy, bright and attractive, where one cannot have any complaint. The ambiance of the place certainly suits for date, get together and quick lunches though! The place also looks more like an International Chain by the overall setting.
The concept at the SALT is simple by infusing international ingredients and flavors to our own Indian Food, which is something not new in Bangalore. However, the taste of the dishes did a justice especially in SALT. The presentation of the food is brilliant; the plating looks more like a gourmet! The restaurant targets to bring ‘Indian soul food’ to the mob, presents as it people to more than simple staple curry and rice.
Chef was very kind enough to visit our table and share his concept of SALT!
As usual, the dishes we tried were Chef’s recommendation, which is certainly recommended for everyone, if you visit any restaurant for the first time.
The Menu at SALT has delectable Vegetarian and Non Vegetarian, which includes Olive Masala Paniyaram, Subzi Kurkure, Roasted Paneer, Broccoli & fruits, Mushroom Varuval, Figs stuffed Paneer Tikka, Bharwan Mushrooms, Galouti Kebab, Dahi Tawa Kebab, Ras Bhare Mattar, House Black Dal, Chennai Chicken Curry, Veg Dum Biryani and some of the handpicked desserts like Elaneer Payasam, Jamoon Tiramisu and Gajar Halwa. The list just goes like that!
My lunch started with,
Roasted Paneer, Broccoli and Fruits – The salad has decent mustard sauce dressing on perfectly marinated soft paneer, creamy broccoli, watermelon, and muskmelon and ice burg. The dish tastes appealing!
Olive Masala Paniyaram – The Paniyaram has become a signature dish in most of the renowned restaurants now days. Every restaurant has their own style of making this dish unique. Well, in SALT they stuffed seasoned olives in South Indian Hot Cake “Paniyaram”. The dish is soft and blended perfectly well with olives and South Indian Chutney.
Subzi Kurkure – At the first instance, it looks like some common Chinese Dessert. However, there is a twist in this deep fried and oil free starter Roomali stuffed with cumin spiced vegetables, Cashew nuts and raisins. The starter is non-spicy and served with Meetha or Tamarind Syrup and Mint Chutney. The taste of the dish is decent.
Bharwan Mushrooms – The Button Mushrooms were char grilled, which are stuffed with cumin & garlic tempered Spinach! I liked the texture of the dish and it was just melting without the Chutney. It was insanely good and heavenly feel for Mushroom lovers like me.
Dahi Tawa Kebab – Dahi Kebabs are another common dish for Vegetarians, which is available in most of the High end restaurants in Town. However, in my experience, I felt very few restaurants do a good job in preparing this dish and SALT is one among them. This dish needs to be prepared with care or else, there are chances of getting broken before serving on the plate. It just melts in the mouth at SALT!
Figs Paneer Tikka – Cottage Cheese stuffed with Fig Chutney and served with onion and bell pepper skewers! The dish was extraordinary and must try, if you are a Paneer lover.
In Main Course, I have tried House Black Dal, which is nothing but Dal Makhni and Ras Bhare Mutter with some Special Breads infused with Sun Dried Tomatoes, Mixed Olives, Chili Flakes and Basil. The Dal Makhni was decent. However, there was no Wow factor in it and could have been better. When it comes to Ras Bhare, cottage cheese cubes were soft and tastes extraordinary with all the flavors. The creamy tomato sauce kind of gravy amalgamated aptly with all the ingredients.
Not to miss the Veg Biryani, extremely aromatic and taste almost equal to Awadhi Biryani. I fell in love with Veg Biryani because of the spice level, aroma, taste and presentation. In my next visit, I will definitely not miss to order this adorable dish.
Lunch will be incomplete without a Dessert, so we had Elaneer Payasam, Gajar Halwa and Chocolate Cheese Cake. I liked Elaneer Payasam more than others.
It was an unforgettable lunch experience and I will highly recommend this place for some extraordinary North Indian Food.
