Break away from the madding crowd at Bengaluru’s Nusa

Nusa, Bengaluru | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Dining out has become one of the most popular ways to catch up with friends and family, and on such occasions it can be challenging to keep up with the demands of differing palates. With no dearth of watering holes in the city catering to different tastes, Nusa offers a spread that has the something-for-everyone menu going for it.

True, it might be out of the way for some, but making a picnic out of it would be a great idea, considering the setting. With multiple sections to seat parties both great and small around an open serene space, Nusa is perfect for lazy, leisurely lunches where you can sit, sip and savour the pan-Asian fare at your own pace.

The weather is frankly too hot to enjoy soup but it was Nusa’s choice to showcase this particular dish and we understood why after our first taste. Tomato soup rarely falls into my must-try category anywhere, but I am glad we tried it out here. The roasted tomato butter candle soup was light and refreshing, with a generous pat of herbed butter; there is a reason why it is on their must-try list.

The corn chestnut dimsums arrive alongside the hummus platter, and one thing is certain — there is no dearth of vegetarian options from different cuisines at Nusa. Charcoal walnut, three-lentil carrot, feta mint and raspberry beet were the flavours of hummus that came with the platter and they all went well with the pita bread, with the exception of the charcoal walnut which only seemed to be nutty.

The corn and chestnut dimsum was a pleasant change from the usual vegetarian options; cream cheese, mushroom and edamame cream are the other dimsum choices Nusa offers.

There are a generous choice of seafood options here, so we try the kunafa prawn fritters and Moroccan fish tikka. Before your imagination runs away with you, the kunafa prawn is not a sweet dish — it is prawn ensconced in spun pastry, much like the ones seen in Turkish desserts. The spice component for this dish is red pepper which imparts a subtle fieriness to the prawn.

The Moroccan fish tikka was a good choice too. Marinated in lemon and prepared with parsley and onion, it tasted both familiar and new. Its delicate flavours make it a great companion to pretty much any beverage you might choose to imbibe.

The malai chicken roulade is a safe bet for anyone who does not want to experiment. That does not mean it was not delicious. Succulent meat, well flavoured and cooked just right, oozing a creamy richness — it works both as a starter and an accompaniment to rotis or rice.

After gorging on so many starters, it was difficult to choose a main course. We finally settled on the tried and tested nalli nihari with butter naan. Dishes like these are comfort food, you know what to expect and you get it too. Here too, the meat was tender and the gravy was just the right consistency — not too thick nor too thin. I would have preferred it to have been a tad spicier though, but my companion had no complaints whatsoever.

We shared a dessert — the enchanted forest came to our table with a flourish. It is one of the chef’s prides and it is easy to see why. Despite being stuffed to the gills, it beckoned us to take a little taste and before we realised it, most of it had disappeared. Chocolate ganache, tuiles, soil and rocks surround a tart cherry compote. Not too sweet and not too dense, it was a lovely end to the meal.

Nusa has a lot to offer — from signature cocktails to a wide range of dishes from an even wider range of cuisines. Baos, khao phat, nasi goreng and satays with the likes of risottos, ravioli, pulao and biryani vie for your attention, to say nothing of the pizzas, burgers and sliders. I would suggest getting there before you actually feel hungry because browsing through their menu will only whet your appetite further.