This blog post should have gone up sooner, but I made sure everyone who follows The Good Life Potpourri is aware of my recent visit to Trident, BKC and the unfiltered love I shared on all my social media platforms, about their ongoing Norwegian Salmon Festival which is in association with the Royal Norwegian Consulate General and the Norwegian Seafood Council.
The menus differ at O22 and Botticcino but the hero ingredient is of course, the fresh salmon (that’s never been frozen, FYI). Since our lunch meet up was at O22, we got a taste of the Japanese preparations, while I was told that Botticcino, being exclusively Italian, offers a menu of the same cuisine. This menu has been specially curated by the very talented Chef Ashish Bhasin and his amazing team.
Moving on to the food, I got to say it was one of my most favourite fine dining experiences after the French cuisine menu at Artisan, Sofitel.
Priced between Rs. 600-1050, it does seem quite steep but wouldn’t you want to pay a little more for something as exclusive as this? I know I would. The limited edition menu is one of a kind and ideal for those who seek new flavours without any inhibitions. It’s rare that I end up mentioning everything I taste from a menu, but this one’s a beautiful exception. Here’s a glimpse of everything I tried and of course, loved!
Norwegian Salmon Salad – Made up of thinly sliced fresh salmon mixed with lettuce, avocado and served with onion shoyu dressing, it was quite a combination. Personally, the dressing made this dish an absolute winner. The culmination of so many textures in every bite was enjoyable while the presence of fresh salmon only made it better.
Norwegian Salmon Tataki – It’s food like this that makes you really appreciate the efforts put in by the chefs… The beauty is certainly in the little details. This seared fresh salmon is topped with with caramelised onions (yum!), wasabi salsa (wowza!), ponzu jelly and eel sauce. I loved how this tasted with a punch of zestful flavour one experiences within the first 3 seconds of taking a bite. Yes, I do tend to really analyse my food.
Norwegian Salmon Carpaccio – A very unusual preparation, it consists of thinly sliced fresh salmon with avocado tartare (what a beauty!), jalapeño salsa, fried onion and ponzu dressing. I’m not sure how many people would truly love this, but I know that it’s got some amazing potential to be a top favourite for most food enthusiasts.
A platter of sashimi, maki and nigiri soon arrived at our table and it might just be one of the most photogenic platters of all time. Eating with your eyes is a real phenomenon, you guys! And we all experienced it first hand, together on this one fine afternoon.
Although the menu doesn’t offer a platter, I personally think they should as patrons can then get a taste of everything if they wish to. Nevertheless, ours was a tasting session so a platter worked perfectly well. It consisted of… Norwegian Salmon Sashimi (thinly sliced fresh salmon served with soya sauce, ginger pickle and fresh wasabi) Norwegian Salmon Nigiri (thinly sliced fresh salmon placed on top of small sushi rice) Norwegian Salmon Avocado Maki (combination of avocado and fresh salmon, black and white sesame seeds) Crispy Spicy Norwegian Salmon Maki (fresh salmon, tempura flakes, spicy mayonnaise and spring onion)
The main course had us going gaga over the Pan Seared Marinated Norwegian Salmon – My personal favourite. Served with sautéed vegetables, it makes for a wholesome meal with zero carbs (weight watchers are bound to love it). I couldn’t get over how fresh the salmon… just the way it crumbled and how flavourful it turned out after being pan-seared was a treat for my taste buds.
PS. All the main course offerings are served with tofu miso soup.
The festival is on till the 15th of April and I sincerely hope they plan to extend it only because I think 8 days is just not enough…
Botticino Timings: Lunch from 12.30pm to 3.00pm | Dinner from 7.00pm to 11.00pm
O22 Timings: 11.00 – 11.00
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