More Than Kimchi...




Kimchi doing Tai Chi on my palate is what I had in my mind when I stepped out to try out the korean food festival at Le Meridien, Gurgaon . A cuisine that’s primarily meat based has always kept its distance from herbivores like me except the ocassional Kimchi indulgence. Thankfully some innovation by Chef Wang & Chef Park,and this carnivorous cuisine offered a lot of vegetarian fare to the residents of the millennium city .

The health freak that I am naturally made me gravitate towards the salad counter with its pretty and light offerings. What was offered were some translucent glass noodles and an interesting salad which was drizzled with soy milk lending an interesting sweet ,nutty flavor. Intrigued, I moved on to the black sesame porridge which is not very appealing if you judge it by its looks. However 1 spoonful of this dark sludge revealed  flavors  distinctly different from regular offerings, its rustic, sweetish and very enjoyable. The Gimbap , is an assemblage of sushi rice and Korean pickled vegetables/meat and very similar to the Japanese quintessential sushis. The only difference here was the proportion of filling as compared to the rice. The rice cakes are street food delicacy from korea and were a chewy delight smothered with an intense red sauce. My personal favourite was however the Bibimbap-Korean fried rice? A claypot arrives on the table with rice at the bottom and is topped with an array of sautéed vegetables with some sauce. The combination sets one into tizzy and definitely will have you asking for more.

The dessert counter burgeoned with a huge variety and that is always a treat for my eyes. There was a drink on offer , the omiya punch with rice which was subtly sweet and light , and aids digestion. With the rise in temperature , Red bean shaved ice was my natural choice. Jujubes , nuts, red beans and a mango icecream on top , this is  highly recommended for every dessert lover.


The festival is on till the 17th of this month and that’s not very long now. So go book a table now.
Where- Latest recipe, Le meridien Gurgaon.

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