Jalsa Gold, Bangalore – A Restaurant Review

Last weekend was a very special one for my family. It was a weekend full of celebrations as an excellent news came home. My daughter secured a silver medal in her school securing second rank at International Math’s Olympiad (IMO).  So we wanted to treat her somewhere so that she feels special. At the same time, I got an invite to dine at India’s first luxury gold themed fine-dining restaurant – Jalsa Gold, Marathalli.

The restaurant is a tribute to India’s bygone royalty. The interiors compliment the rich golden ambience which is also a revelation of a mix of the traditions of Indian royalty and the global influence on it.

The parallels between good food and good life have been plenty in history. Food at Jalsa Gold is inspired by the palates of different parts of the globe. The taste suits India taste buds. The chefs there cook food with love and perfection.

Ambience:

As soon as you enter Jalsa Gold, you come across a painting of a sun-kissed amber boulevard of autumn trees. As you move ahead, you get to see a stunning décor with crystal drapes and a breath taking gold chandelier. The chandelier adds life to ambience. Servers are dressed in traditional attire too.

I actually felt like as if I entered a palace and remembered the “Midas Touch” story. Everything is Gold colored. From walls to chairs to sofas to the plates, cutlery, water tumbler, salt and pepper shakers to dresses of servers… everything was gold. Literally, whatever I touched turned into gold 😉

Food:

In the good old days, a meal was considered to be an important activity that commanded utmost respect and dedication. It was often said that wars were averted not by the kings, but by the chefs who served a lavish meal to warring visitors. However, through time, the importance and benefits of a good meal have diminished. The food in Jalsa reflects the luxurious part and is a fascinating mélange of Indian and Global cuisines, including North-West Frontier, Italian, Continental, Japanese and Fusion.

The staff helped us to get the best possible place. We were first served with a complimentary appetiser named Tarragon Tart and hot face towel to freshen up.

We ordered some mocktails. Mango madness for me, My fair lady for my daughter and for my hubby Play Boys Punch – Vanilla ice cream blended with fresh lime soda.

The chef and manager came to our table and briefed us about the hotel and the menu. The chef recommended to try the Karela Salad which is a Jalsa Gold speciality. My reaction was Noooo… I don’t like karelas. But since husband loves karela or bitter Gourd we decided to give it a try. Husband tried it and asked me to taste. OMG! I fell in love with that karela salad. It was spicy, tangy and delicious. This dish does not fall under the salad category as it contains crispy fried sliced bitter gourd. But the dish was so yummy that I fell in love with it.

Next came oriental chicken served in nest – “Chidiya Ka Ghosla”. The presentation of this dish was par excellence. The taste was awesome too.

Jalsa Gold – Savory varieties were served next and this dish too deserves full marks for presentation and uniqueness 🙂

My daughter loves prawns so we ordered a dish made with prawns. Daura E Tafreeh – Plump tiger prawns refreshingly marinated in a citric blend of lemon juice, cardamom and carom seeds and roasted golden in tandoor.

A veg appetizer names Popeye Ki Spinach Tikki was served next.  This was absolutely delicious tikki made out of spinach and corn with Indian spices.

We also tried another delicious veg appetiser – Peshawari Paneer Tikka & Tandoori Malai Broccoli. Tandoori Paneer and Broccoli was marinated with brie and yogurt and was served with apple salad.

We also tried the Veg Fantasy Pizza – Mozzarella cheese with all exotic vegetables.

Last in the appetisers came my hubby’s all-time favourite – Murgh Surkh Lal Tikka. Chicken pieces marinated in Kashmiri Red Chilli paste and cooked in clay oven. This dish was loved by our taste buds.

We were almost full and it was time for main course. We ordered Murgh Hara Masala which was made with chicken cooked in curry made of spinach and coriander leaves. Next we tried my favorite dish i.e. Nawabi Dal Makhani – Black urad dal (lentils) were cooked overnight in a tandoor and cooked with tomato puree and butter. This dish was creamy and tasted delicious.

Rotiyan Dawat-E-Shahi that is the bread basket or assorted roti platter was also served. It consisted of accompaniments of a royal meal.

We tried Murg Jafrani Biryani too.  It had long grain rice cooked with exotic spices and flavoured with saffron and morsels of chicken.

Rotiyan Dawat-E-Shahi – consisting of accompaniments of a royal meal.

Soon after main course, the chef came to our table and asked us to taste some desserts. We were surprised when the desserts arrived. I loved loved loved the plating. It was truly out of the world. The perfection with which the dishes were served itself proved the chef’s passion. We tasted the following dishes:

American cheese Cake – Soft and creamy Philadelphia cheese cake baked with Blueberry compote. Do try this cake.

Paan Panna Cotta – An Italian dessert infused with betel leaf. This dish is a fusion of Indian and Italian cuisine. It was heavenly.

Swan Tart – look at the presentation 🙂

Chocolate Tart

Dawat E Buffet – Jalsa Gold

Apart from Ala Carte they also have attractive buffet options called Dawat E Buffet – Jalsa Gold. The buffet is served in following categories and at different prices.

• Jalsa E Dawat: Gold – Lunch consisting of 50 dishes in 6 course meal, to be served platter to plate and on buffet.
• Jalsa E Dawat: Royal – Dinner consisting of 55 plus dishes in 6 course meal to be served platter to plate and on buffet.
• Sunehra Dawat – Unlimited beer & IML for 2 hours and 50 dishes in 6 course meal to be served platter to plate.
• Suvarna Dawat – Unlimited beer & IML for 2 hours and 50 dishes in 6 course meal to be served platter to plate.

My verdict:

• Must visit place for a royal experience.
• We got a royal treatment and for a while I thought that I was the queen and this place was my golden palace. The food was delicious. Every dish had a serving size meant for 2.
• The service was superb. The chef came and spoke to us and personally took feedback on the food after every course.
• Food tasted good and was presented very creatively.
• I was impressed by the unique plating. Every dish was styled artistically. Though I dinned in numerous restaurants, I had never seen this type of presentation anywhere else.
• A lot of fusion dishes like Paan Panna cotta, Spaghetti Dal Makhani, Fried chicken with dal makhani pasta, Mutton rogan josh pasta are served which displays the fusion between Indian and Italian food.

They are offering 20% off on buffet and 30% off on a la carte till 31st Jan 2017. So book a table and get ready to pamper yourself to this royal luxury.

We were served with gold coins (chocolate coated in gold paper) to end the royal meal.

Address

20\5, Panathur Junction, Outer Ring Road, Kadubeessanahalli, Marathahalli, Bangalore

₹1,500 for two people (approx.) with alcohol.

Note: I was invited for dinner at Jalsa Gold, but the views expressed here are my own. Check my other reviews too.