Kalinga: Beyond the boundaries of Taste

Some places are crafted so thoughtfully that you fall in love with the sheer preparation and efforts that are put in. For me that place is Kalinga. Seven Floors of absolute indulgence is what the owners of Kalinga Gourmet Kitchen and Bar, Abhishek Shetty, and Amrita Shetty aim to offer. I visited the fourth floor and here I narrate my experience.

Kalinga Gourmet Bar and Kitchen is a heavenly offering for those who are vegetarian and love to enjoy a sip of cocktail or a pint of beer along with the toothsome food. When it comes to me, I sporadically enjoy the veg victuals. But Kalinga left me startled.

Visit Kalinga for the drinks

Drinks at Kalinga are curated by Shatbhi Basu, the first lady Bartender of India. The absolute command of Shatbhi over her craft is awe-inspiring. The delight in her eyes while she mixes the drinks and the smile on her face while she hands you one makes you drool over her charming persona and go back to the bar every now and then.

My pick for the night was LIIT and my friend picked up Blue Bay Iced Tea. Both the drinks were potent and did justice to the long-lasting legacy of the Ice Tea culture. A couple of other mock-tails converted to cocktails I liked are Pineapple, Yuzu and Jalapeno Sour on the rocks and Guava Mary

Starters at Kalinga

When it comes to food, Kalinga has a boatload of option to pick from. Choices range from healthy salads to some delectable specialities. From the vast menu following is our pick.

English Vinglish Salad: For the gym addicts this is a perfect post-workout meal. Loaded with kale, paneer, nuts, corn and cranberries this is tasty and filling.

Aloo Chop: This is the crowd favourite of the day. All the bloggers on the table loved it and absolutely hogged on it like hungry hyenas. As soon as it arrived I took a peek at it and thought its just regular aloo chop, but the first bite and I was surprised by the sheer effort the chef has put into the making. Absolutely perfect crispiness and a filling of Jackfruit made this a crowd favourite.

Mexican Makai Bhel: While we waited for the mains to arrive we munched on the Mexican makai bhel. Not that the service at Kalinga is slow, but after gulping down a couple of potent drinks and hogging on the starters we needed a break and hence the little pause. The soft smoked corn and crunchy Nachos combination play well together. The salsa adds the required tangy punch to this combo. Trust me, I can munch this all day long.

Daal Pakwan: We had a Sindhi Blogger with us on this tasting table (Sheena Thadani aka Mojitowali) in her review she writes,

Sheena Thadani On Dal Pakwan

First of all I am Sindhi. I know exactly what an authentic Dal Pakwan tastes like. I’ve tried at various joints in Pimpri, Kalyan and it’s also prepared at my place so I was totally looking forward to what different is this from the rest.
I don’t eat Dal Pakwan much but I almost finished the entire plate here. The best part about it is the chutneys. Dal pakwan will taste good only if it has the right amount of chutneys in it. Properly known as the (Mithi and tikkhi chutney in Sindhi) (Sweet and spicy chutney). The chutneys were already mixed well into the Dal. Pakwan was cut into pieces and used as garnish, as a result the taste was heavenly and it was just the perfect. You are also given separate chutneys to add. I would Highly recommend everyone to try this.

Sheena Thadani on Dal Pakwan at Kalinga Veg Gourmet Kitchen

Mains at Kalinga

Amritsari Pindi Chole: This was my favourite. I’ve tried Amritsari, Punjabi, dishes in many places. They all have a hint of Maharashtrian touch to it. This dish, however, is the authentic version. Black anar dana chole in rich thick gravy. It is served with pickled onion and aloo kulcha. For me the kulcha was disappointing. Had no aloo taste to it. On the brighter side, it was flaky and soft.

Fusilli Pesto: I had high hopes from this but I think my pallet is so accustomed to Indian style pasta that I asked the chef that why is it so dry? The response was that “If the pesto flavour has to be felt, they cannot add more sauce to it, else the authenticity and taste of pesto will dissipate.”

Desserts at Kalinga

For me, desserts are the main captivating factor at any place. At Kalinga we tried

Fudge Brownie: Remember your childhood when you used to make a mess of anything that you eat? This is exactly that. Gooey brownie with walnuts and Nutella fudge topped with Vanilla Ice Cream. You take first bite of it and your taste buds will be surprised. There is a variety of flavours that you experience with every bite. The creamy texture of the ice cream plays well with the soft texture of the brownie.

Cheese Cake of the day: Everyday the Pastry Chef of Kalinga dish out a different cheesecake. Personally, I did not like the cheesecake much. I had high standards for cheese cakes from 1BHK superbar

Kalinga 4 Pillars Rating

• Ambience: 4.5/5
• Food: 4/5
• Beverages: 4/5
• Service: 5/5

Let us know how much will you rate the place?

DISCLAIMER

I was invited to a complimentary food tasting event. This blog is a narrative of my experience at the event. These are my views that I have expressed. Others are most welcome to agree or disagree with the same. The blog is not personally or commercially influenced. I have not lifted, copied or plagiarised it from any source either. However, I have done my due diligence via publicly available information on the internet and as shared by the client/PR agency.  All rights reserved.

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