Bisi Bengaluru: Fava-rite of passage, surely!

A lifetime of work is entrenched in innumerable, sometimes furtive, soul-seeking steps — and through the years, like a puzzle coming together, a gourmet and culinary wizardry found its identity — that of acclaimed Chef Abhijeet Saha and his foodography. From his 1998 apprenticeship with Michelin Star Italian Chef Giorgio Locatelli at Zafferano, to his hotel management in Delhi, and his Oenology course at Johnson and Wales University in the US, Saha’s journey has been marked by oodles of culinary awards, with a knack for predicting culinary wisdom that goes on to flourish. Today, it does at Fava, Caperberry and Saha in Singapore.

 But, rarely in life, do we look at each achievement and failure with such hindsight. Chef Saha, with his extraordinary hindsight, an eclectic mind and focused passion brings it all together to create his own foodology. Which we love. To strive for that perfect plate of gourmet delight with the strokes of a maestro embedded in each truff of saffron, or curve of jus comes the new menu-ed and hued Fava at the UB City. Decidedly, Fava, has been dishing out wondrous food on auto pilot but it seems to have come together with their new menu comprising ingredients that are farm-fresh, local, and organic, in a space made up of perky blues, shy pinks, high ceilings and sunroom essence.

We started the meal with a crunch of sticks and a delicious dip, as the Baked Mini Gozleme Pies stuffed with organic Swiss chard and ricotta stuffing sauntered in with a wonderful garlic dip. Tiny, golden-fried parcels with welcome tenets of chard and ricotta that had our tastebuds (we’re sure) do a nice, happy jig. It was perfect with pickled veggies.

We ordered a Prawn Nicoise salad that came profluent in a plethora of crunchy lettuce, haricot beans, olives and a subtle dressing, lush with pink succulent prawns and boiled egg quarters… we loved it but personally would have preferred a stronger, more tangy dressing. The cutesy baby potatoes were either slightly overdone, or old. For mains, we opted for a Gallete of mushrooms and snowpeas, with dauphinoise potatoes, carrot chips, saffron sauce in herb oil, which was perfection. The subtle flavours of saffron mixed delightfully in with the sea of tender snowpeas, a flurry of mushroom complimenting the light yet creamy sauce and a bed of creamy potatoes cooked to perfection.

The red wine and sage braised Belgian pork spare ribs with fava beans and jus came dunked with a jus that was simplistic in taste. And instead of millet, the menu offering, we opted for a bed of creamy mash. Saha informed us that half of the old favourites still rule the roost in this new menu and the other half has gone totally decadent in ingredient wisdom  — like a Signature pomegranate chicken, a harissa with ratatouille, baby potatoes, yellow pepper coulis, grilled deep sea prawns with black sesame, tenderloin and ricotta manti… all singular flavours that come together beautifully under Chef Saha’s expertise, with a new focus on farm fresh, organic and clean food. It’s his step towards responsible gourmet.

The pork was soft, succulent, tender, and served on a bed of the best potato mash we’ve had, it was creamy, with that welcome flavour of fresh season potatoes, and crisped roasted smokey veggies. The jus was subtle, tasted stockey and wholesome, and the meal came together in a flourish of plated perfection.

If anything, Saha is the most serious in his cuisine searching… with optimum attention to detail. So, it’s no surprise that he will soon be releasing his Caperberry Cookbook, which is nearing completion. He will share his gourmet leanings of  Caperberry, which now finds pride of place above Fava for a truly decadent gourmet experience.“We started renovations at Fava and started Saha in Singapore, so the cookbook was held up. It’s now only 30 recipes short and each comes with a story,” explains Saha.

Fava’s new look, one of Mediterranean colours and teal windows, is a playful conversationof pinks and  blues. One can almost hear waves splash in the background of the Fava deck! From the beautiful wall installation of Fava’s old plates inscribed with pink flamingoes dancing by artist Aarti, to Amita Madan’s simple but so Mediterranean interiors – what’s not to love about the new look! Chef Saha explains, “The new menu is about sustainability, organic food that supports local farmers. My kitchen is working with local ingredients, trying to make food not just tasty and good to look at, but inherently healthy. Food is also about the growing process, the presence of fertilisers and pesticides. How is our chicken processed? Is it hormone-free? At Fava, and Caperberry, we work with farms that are 100 per cent organic, we buy from certified suppliers, and our seafood or fish is not cultivated, we serve only deep sea fish. Our lamb too is grassfed,” explains Saha, of the new menu that seems to have gone looking for health and good ingredients, and returned with flying colours, in plate and taste specs!

We also tried a first of its kind Liquid Nitrogen Infused Ice-Cream at -196 degrees Celsius, which comes in five flavours, all 100 percent natural and eggless.  We had mango and caramel popcorn. The icecream was creamy, we would have preferred more mango taste and flavour. We tucked into the most wonderful flavours as a lemon cheese cake came picasso-inspired, the soft cushiony delightfully creamy bite was perfect with a scrumptious lemon curd, and a hint of a crumble that melted in the mouth. Decadent. It’s not often one can leave worries behind and sit back happily… expecting the best. Saha does that.

Fava
Address: 203, 2nd Floor, UB City, 24 Vittal Mallya Road, Lavelle Road, Bengaluru   
Tel: 080 49652958
Meal for two: Rs 1800 onwards
Must-haves: The Prawn Nicoise salad, Baked Mini Gozleme Pies, Pork spare ribs, Gallete of mushroom in saffron. Lemon Cheese cake.
The newbies: Signature pomegranate chicken, a harissa with ratatouille, baby potatoes, yellow pepper coulis, grilled deep sea prawns with black sesame, tenderloin and ricotta manti.