Spicy, Tangy and Aromatic – the unique character profile of Thai food that finds almost instant appeal everywhere. Thai food always ranks as one of the most popular cuisines in the world, and it’s no surprise that Bangaloreans have taken to it enthusiastically. Like Indian Cusine, Thai food differs substantially by region. While Thai Red Curry and Phad Thai have its loyal fan base, there is a lot more variety that begs to be tried. While seafood and curries with fresh herbs are favored in the south, you will find the spiciest food and meat based dishes popular in the northeast. Whatever the region, the ideal Thai meal is a harmonious blend of the spicy, the subtle, the sweet and sour, and is meant to be equally satisfying to the eye, nose and palate.

Sheraton Bangalore Hotel at Brigade Gateway, takes your taste buds on a tantalizing ride of Authentic Thailand being recreated by their Master Chefs, Naruchit Rugphat & Sunanata Nongngok, all the way from The Naka Island, Phuket. The Festival offers live counters and exclusive know-how sessions with the Masterchefs that will enhance and enliven your Thai Food experience. I suggest asking the sommelier to pour you a glass of some Pinot Noir or some lovely Chenin Blanc that will kick start your evening and whet your appetite for the vast spread.

The Thai spread is laid out to the right side of the restaurant and I suggest you start with the live counters. Ever wanted to try your hand at making Som Tam? The chefs encourage you to give it a shot here. To save your clothes from unsightly splatters as you pound away the raw papaya, cherry tomatoes, chilies, lime juice, palm sugar and fish sauce in the large wooden mortar, the restaurant offers you a pressed and monogrammed apron as a shield. My lovely dinner companion, along with Chef turned out the most gratifying salad customized to exactly how she wanted it.

You have a choice to pick from the readymade salads at the counters as well and I found the Fish salad and the Rice Noodle Salad particularly dishy. There is the ever popular Larb Gai (minced chicken with basil, mint and raw onion) as well, that you will find hard to resist.

Thailand is epitomized by the variety of cheap and extremely tasty street food it offers. The ubiquitous grilled meat on a stick finds some five star rendition at Feast. Pick your choice of pre-marinated lamb, pork, beef, chicken or prawns and have the chefs grill it to perfection and bring it to your table. Don’t forget to dunk it into the nutty sauce that takes you straight to the streets of Thailand. Another popular meal that is rustled up on the streets is the soul satisfying Phad Thai. Stir fried flat rice noodles and egg, flavoured with Tamarind sauce, fish sauce, dried shrimp and garnished with bean sprouts, coriander leaves and fried peanuts. Ask Chef to whip you up a plate of this goodness and toss in some juicy pink prawns to slurp your way to happiness.

Thai Curries always have me begging for more. Feast made my day a little more difficult (albeit interesting) by offering a ‘make your own curry’ counter. The day we dined, there were four curry bases I could choose from – Red Curry, Green Curry, Massaman Curry and Yellow Curry. To this foundation, I could add a different combination of veggies and meat to essential create a curry a la FPD! I made a Thai Yellow Curry with seafood, eggplant, pineapples and basil. The end result was so fantastic that I intend to patent this combination! If you are lazy/ unadventurous their premade curry station will still keep you happy (Think Chicken and Cashwenut or Fish is Sweet-Sour Sauce).

For a land that is blessed by a bounty of tropical fruit – the best, easiest and healthiest way to end a meal is with fruit. I picked another street food favourite to seal the deal – Thai Sticky Rice with Mango. Sticky jasmine rice served with sweet mango slices, doused with fresh sweetened coconut milk and toasted black sesame seeds. If they had only served this on a banana leaf, the Thai dream would have been complete!

The Festival is on till the 28^th of July for Dinner. The Thai section is part of the larger dinner buffet at Feast and is priced at Rs.1750/- plus taxes.

FEAST

Sheraton Bangalore Hotel at Brigade Gateway,

26/1, Dr.Rajkumar Road, Malleshwaram, Bangalore 560003

Ph: 080 42521000 ||  Parking: Valet Available

Cost: 1750/- ++ for the Thai Festival Buffet