Name: OKO
Location: The Lalit Ashok, Kumarakrupa Road, Highgrounds, Seshadripuram, Bengaluru – 560020. Phone: 9980158286. Timings: 12:30–3:30PM, 7:30–11:30PM.
Ambience: The 144 cover restaurant has an interior and an al fresco seating area with an attached bar. The open area has a live grill and Teppanyaki section, functional in the evening. There is also a section of the seating that is sunken and is great in the evenings. The interiors are done up in hues of wood and leather and the black-brown combination makes for a stunning contrast. The private dining area in the covered section has a bright red furnishings, complete with red chandeliers. Being on the 6th Floor the restaurant has a stunning view of the city too.
What we ate: OKO serves Pan Asian cuisine including Japanese, Malaysian, Chinese and Thai food. For this meal, we decided to sample Chef Tenzin Dolma’s new menu and asked her to choose some of the best vegetarian dishes from the large Pan Asian menu. We started our meal with the spicy Vegetarian Manchow soup that had fried noodles that added a nice crunch while cutting the chilli of the soup. From the starters we selected the healthy green papaya salad, the Som Tam Che, that had toasted peanuts and cherry tomatoes and each ingredient combined perfectly in this dish. The other starter we tried was the delectable Crispy Fried Spinach Corn that had fried sweet corn and spinach leaves and water chestnut and was so easy to eat that it simply melted in your mouth. The water chestnut in this dish made it unique as it complemented the corn and spinach perfectly. The vegetarian dim sums were delicious filled with vegetables and the red and green sauces made perfect accompaniments to it. For the main course, the Phad Thai Veg is a great choice as it has flat noodles cooked in a nice smooth sauce and has a great balance of flavours and never feels spicy at all. Also sample the Thai Green Curry – Kaeng Kheow Waan Chae that has a typical lemon grass flavour and is cooked with wholesome vegetables. This teams perfectly with the sticky Jasmine rice too. The Szechwan Tofu is also highly recommended as it is very soft and cooked delicately with a thin spice cover and makes for a great main course dish. We ended our meal with a winner in the Tub Tim Grob – a delectable dessert made with coconut cream and water chestnut that is served in a tender coconut! So you actually eat the tender coconut cream too by scraping off and mixing with the heavenly dessert. If you thought Pan Asian cuisine was predictable, come to OKO for new flavours and tastes that will certainly leave you asking for more.
Price Points: Average meal for 2 Rs. 2200 plus taxes
Here is a recipe of by Sous Chef, Tenzin Dolma, Cripy Fried Corn & Spinach
Ingredients:
1 cup Corn Kernels
2 tbsp Corn Flour
1/3 tsp Pepper Powder
2.5 tbps Fresh Coriander
1 tsp Green Chilies
1 tsp Soy Sauce
1.5 tsp Vinegar
Pinch of Pepper Powder
1tsp chopped garlic & ginger
1tbsp oil
Method:
Drain the water from the tinned corn. Take a bowl and add corn, salt and pepper powder in it and mix. Sprinkle corn flour over it and mix (no need to add water)
Heat enough oil to deep fry in a deep and wide pan. Add a handful of corn in the hot oil.
Stir once and fry and once it start crackling then cover the pan partially with a pan as the corn may splutter and hit your face or body.
When the corn becomes crisp it starts floating on the pan. When done remove from the pan. Drain on a paper napkin to remove and absorb the extra oil. Repeat the process with the remaining corns.
To Temper, heat a tbsp of oil in a pan. Add chopped green chillies, garlic, and ginger and stir fry for few seconds. Add fresh coriander, soy sauce, vinegar, pinch of pepper powder and mix. Now add fried corn and mix properly.
This story appeared in the Feb 7 issue of Femina Karnataka Twin here:
