Straight from the Heart

“We have tried to capture the overwhelming play of colours,aromas and flavours that makes up cuisines in each Middle Eastern country. So,Souk offers you a blend of cuisines from Iran,Beirut,Egypt,Turkey,Greece,Morocco etc,” says Hemant Oberoi,executive grand chef,The Tajmahal Palace &Tower,Mumbai,who is the brain behind Souk in Taj Bengal. Souk,for the uninitiated,was first opened in Mumbai,six years back. Its success and requests prompted a repeat story in Kolkata.

The restaurant promises to take you on a trip down authentic Middle Eastern cuisine,but with a chef like Oberoi at the helm of things,innovation and experiments are bound to happen. “However,I believe that nobody should play around with the basics,” says Oberoi. So,while he goes by the rule book for the texture of the mezze,he has creations like the vegetarian baklava,or the walnut and chillies muhamarra which is served in halved date. “While the appetizer is supposed to be spicy,the sticky sweetness of the date gives it an interesting twist,” points out Oberoi.

The Chef’s Studio,says Oberoi,gives him more creative freedom. “I am at my wackiest best at the studio. I can actually interact with the diner while preparing something,” says the master chef. Dinner at the studio usually has to be booked a day in advance. However,Kolkata might miss out on the master chef’s culinary histrionics as he is primarily based in Mumbai and travels all the time. “We have roped in a Turkish and a Syrian chef. I hope they’ll not leave reasons to complain,” says Oberoi.

In a bid to maintain authenticity,Souk is on an import spree for ingredients. “We are getting chick peas from Turkey,dry lemon from Oman,lemon from Beirut,olive oil from Greece,” he rattles away.

To go with the food,the restaurant has stocked up on 200 varieties of wines — Australian,Californian,Chilean,Italian,French etc. “We also have plans to get wines from Morocco and Beirut soon. The Ksara wine from Beirut best goes with this cuisine. It’s young and light,” says Oberoi. And if things go well,he also intends to treat Souk patrons to Arak,a liqueur made from fennel seeds. “It’s known to increase one’s appetite,” he laughs.

Souk will be open all week,from 12.30 pm- 3.45 pm and 7.30 pm to 11.45 pm. Dinner will cost approximately Rs 2,000 per head.