Caperberry

Caperberry is one of my favourite restaurants in Bangalore. The food has always been top notch, service has been personal, friendly and very attentive and the ambience speaks of sheer indulgence. I always try to stop by here once every 3 - 4 months for a nice meal, because dining here often could burn a serious hole in my pocket.

I had a good work week and felt like being indulgent and decided to go to Caperberry for a good meal. I've usually tried only their a la carte menu, and decided to try something different this time. I decided to go for the 7-course tasting menu that I had heard so much about, and being in a happy mood in general made me think that this was going to be worth it. They also had an option of a 9-course meal, which aside from everything in the 7-course meal, included a scallop dish and a crabmeat risotto, both of which neither my friend nor I were interested in.

Caperberry's interiors are very aesthetically done - the decor is very tasteful and the walls are beautifully done up; it exudes class by itself. The restaurant by itself is known for its brilliant dishes backed by innovation and plenty of taste, thanks to Chef Abhijit Saha. Caperberry was one of the first restaurants to introduce Bangalore to molecular gastronomy. While we were waiting for our meal, our server promptly brought us some Olive Bread and Bread Sticks accompanied with a Pesto and Mayo dip. The smell of bread wafted right out of the kitchen as it was freshly made. I tore the bread and it practically crumbled in hand and was downright delicious. I wiped the bread bowl clean and shamelessly went for seconds, a request our server obliged with no qualms (I'm usually met with scowling faces when I ask for 'extra' bread, crisps, stuff that is usually offered complimentary at restaurants).

Freshly baked bread

Our first course was a Tuna Tartare which had Kikkoman soy, gari, wrapped with nori, topped with passion fruit caviar and sprinkled with sesame seeds. This was served with a dollop of Wasabi sauce. The texture of the tuna was crumbly, but I really enjoyed the taste. It represented the typical Pan Asian flavour and the soy, gari and nori packed a punch. I personally wasn't a fan of the passion fruit caviar paired with the tuna, but I think you could get used to the taste. I would have liked more of Wasabi.

Tuna Tartare

Our next course was Chicken Spaghetti with fresh Bocconcini. Our server came to a table ready to pour the warm tomato basil consomme over the spaghetti. I didn't have much expectations from the dish, thinking it was a regular pasta dish, until I realized that the spaghetti was actually made out of chicken. The meat flavour really kicked in and the spaghetti was bloody delicious! My friend and I were blown away with the way the spaghetti tasted and the taste of the chicken stood out fantastically. The Bocconcini was nice and creamy and paired beautifully with the spaghetti. I was not a big fan of the consomme as it tasted like a watered down tomato juice to me. Spice lovers might not enjoy this dish too much, as it's a little bland, but bang on when it comes to flavours.

Chicken Spaghetti with Bocconcini

Our third course was Potato Scale John Dory served with orange segments, orange dill sauce and topped with a lemon foam. The potato tasted amazing. Imagine the taste of the best hash brown that you've ever had and multiply it by twenty. That's how good this was. The John Dory fish is something I usually enjoy, because of its butter-like consistency. This fish too melted right in my mouth and the orange segments and sauce gave this a nice, punchy taste. The lemon foam was a little too zesty, especially when there was already enough citrus in the dish.

Potato Scale John Dory

The fourth course was a drink - Virgin Cryo Margarita, served to cleanse the palate. The drink was refreshing and there was a nice, strong hit of lemon and ginger. Neither of us could finish the whole thing as we were already a little full, and we still had 3 more courses to go. Also, what fascinated me about this drink was that it was sizzling when it was brought to the table and our server asked us to wait a few minutes before we drank it. The chef had used liquid nitrogen in getting the desired effect. Liquid nitrogen is nitrogen which is held in a liquid state at a very low temperature. On immediate contact with food, liquid nitrogen boils and envelops food, rapidly evaporating the liquid nitrogen into plumes of nitrogen gas bubbles which crystalise and freeze.  As a result a kind of "steam" of nitrogen bubbles is formed which solidifies into micro-crystals to freeze food instantaneously. We then had to 'crack' the margarita open to drink it, which was a fun experience.

Virgin Cryo Margarita

Our fifth course, and the highlight of our meal was the Smoked Pork Belly which was served with a nice apple-onion relish, turnip puree, saute potato and flavoured with a red wine sauce. When they say smoked, they do really mean smoked, because the pork belly was served under a closh to retain all its smoke and flavour. Our server lifted the closh and the smoke hit me - delicious, sweet aroma of the pork belly being beautifully smoked. The pork was crispy on the outside and tender and juicy on the inside. It tasted out of this world and is probably the best pork dish I've had in Bangalore yet. The turnip puree and potato were great accompaniments to the pork.

Smoked Pork Belly

By now, we were pretty full, but saved some space, as there is always room for dessert! The first dessert was the Goat Cheese Timbale. The goat cheese was the base, topped with cut kiwi, candied orange peel, pistachio, demerara sugar and a Parmesan crackling. I loved the dessert, but I should warn you that it's an acquired taste. The nuttiness of the cheese, with the delicious kiwi and candied orange all merged beautifully for a very lovely dessert. I'm not sure if the Parmesan crackling went well with the dessert.

Goat Cheese Timbale 

The final course was Frozen Chocolate Ganache Powder which honestly looked something like a combination of Indian masalas over cocoa powder. The reason for the varied colours was the use of beetroot soil, mint soil and cinnamon powder over the ganache. This dish wins hands down when it comes to the varied textures. The chocolate powder is a little thick and sticks together and there is a burst of choco-shock flavour when you pop it in your mouth. The cinnamon and mint gave the chocolate flavour a nice lift and elevated it to the next level.

Frozen Chocolate Ganache Powder - a winner for producing amazing textures in your mouth!

We were really stuffed by the end of our meal, and I was pleasantly surprised as the menu was a tasting menu and the portions were quite small. Still, 7 courses do fill you up. I loved the distinct taste, flavour and texture of each dish that was served and savoured every morsel of what I ate.

I enjoyed my meal at Caperberry immensely, and the service was friendly and attentive as always. The staff always ensures that the customers are well taken care of. I ended up ordering a Mint Mojito while I was distracted on a call when I wanted a Watermelon Daiquiri. I was confused when the drink came, but later realized that I had indeed ordered the Mojito. The server didn't hesitate to offer me a Daiquiri instead and replaced the drink with no qualms.

I will definitely go back to Caperberry soon for an unforgettable meal. Also, Citibank's Restaurant Week has featured Caperberry as one of the restaurants that you could have a 3-course meal for just Rs.750 plus taxes. I have 4 restaurants that I'm already looking forward to try for the Restaurant Week. (this is not a promo, I just like to eat).

Food: 9/10

Service: 10/10
Ambience: 8/10

Verdict: A triple yes, whether it's the Special Menu or the Ala carte you're looking to try.

The 7-course Tasting Menu (non-vegetarian) is priced at Rs.2,000 plus taxes (per head). The 9-course meal (non-vegetarian) is priced at Rs.2,450 plus taxes.

Caperberry is located at 48/1 Ground Floor, The Estate Building, 121 Dickenson Road, MG Road.