Fatty Bao says Kanpai (cheers in Japanese), once more! From when it came waddling in delicious comfort, dishing out oriental potions of Pan Asian some years ago, it started a trend, that many have since followed to the T! Then, the portly maiden decided to lie low, and take a breather as people around went sushi mad. Now, Fatty Bao on 12th Main Indiranagar, the brainchild of chef and owner Manu Chandra, executive chef Prashanth and their able team has decided to up its quotient, which a new menu of unique offerings and its Sushi Unrolled Festival that is on from March 22 onwards till April 8.
The festival ‘Sushi Unrolled’ is a coming together of Pan Asian flavour trails with innovative interpretations of 14 different sushis. Taking fusion by the delectable collar, Chef Prashant has given an interesting swirl to sushi rolls, with taco tenets, pizza exuberance, pita pickings and sandwich surprises. Though we are quite traditionalist in our sushi yearnings, and love Fatty’s popular favourites of asparagus and cream cheese, non-veg spicy salmon, tempura, and many nigiri options, California maki, with an open mind we dug in, to taste the slew of flavours in store for us.
We started with a bevy of delights that Executive Chef Prashanth rustled up promptly for our rumbling tummies. The Smoked Mackerel Sandwich (Sasa Zushi) came first, dressed in slivers with sticky rice. We liked it, though the sushi was not a chop-stick eating endeavour as it just crumbled away. We then bit into the pita pocket of sweet crab meat that Chef Prashanth made specially for us, and it was a mingling of the wholesomeness of crab meat in slivers with a mixture of crunch and delicious dipped in soya and wasabi… then came our favourite, the Spicy tempura fried prawn roll, a deep fried version that had all the yum that a fry and a sushi can get together with, succulent prawn bites fried golden over a fried seaweed roll, dunked into soya and enjoyed! A hot sushi, though, so don’t just gobble up. The special Cross Bred Tuna Pizza Sushi was a vision of colour with the pinkest of tuna and sprinkling, the rice pancake aka pizza could have been thinner to taste the basket full of flavours. The Cross bred Spicy Salmon taco was very interesting, and the fish eggs topped with salmon were good, with the crunch of the fried taco adding an extra zing. The Liberal Tobimayo Pita Pocket was ok, too much happening for us classical foodies and the Progressive Vegetarian pita pocket was very average, too much stuffing. The wasabi too was a bit diluted for our taste, or we just like it pungent and with a mammoth wasabi kick!
We loved the dessert, because it came packed in gooeyness, a spongey pudding and the crunch all coming together beautifully with cyclinders of icecream and cream — Warm apricot pudding from the new menu is also must have…
The other new entrants on the menu Chef Prashanth informed us were some new curries and salads. Of the Sushi Unrolled, he explains, “I tried to explore traditional shapes in a fun way, working with flavours and ingredients like vinegared rice, nori sheets, seafood or vegetables in different avatars. Since the trend today is all about pizzas and tacos, we thought, let’s try to explore the sushi, so we have pizzas with rice pancakes along with jalapeno mayo and cream cheese, fried capers, and tuna. For tacos, we are doing nori sheet, tempura-fried in a shape of a taco shell and salmon, fried fish, vegetarian fried egg plant.”
Since it is an a la carte menu, all you classic folk can also order sushi from their main menu, we love their offerings. The new menu has additions like a delectable sounding Sriracha pork ribs, chicken salad, green tea noodle salad that sounded just about right up our alley. “We are doing a miso custard, warm fig and apricot as well,” adds Chef Prashanth. We did not spot the creative Manu Chandra who we heard is busy with a new Olive opening in Goa at Vagator, and missed his touch of oomph.
Unique fillings and unconventional presentations. It was an interesting spread of ingredients and pockets, though we still like it classic, but for the adventurous, go chop-stick away!
Where: 3 rd Floor # 610, 12 th Main Road, HAL 2 nd Stage, Indiranagar
Call 44114499
Meal for two: Rs 1,500 onwards
Must-haves: Tempura Fried Prawns, Crab billed pita pockets, apple pudding
