Caperberry, Dickenson Road : Restaurant Review

‘Provocation of Desire’ is what “caper berry” means in Hebrew and namma Caperberry lives up to its name for sure.

When Chetan Kamani, a foodie, organized an elaborate continental vegetarian dinner and tasting session at Caperberry for the Foodies in Bangalore group I was thrilled and marked the date on my calendar for two reasons; I love European cuisine and it was my first dining experience at Caperberry. And boy, what an experience it was!

We were treated to an elaborate six course dinner cooked using a food science called molecular gastronomy!

And that's right - a six course spread with a variety of exotic dishes - something like this;

Warm carrot and fennel soufflé with almond cream 

 Pan tossed asparagus, yellow bell pepper and tofu with honey chilli glaze

Avocado and mint gazpacho; Avocado cannelloni with cucumber and jalapeno's

 Tomato and roasted beetroot with feta cheese, arugula and sherry vinaigrette

 

Cauliflower and roast garlic risotto with panko crusted broccoli

Potato, goat cheese and onion perogi with herb butter sauce and sour cream

Spinach and ricotta gnocchi with char-grilled vegetables and pesto rosso

Roasted red and yellow bell peppers, sauerkraut and feta stuffing and paprika sauce

  

Ratatouille stuffed grilled portobello mushroom, saffron polenta, olives, garlic, chilli and extra virgin olive oil

Mixed beans cassoulet, wilted spinach and tomato basil sauce

 

Beet and honey caramel centred sponge cake with pineapple-celery sorbet

Baked pumpkin cheesecake with caramelized walnuts and orange sauce

Every course served was a visual and gastronomic delight. Food not only tasted good, but looked good as well. Quality of food in terms of freshness and flavour, presentation and service - just about everything was par excellence.

Every dish had a distinct flavour and there was nothing that I did not like or was not good. However, a special mention of the carrot and fennel soufflé for its delicate texture and flavour, the avocado cannelloni with cucumber and jalapeno dip for its yumminess and the way the avocado was painstakingly rolled, mind-blowing spinach and ricotta gnocchi and the beet and honey caramel centred sponge cake – I’d never had a dessert as delicious as this ever! 

Last but not the least – we had a demo of cryo cooking (cryo is Greek and means "icy cold") as part of the molecular gastronomy culinary trend. Basically, liquid nitrogen and dry ice become gases at room temperature, leaving no residue in the food at all. This technique has now become popular to make smooth ice creams and flavoured bubbles. Here, litchi flavoured cream balls were dropped into liquid nitrogen to make extremely smooth bubbles that are firm on the outside and soft inside. 

I popped a bubble into my mouth and it burst into cold and smooth litchi flavours that quickly melted away.

This post would be incomplete without mentioning the hosts – Shruthi & Abhijit Saha who co-owns Caperberry. Abhijit was constantly looking for feedback and very patiently heard what each guest had to say. And Shruthi - warm and friendly person that she is, put everyone at ease and took excellent care of the guests.

Caperberry is an expensive restaurant, but then, it is worth the money spent.

I am already looking forward to my next visit to, and that says a lot for sure.

Verdict: 5/5