Food Review: Lobbying for the lobster

I recently attended the media preview of the Canadian Seafood Festival happening in the Taj and while I loved the food it was the lobster that I would definitely go back for.

Canadian food is a lot more than beef burger and weil rice; I found out on my recent visit to the food festival hosted by The Government of Canada in collaboration with World Trade Centre Atlantic Canada and the Taj Group of Hotels. This six days’ festival will give Mumbaikars a taste of the seafood from the East Coast of Canada. The Atlantic Canadian Chef Stefan Czapalay has flown in to set up the menu along with the Executive Chef of Taj Hemant Oberoi. Interestingly Chef Stefan is known as the culinary activist for his efforts to promote the local produce.

After a brief introduction to the Canadian cuisine we were about to indulge in and the menu it was time to explore the food. The seafood from the East Coast spread on the table was a vision for the eye and treat for the tummy. What caught my attention was the thyme roasted lobster. Having a lobster lie on your plate can be a tad bit intimidating especially if you’ve never approached it with a fork. But that first bite is all it took to make me fall in love. The food, as Chef Stefan said, was cooked in minimal ingredients. No spice took over the flavor of the main ingredient yet it wasn’t bland at all.

The creamy wine based sauce in Casino style crab au gratin had me going for another serving. The salads table was assorted with lobster potato salad, bok choy and crab salad with sesame vinaigrette which were yummy and well tossed. The most interesting dish was mussels baked in egg yolk and cream. It looked like the seafood version of caramel custard and was served in an egg shell.

Lobster canapés on white bread with lemon mayonnaise looked pretty creative but would’ve tasted better on crunchier bread. Fennel poached scallops had a lovely cauliflower puree as base. It was interesting to know that the scallops should be frozen seconds within they are caught so that they retain their size and shape when cooked.

Contrary to the desserts we had at the Belgian Food Festival in The Taj last time, the platter this time had more variety including tiramisu, orange tart, chocolate tart, blueberry cheesecake and a lot more.

The festival is being held at Shamiana in the Taj Hotel from 19th to 25th of March. If you love to experiment with your seafood this festival should be on your to-do list. As far as I am concerned, am already waiting for the next time.