#GrilledSmokedAndBowledOver
#PlanchaMeansGrillInSpanish
#APreciousLittleGem
Their is an age old saying, 'great things come in small packages'; However archaic it may sound, Plancha proves that the good grey wisdom ain't a passé and shall never be.
'Looks can really be deceptive'; you shall start believing in it too once you have finished dining at Plancha. A small unassuming yet cozy place with a maximum cover capacity of 40 when filled to the brim, first look and you would adjust your expectations for a typical bistro kind of fare here. I guess Plancha Management always believed in the philosophy of 'Promise Less, Deliver More', its pretty evident in more or less everything which meets the eye first up, may it be the simple decor or the laminated menu which is limited to dishes that can be counted on fingers. But a slight delve deep down makes you wonder 'What's right; What you see or what you sense' !!!
Well, enough of Idioms now, what I mean by delving deep down is the closer look at the menu;
* Spans across continents
* Has Chicken, Lamb, Pork, B**f and the Sea Food
* At the heart of it, 5 IHM Pass Outs who are extremely skilled in panning out world's best on a plate
Doesn't all this sound like a Nano with a 10 Cylinder Lamborghini Engine ???
Coming on to the food, here's my take on what I had:
* Tom Kha Het: It is like 'Art on a Plate'. A thai soup, which usually comes with a presentation of a Vincent Van Gogh's floral works; White background with myriad colours from the core elements like Cilantro, Chilli Oil, Kaffir Lime and Galangal Slivers. Though its only available on the Chinese Festivals that this place keeps organising time to time but the Chef obliged and gave in to our request of tasting this 'ohh so desirable' broth with our tongue this time. As a matter of fact, I kept tasting it with my eyes all this while since I saw the pics posted here, they were just so captivating. Well, the one served to us was a botched up version in terms of its looks but in taste it was just 'Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious'; 'Fragrant' Kafir Lime, 'Zesty' Lemongrass, 'Piquant' Galangal and the 'Sweet Floral and Nutty' Coconut Milk, it was a literal explosion of flavours in mouth. But wait, that's not all, the star of this epic blockbuster were the humble chunks of 'Grill Roasted Chicken'. You read it right, the roasted chicken was used in the soup instead of usual boiled chicken to impart the earthiness and the 'ohh so delectable' smokey flavours. What a twist in the tale that was, masterstroke !!!
If soup was the beauty of the meal, next on table was the beast complementing her to the 'T'. The Tenderloin Burger; Steak and the smokey grilled pineapple choppped finely to the pull apart thready consistency, sauteed with caramelized onions and the hint of mustard paste. Thankfully the mayo and greens were kept minimal, just to give it an additional dimension. That stuffed in their super soft Burger Bun which is made inhouse, beast of a meal, quite literally. It was Juicy, it was Messy and it was Orgasmic; Period !!!
#ProTip: Wash your hands and sanitize them properly before having this burger, it would force you to lick your fingers and hands clean, its that bloody good.
What next, a Malaysian Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce and to balance the overload of meat 'Zero Carb Salad'. Chicken Satay was not the ususal skewered flat pounded version, it had the tikka like Chicken Pieces roasted in Sesame and Peanut Paste and garnished with the toasted sesame. The chicken was charred and smokey outside, soft and mushy inside; Very well done. Peanut sauce which was served along could have been better with some more punch and a thicker consistency, it was good nonetheless. 'Zero Carb Salad' had Three Beans (Black Eyed Beans, Red Kidney Beans and Chickpeas) as the base. The beans were tossed with Toasted Bread Croutons, Raw Mango Bits & lightly Stir Fried Broccoli. The dressing was a very subtle one for core elements to shine through, and it for sure is one of the freshest salads that I have had in a while. It was something that stood its ground firmly amongst the mighty meats despite being a 'so called' humble salad.
Then we had the Teriyaki Glazed Chicken Breast served with Egg & Bok Choy Fried Rice. We often underestimate Chicken to be the easiest amongst the meats to be cooked, but let me tell you cooking it perfectly is an art, especially the proteinaceous chicken breast. The one served here for sure was the most aesthetic way of cooking it, chicken wasn't chewy, it was moist inside despite being grilled and then sauteed with the teriyaki sauce. The sauce in itself was a delight to devour and the rice served along was the perfect testimony of how the humble looks can house the power punch in all its diguise. It was Simply Stellar !!!
Next up was the Fettuccine alla Pesto; Pasta made inhouse with the freshly grinded spinach pesto and parmesan cheese. This was the only dish which we did not like that evening, probably because of the strong parmesan cheese aroma or the slightly bitter aftertaste of Spinach Pesto. Too authentic I guess for our Indianized Taste Palates.
The little one on the table relished her PB & J Toast; Jam sandwiched french toast with Peanut Butter, topped with maple syrup and Caramel Popcorn. Everyone one else on the table more than tasted it and loved it, like totally. Its one breakfast that I can have as a Lunch, Dinner, Dessert or even as my Mid Meal Snack. Decadence Toastified !!!
Plancha is akin to an Oppenheimer Blue, small but a really precious gem. I am really looking forward to go back again soonest, what are you waiting for ???
Go check them out and thank me later... Cheers... Ciao !!!
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