Wazwan at the Leela Palace

Languid shikaras. Majestic chinars. And a devastatingly handsome Shashi Kapoor twinkling away at a Sharmila or a Rakhee.

We can’t promise you the sights but the tastes of Kashmir are yours for the taking, for the next week only. Designed by uber-foodie Jiggs Kalra, the menu selects the best of the state’s superb Muslim cuisine as well as lesser known Pandit dishes.

Go for the set menu, a smorgasbord of flavours and textures. The Kabargah, kid spare ribs poached in cream milk and deep-fried, is as much of a headliner as Muj Gard, fish cooked with radish and dried ginger. The Dum Kokur serves up a whole squab marinated in khoya and almonds and dum-cooked. For vegetarians, there’s the Zafraani Kanaguchchi, jumbo morels stuffed with paneer, slow-simmered in a yogurt gravy.

Up there with the young Shashi Kapoor in the yummy stakes, says our Trendy Taster, are the classic Goshtaba and the Rista. The koftas are melt-in-the-mouth tender, each morsel a celebration of the hard hours of pounding that goes into the meat. Wash it all down with cups of Qehwa.

A charming twinkle makes it a perfect meal.

Kashmiri Food Festival at Jamavar, Leela Palace, 23 Airport Road, Bangalore, till February 10. Set menu: Rs 3500. A la carte options also available. Call 30571344 for reservations.

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