Break away from the madding crowd at Bengaluru’s Nusa

Get an idea of South East Asian cuisine in Bengaluru, courtesy Nusa

Dining out has become one of the most popular ways to catch up with friends and family, and on such occasions it can be challenging to keep up with the demands of differing palates. With no dearth of watering holes in the city catering to different tastes, Nusa offers a spread that has the something-for-everyone menu going for it.

True, it might be out of the way for some, but making a picnic out of it would be a great idea, considering the setting. With multiple sections to seat parties both great and small around an open serene space, Nusa is perfect for lazy, leisurely lunches where you can sit, sip and savour the pan-Asian fare at your own pace.

The weather is frankly too hot to enjoy soup but it was Nusa’s choice to showcase this particular dish and we understood why after our first taste. Tomato soup rarely falls into my must-try category anywhere, but I am glad we tried it out here. The roasted tomato butter candle soup was light and refreshing, with a generous pat of herbed butter; there is a reason why it is on their must-try list.

The corn chestnut dimsums arrive alongside the hummus platter, and one thing is certain — there is no dearth of vegetarian options from different cuisines at Nusa. Charcoal walnut, three-lentil carrot, feta mint and raspberry beet were the flavours of hummus that came with the platter and they all went well with the pita bread, with the exception of the charcoal walnut which only seemed to be nutty.

The corn and chestnut dimsum was a pleasant change from the usual vegetarian options; cream cheese, mushroom and edamame cream are the other dimsum choices Nusa offers.

There are a generous choice of seafood options here, so we try the kunafa prawn fritters and Moroccan fish tikka. Before your imagination runs away with you, the kunafa prawn is not a sweet dish — it is prawn ensconced in spun pastry, much like the ones seen in Turkish desserts. The spice component for this dish is red pepper which imparts a subtle fieriness to the prawn.

The Moroccan fish tikka was a good choice too. Marinated in lemon and prepared with parsley and onion, it tasted both familiar and new. Its delicate flavours make it a great companion to pretty much any beverage you might choose to imbibe.