Masala Library By Jiggs Kalra - A Unique Indian Food Experience | Experience Mumbai | StarLit Eyes!

Gourmet Indian Food 

What's the first thing that comes to your mind when someone says gourmet food? French cuisine? Some elaborate British dishes? I'm pretty sure Indian food would be your last answer to this question. Don't get me wrong, I love Indian food. Not only does it form my staple diet, its the only kind of food that truly satiates me! Indian food is deeply stemmed in culture and history, with recipes passed down from generation to generation.  It forms a beautiful amalgamation of local, Asian and Arabic flavours. Still, globally the magnanimity of Indian cuisine is often reduced to one word, Curry!

My husband and I are die hard foodies (to the extent that food is often the tie-breaker in our arguments!!). We often find ourselves fighting to take credit for the discovery of amazing restaurants we've been to or great meals we've had. Determined to beat my husband in this little game of marital one upmanship, my relentless search for unique food experiences in Mumbai led me to Masala Library by Jiggs Kalra. 

Jiggs Kalra is often known as the Czar of Indian Cuisine. An iconic Indian restauranteur, Jiggs has several firsts in his repertoire. He is the first Asian to be inducted into International Food & Beverage Gourmet Hall of Fame, an illustrious food author and the host of one of the first cooking shows on Indian television. An online search of his name results in hundreds of articles, interviews and stories about his culinary journey. With such a prolific name behind it Masala Library is definitely worth a visit. So, off we went with "star lit eyes"!

The most unique feature about Masala Library is that it offers an all vegetarian tasting menu. As (almost) vegetarians we were thrilled to hear this! Most international tasting menus generally include meat dishes, thus making it impossible for us to ever try a tasting menu. And boy oh boy!, our "first" gourmet Indian food experience didn't disappoint!  

Spread over 16 mouth watering dishes, the chef's tasting menu surprised us with one-of-a-kind takes on traditional Indian cuisine. The meal started with amuse bouche, a vegetarian egg look-alike. Our first course was appetisers including different versions of Indian snacks such as puff pastry litti chokha and deconstructed samosa. Next came, mushroom chai soup served with dried mushrooms as tea leaves, soup stock as water and truffle oil converted to look like sugar powder (I'm not a tea lover, but I loved this cup of chai!). Main course was Gujrati daal dhokli and Punjabi paneer sabji with roti. In between these complex dishes, soothing palate cleansers in the form of lollipops were served. The grand finale to this extravagant affair was the levitating chocolate dessert, jalebi caviar and kala jammun mousse! To bid adieu, pan flavoured cotton candy.

My first gourmet food experience was great! Looking forward to many more fantastic firsts!

Take a look at these amazing dishes!

Amuse Bouche/ Veg Egg Look-Alike!

Mind Boggling Appetisers!

The deceiving Mushroom Chai Soup!

Amazing Desserts!

Happy Foodies!!

P.S. Another gourmet Indian food experience I'm dying to try is Gaggan in Bangkok, Thailand by celebrated progressive Indian Chef Gaggan Anand. Let me know about your gourmet food experiences in the comments!