Coffee Marinated Prawns To Espresso Salmon: This Buffet's Menu Is A Coffee Lover's Dream

A bean-to-fork journey, the Coffee Trail at the JW Kitchen is the delicious result of a trip to Coorg. Inspired by the coffee plantations, the local cuisine and ingredients available there, the Coffee Trail is a lavish buffet full of culinary delights from the heart Kodagu, that you can catch up until Friday, November 17.

On Chef Anthony Huang, the Executive Chef of JW Marriott Bengaluru’s invitation, I decided to join in on a journey which would be tracing the journey of coffee— from bean to fork. The JW Kitchen chef was on a quest to curate a menu inspired by coffee plantations, local ingredients and fresh flavours of Coorg. On the night before the trip to Coorg, I checked into my room with a lovely view of Cubbon Park at the JW Marriott Hotel Bengaluru on Lavelle Road.

Next morning, we rose bright and early to drive down to Coorg. While breakfast on the way was literally a picnic with fruit, muesli, muffins, croissants and juice, courtesy the JW Kitchen, the lunch at Cuisine Papera, a restaurant in Gonikoppal{that does traditional Coorg food}, is what stood out. There were loads of meaty Kodava delights on offer like pandi curry and the Vonekk Yerchi, a smoked pork dish, all served with akki roti. Post lunch, we explored a sprawling coffee estate in the town of Somwarpet Taluk, and learned much about the coffee production process there.

After finally reaching Bungalow 1934, which was our home for the evening, I geared up for Chef Huang’s master class on coffee inspired foods, incorporating the local flavours of Coorg. We started off with the Drunken Chicken, chicken stuffed with an open can of beer. Coated with a coffee marinade, crushed pepper and parangi malu {bird’s eye chilli}, it was then grilled for about an hour. Its vegetarian counterpart was the Coffee Infused Spaghetti that had coffee, olive oil, basil and plenty of cheese thrown into the mix. The chicken was spicy, tender and flavourful and the pasta was light with nice coffee undertones.

After getting back to Bangalore, I headed to Spa by JW for a session to help recharge my batteries. Translating the soul-satisfying experience that is your morning cup of coffee to a rejuvenating spa session, Spa by JW has come up with a few coffee based treatments. I went in for an exfoliating coffee scrub made with robusta coffee beans, jojoba and olive oil. The scrub got rid of dead skin without drying it out, revealing soft, supple and polished skin. It also had me smelling like coffee, which was an added bonus. I gave their Energy Lift Therapy a try as well and left completely rejuvenated and energised. The coffee-based massage works out all the knots and pressure in your body, leaving you relaxed.

Once we made it back to town, we sat down to tuck into The Coffee Trail buffet at the JW Kitchen. From strong peppery undertones to plenty of meats {especially good old pandi}, I saw all the elements and flavours of our trip to Coorg culminate in the lavish spread. And of course, lots and lots of coffee. This dinner buffet features over 40 coffee-inspired dishes — from grills to dessert. Expect to see the Drunken Chicken and Coffee Infused Spaghetti make an appearance at the buffet {don’t give these a miss}. Other stars include the Pandi Biryani, a spicy pork biryani, Espresso Soaked Salmon, Pork Chops with coffee liquor and Coorg coffee marinated tiger prawns.

Wash it all down with their coffee themed beverages like the Coffee Infused Whiskey or their Vanilla Milkshake with coffee cubes in them. With a whole counter dedicated to coffee-based desserts, gorge on everything from Mocha Avocado Chocolate Pudding and Triple Coffee Cheesecake to Mocha Éclair Cake and Espresso Cake with an Oreo Crust, make sure you leave room for dessert.

When: On till Friday, November 17

Where: JW Kitchen, JW Marriott Bengaluru, Vittal Mallya Road.

Price: INR 1,850 {plus tax}

Timings: 7.30pm onwards

Contact: +91 8884494037 for reservations.

The writer was invited to the Coffee Trail by JW Marriott Hotels