BENGALURU has had only short-lived, steamy affairs with Latin-American and Nikkei cuisine establishments. It never seems to take. The last one to tease and thrill us was 1Q1 Kitchen & Bar, tucked into the iconic Indian Express building on Queen’s Road. Until they broke our hearts by pulling down their shutters, a couple of years ago. And now – Los Cavos, the Bandra-based joint has set up shop in Indiranagar and stepped in to help us forget our previous dalliances with these cuisine styles.
Bengaluru’s party people now adulting as professionals will see the bones of this latest restaurant & bar on 100-ft Road belong to the old Black Rabbit. [We still remember you and our youth, fondly. *Holds up a lighter in the air* ] Much like us, this space has grown up too. Secreted away from the ceaseless traffic on this street behind a high wall, Los Cavos feels like arriving in an ancient hacienda.
We walk through the garden seating – tables pleated into the tall tropical plants – to enter the interiors of this restaurant through stained-glass panelled doors. Once inside, weathered walls with painted toucans, gauchos smoking cigars and jungle scenes envelope us. Other design details like the arresting arches, crystal chandeliers, and a balcony begging for a performance by a serenading lover caught our eye. And the lighting was, to my dining companion’s delight, “a barely-there, soft glow”. But thankfully – for my ageing, bespectacled eyes – they’ve got table-top reading lamps at the dinner table for a more focused glow.
It’s a Thursday night and Los Cavos’ tables are all filled with patrons ranging from business professionals in the neighbourhood ending their day with drinks and dinner, gaggle of girlfriends gossiping over cocktails to expats and tourists. It feels all glamorous and gregarious.
Nikkei Ceremony
While we were eager to try Pisco, a Peruvian liqueur closer to unaged brandy made from fermented Peruvian grapes, that’s rumoured to be a beautiful base for cocktails, with its floral, aromatic and herbaceous tones. Alas, it wasn’t available. But their option with pink dragonfruit intrigued us the most. (Tell us, if you liked it, please?)
Instead, we started with the trendy Picante and the Nikkei Sour, a twist on a classic – a thyme vanilla foam swapped places with the egg white. The sting of jalapeño, the tart spike of grapefruit, and the clear herby-sweet notes from our cocktails perfectly paired with our series of small plates. Peruvian cuisine, besides its Latin roots, has been influenced by its Japanese and Chinese immigrant population and its citizenry of Italian heritage. And the food riotously reflects these roots.
Mushroom Ceviche (left); Bechiche Ceviche (right)
We could’ve easily had thirds of the Los Cavos ceviche – skinny slivers of salmon daintily rolled atop a shallow pool of floral, citrusy and punchy tigre de leche or tiger’s milk made of coriander and yellow chilli and drizzled with white truffle oil. It wasn’t just a flavour bomb but the little nuggets of sweet corn and scattering of quinoa also gave it a gratifying grit. The burrata was a lemony, bright mess of yum; the skewered beef dancing in the anticuchera sauce was vinegary, garlicky and spicy; and the crispy, crunchy fish tempura tacos were finished in two swift bites. But the ‘explosive prawns’ suggested to us, from off the menu, was too creamy, too overpowering; it definitely didn’t hold its own next to these previously punchy plates.
Time to dessert the plan
After the excitement and explosion of flavours in the small plates; the mains didn’t shine as much. My dining companion, a luxury wedding designer with too many NDAs, got the pecan Peruvian chicken while I got the white chaufa and pork belly. The chicken dish with the accompanying jasmine rice was nutty and creamy “but needed another dimension,” he concluded. While the pork belly didn’t really cut it, the accompanying chaufa or the Peruvian-Chinese take on fried rice was the real star of the pairing.
Clockwise: Portobello Steak; Causa; Pan-Seared Chilean Sea Bass Quinotto; Beef Carpaccio, and Peruvian Churros
We changed up our mood with another round of drinks – Elot Martini and Margarita Del Sol – and a shared serving of tiramisu. The martini was a beguiling dance between spice from the jalapeno, sourness from the lemon and the sweetness of the Peruvian corn used for garnish. The orangey sweetness of the clarified margarita was a delight after encountering the tantalising tajin salt on the rim.
The dessert was deconstructed – which honestly, was quaint and refreshing in these times of contrived confections. At the end of this meal, instead of feeling like two working professionals who had discussed their work-life balance over a weekday catch-up, we were constantly crossing spoons to cordon off or commandeer the yummy bits like children. It was fun. “We should just come here for a long night of drinks, decadent small plates and dessert – when we’re feeling like skinny legends,” my friend says. And I second that motion and add that we all should.
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Meal for two: Rs 5000 (with alcohol).
Timings: Dinner service from 7.00 pm-1.00 am, Monday-Sunday; and lunch service on Saturdays & Sundays from 12.00 pm-4.00 pm.
Address: Ground Floor, CRED Aero, 100 Feet Road, near the corner of 12th Main, Indira Nagar. Call 9620207743 for reservations.