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up your life by the banks of the Ganges Step in through the antique brass-studded wooden door and you come upon the eye-catching wall size original painting by local artist Palitha Aluwane. Featuring selected banks of the mighty River Ganges, cleverly placed mirrors reflect and magnify this scene creating an atmosphere of open space. A recreation of the mythical horse, the root cause for Ganges coming down to India stands at its entrance. Together with antiques such as the camel cart stand and the Nandi statue that tell a story, the patchwork Indian designs, antique looking light bulbs and curled cutlery have a stunning effect. Soft Hindustani music chiefly of sitar and tabla by Indian music legends Ravi Shankar and Zakir Hussain contribute to a relaxed ambience. A tent atmosphere has been achieved with the blue and purple drapes on the ceiling, its hues picked up by the tableware. Apparently, such dining areas were temporarily set up for travelling royalty in the olden days. Now they are common for religious festivals along the Ganges. Kishore Reddy explains the story behind its name. Often called the 'holy Ganga’ the river originates in the Gangotri Galcier in the Himalayas and flows across the large plains of North India before emptying into the Bay of Bengal. Its banks are one of the densest human population belts, its people as diverse as the cuisine. In keeping with its name, Ganges that opened in October 2005 features on its menu a range of speciality dishes from Kashmir, Varnasi, Haridwar, Allahabad, Lucknow, and Calcutta, where the river flows. Although predominantly North Indian, Reddy has added tributaries of the Ganges – that pass Delhi and Hyderabad amongst others. Diners are served a complimentary starter called ‘Sev Puri’ while they contemplate the items in the menu. The puffed crispy pastry filled with potatoes and sauces of tamarind, mint, masala and yoghurt is a delectable appetizer. Among the impressive starters are the Papdi chaat or Prawn Pakoda. The main dishes comprise Tandoori specialities and a variety of vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes to go with the Indian breads or biriyanis. Dessert enthusiasts can try the Rasmalai or the Fried ice cream, a Ganges speciality that we recommend as a fitting end to the meal. The celebrated chef still cooks despite having the services of three speciality chefs from India. “I still cook as I’d like to maintain our standard and quality,” he says. Hence every dish is checked and finished by him.“We want to give an experience of authentic home-made Indian food, unlike the ‘hotelized’ versions that add too much butter and fat to make it tasty. In normal homes, they don’t do that,” he adds. Reddy doesn’t need an introduction to Sri Lanka. Having worked at the Oberoi for around eight years and later as their consultant, he has been featured on several TV programmes called Cook with Kishore, having also written a book by that name.Considered an authority on regional Indian food, Reddy shares his passion for cooking. “Researching different cuisines of India and perfecting them began as a hobby for me,” he explains. Wanting to put it into practice he enrolled at the Advanced Hotel Management Course at the Oberoi School of Hotel Management. From there he went on to conducting seminars on Regional Indian cuisines, often featured at conferences and at the Oberoi. Future plans for the Ganges include the recreation of ‘Suvarnagnishika’, which is basically food, mixed with edible 24-karat gold and saffron. In the ancient days it was prepared for kings. Vegetarian and non-vegetarian versions of this rich dish will be available in April. Reddy personally takes orders on occasions and advises diners on choices, all the while sharing interesting experiences. The restaurant is now a family-run business with his wife, Emerald taking care of the general operation and overseeing the bar - a 22 feet long aquarium, reinforcing the river theme. |
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