At Crackle Kitchen, food is theatre and the produce is the hero

The open kitchen is the heart of the restaurant

I walk up to the maitre d’ at the front of the building. She checks our reservations, hands us wristbands and discreetly knocks on the door. Someone quietly opens it from the inside, and we are ushered in. The whole thing feels like an underground party or a speakeasy. We are, however, at Indiranagar’s newest restaurant called Crackle Kitchen. 

Crackle is a 22-seater restaurant helmed by chef Vivek Salunkhe, who also is the man behind Dofu, Bengaluru’s first ‘chuka’ Chinese restaurant. He digs deep into his personal experiences and nostalgia with Crackle. The restaurant concept borrows from the omakase style. Omakase means “I’ll leave it up to you” in Japanese, and it means that what you are served is left up to the chef. 

There is no menu. Based on the day’s produce, the team prepares a menu with appetisers — six vegetarian and non-vegetarian each, and a selection of mains (from which you pick one). Dessert is served home style aka they make a big portion and every guest is served a slice. The cocktail menu has been created by Avinash Kapoli (of Soka and Jamming Goat).

Act one

There is a wood fire burning in the open kitchen and we take a seat right opposite it. The chefs in the kitchen talk to us as they do prep work. It is intimate and welcoming. First we are introduced to the day’s produce. Today, there are fresh mussels, naati eggs, white pomfret, rib eye steak, lion’s mane mushrooms and lobster. The amuse bouche is called gaiety galaxy. Inspired by the Galaxy Theatre in Mumbai, this dish has a corn shell filled with sweet corn, fresh popcorn and truffle souffle. The flavours tell me we are off to a great start. 

Guests are introduced to the day’s produce
| Photo Credit:
Prachi Rathi

Between the two of us we try twelve appetisers. The anda bhurji is brought to the table deconstructed – an egg, a piping hot cast iron pan, bowls of fish roe and house made mayo. You crack the egg yourself in the pan and watch it cook. With the roe and the mayo, this bhurji is unique. Zunkha bhakar is their take on the Maharashtrian dish. A rice flour tortilla topped with a chickpea flour custard, baingan bharta and goat’s cheese. The chickpea is smooth, the baigan is smokey and the cheese is creamy, a delightful combination. The kodi ghee roast, one of Salunkhe’s grandmother’s recipes, is naati chicken soup with ghee roast spices. The flavours in this are a stand out. 

I enjoy all the starters, but six is one too many. Yet tempted by the dishes on the menu, we continue. 

Act two

Somewhere in the middle of the starters, the server comes and asks you to pick the main course order. The options on day we dine include a methi malai cannelloni (made with fenugreek leaves and ricotta), a Bangkok paplet (white pomfret roulade with a nam prik sauce), and the ‘not a million-dollar steak’ (ribeye steak, albeit priced at ₹2,895). 

(Left) Zunkha bhakar and (right) the make your own anda bhurji
| Photo Credit:
Prachi Rathi

We opt for two mains; a mistake because the portion sizes are huge. I have the kimchi masala bhaat, while my companion has the gardan ki tehri. The former is a comforting risotto topped with a charred eggplant. Creamy and spicy at the same time. The tehri is a rice dish from North India, here made with arborio rice. It is topped with slow cooked lamb neck (the gardan). The lamb is succulent and falling apart, and the spices in the dish take it a notch above. The portion sizes are such that the dish can easily be shared by two or three.  

Final curtain 

After 90 minutes of feasting, it is now time for dessert. The dessert of the day is Bangalore kappi tiramisu, made with Philadelphia cream cheese, lady finger biscuits, and filter coffee. The dish skews to the bitter side but is light and airy. A welcome feeling after the meal.

The restaurant decked up for Christmas

I would prefer four, rather than six appetisers, and maybe reduced portion sizes on the mains. But Crackle gets full points for creativity and innovation of local and global influences. The cosy ambience is a bonus. 

The omakase experience is priced at ₹3,000 for the appetisers and mains are a la carte. Open only for dinner service in two slots – 7 pm and 9 pm. At Indiranagar. For more details, call 6366072812