A Kraving for Krave's New Menu

Crepes Papillotte. PHOTO COURTESY KRAVE.
Crepes Papillotte. PHOTO COURTESY KRAVE.

Spoiler alert: I love Krave’s new menu.

As usual, dining at Krave, Tarouba Plaza, Marabella, was not just about tasty, fulling food but an experience as well, from the atmosphere, including live music at times, to the presentation of the meals.

Krave recently invited several people to try the new menu, which was launched on July 7, providing samples of the appetisers and desserts, and a main course dish.

The night began with drinks. As usual, bartender Ravi Deonarine dazzled with his creations. Not only did they delight the taste buds, but no one could ever say that the alcohol was “watered down” as Deonarine often finds the perfect balance between flavour and alcohol content.

In fact, there was a Long Island Iced Tea the likes of which I had never tasted before. Not only were the ingredients premium, but Deonarine opted out of any juice or cola so that the drink was 100 percent alcohol, except for the lime garnish. Despite the strength of the drink, the taste was not compromised.

Next were the appetisers. There were Mint Lamb Cubes served on a bed of tomato chutney, which perfectly balanced the salt of the minced lamb. The Crab Cakes served on a pineapple coconut coulis had a crisp outer layer, and the well-seasoned crab meat sat on what reminded me of coconut and pineapple flavoured marshmallow frosting.

The Shrimp Cocktail Timbal with guacamole in a Sriracha sauce was inspired. The shrimp were layered with pastry disks which added texture and a bit of sweetness to the already scrumptious shrimp. For the vegetarians, there was hummus served on a crostini and topped with mushrooms; and Jardiniere mixed salad with a mandarin vinaigrette.

Around the table, the guests chose lamb, pasta, chicken, steak, pork, fish, and seafood including Bacon Wrapped Jumbo Shrimp and Classic Seafood Paella.

Although their hunger was satisfied after the delicious appetisers, when the attractively arranged plates arrived, they could not say no to at least a taste. Of course it did not stop at a taste and hums of approval or exclamations of delight could be heard around the table. One person could not help herself and, although warned to save room for dessert, she ate all of her Sous Vide Lamb Shank.

Dessert was a production with a “live tableside” finishing element. There was pouring, there was melting, there was steaming and there was fog.

The Exotic Chocolate Sphere is a chocolate dome surrounding a spiced caked and dark chocolate truffle. A warm Vanilla Passion sauce was poured over the dome, melting it onto the cake. The Poire á la Vide is a poached pear stuffed with pear cheesecake. A sorrel sauce with star anise and cinnamon was poured onto the pear producing fog similar to that made from dry ice. Both were a delight to see and taste.

The chocolate dishes were rich and moan-inducing; the Kremlin Custard, a goat cheese custard, was creamy and smooth; and pieces of cake sponge or sponge, not to be mistaken for sponge cake, added yet another element of interest with its texture which was somewhere between cake and bread.

The desserts were delicious, nothing was too sweet, and all the ice creams and sorbets were made from scratch in the Krave kitchen.

Consultant, Leslie Ann St John, added that the new desserts were extremely innovative and feature elements which have not traditionally been seen in this country such as edible flowers, goats cheese, rice, basil ice cream and fruit soup.

Although the previous dinner menu was only about seven months old, Krave refused to allow their guests become tired of the same choices. “This is an all new menu. Some items were included which guests may recognise as past Meal of the Month choices. These were extremely popular and so we added them to the regular menu – The Seafood Tempura Basket and the Thai Curry Pork Loin are two such examples,” said Krave Director Damion Persad.

“Executive Chef Dominique Beens and Mr Persad are keen followers of the global food scene and believers that guest in Trinidad and Tobago should have access to food experiences similar to those in other markets! The menu is also shaped by customer feedback and response. Krave guests will recognise some of Krave’s Meal of the Month offerings which, when they were discontinued, had customers “kraving” more,” added St John.

She said the Lamb dishes were irresistible to guests and the Indian-Inspired Chicken with Caramelized Tomatoes and Cashew Nut Gravy, which features rich aromatics and a smooth finish, was already a guest favourite.

The new dinner menu is available from Thursday to Saturday. Appetizers start at $65, Mains Start at $155 and Desserts at $50. Vegetarian and Halal options are also available.

Comments

"A Kraving for Krave's New Menu"

More in this section