Summer might mean unbearable heat but it brings to us many things that we love and missed during the cold months of the year. Greener trees, brighter days, and to a fruit lover: luscious and ripe mangoes. With an almost butter-like consistency, sweet fragrance, a tinge of sour and a whole lot of sweetness, mangoes are in season and we couldn’t be anymore happier than we are right now.
Acknowledging this common love for mangoes, Hotel Annapurna is returning for a third year with their annual event “Mad for Mangoes” and this year they promise it will be grander than ever: Because this year, three restaurants at the hotel (all offering different cuisines) are collectively hosting the event. From mango wantons to mango papadi chat and mango toffees, they have all you could possibly think a mango could be and more. Sweet, sour, tangy, fresh, heavy, “Mad for Mangoes” is a full course meal, from appetizers to desserts and mangoes are the star ingredients.
Each summer, Hotel Annapurna plans this special summer event. “Our intent is for our guests to enjoy summer with mangoes and give them a whole other experience with the fruit. Mango, when done right, is a versatile ingredient to work with and we’re working hard to show that,” says Suarpana Shahi, assistant marketing manager at Hotel Annapurna. Although a lot of other restaurants in town host fruit special events, Shahi claims that they’re the first one in Nepal to offer a full course meal entirely based on mangoes. “We blend sweet with savory. What we offer with mangoes isn’t just limited to desserts. We offer main courses, snacks and appetizers with mangoes incorporated into them,” she explains.
In the previous years, this mango exclusive event was hosted only by The Coffee Shop, a sit down cross-continental restaurant at the hotel. This year, Ghar-e-Kabab (North Indian restaurant) and Arniko Room (Chinese restaurant) are also joining the event. The Week is here to give you a sneak peek into this mango feast laid out just for you.
Chef speaks
Agar Tammar, executive chef at Hotel Annapurna, shares that his team has been hard at work in devising the menu. Although he admits that anything consumed in its original form is best, he also adds that there is no harm in being experimental with flavors every now and then. By bringing in three restaurants together for the event, he wished to present mangoes as not just a desert ingredient but also as a basic ingredient for any course dish and in different cuisines. “From salads, soups, main courses, and sauces, we’ve been very careful with how we’re treating the dish and the mangoes. Depending on the dish, we’re using five to six varieties of mangoes. Mango is the king of all fruits and we hope our guests love what we have done with it,” he says.
Mango mania
The Coffee Shop
The Coffee Shop goes by the tagline, “Flavors from around the world” and seeing as how the menu for the event is made, there’s no wondering why. Chef Tammar recommends fresh mango juice (never to be missed with Alphonso mango). “This is the whole point of the event anyway,” he says.
Among the three, The Coffee Shop has more choices of drinks. From Spike Mano Michelada to Mango Banana Smoothie and Oreo Cookie Shake with mangoes, with fresh mango pulp juice, the drinks have different textures and tastes to offer. Not to be missed is the Thai Mango Salad with capsicum to give you a nice crunch along with a subtle taste of the fruit. Then go for the Mango Gazpacho with Cajun Grilled Shrimp – dip the shrimp in the Gazpacho for the complete Cajun experience.
For the mains, Pan Seared White Fish and Asparagus with Mango Chardonnay is a delight. The fish is flaky and although a fruit, mango really does work well with the fish. You cannot go wrong with the Mango Parfait either and if you are one with a sweet tooth, this one will be an absolute treat for you.
An entirely oriental based establishment, Arniko was named after the famed architect and has, since its establishment in 1978, offered its guests all the very best from the wondrous cuisine that is Chinese food.
Arniko Room
Although Arniko Room holds Chinese New Year as its most important time of the year and hosts events in relation to the occasion, this year they have opened their doors for summer in style. Their menu boasts a selection of appetizers, salads, main courses, rice and noodles and desserts. Asian Mango Salad starts with a rollercoaster of authentic oriental flavors – the sweet and the sour with some indications of spice.
Sichuan Style Shrimp Dumpling, Spicy Mango Wonton Cup and Crispy Fried Mango have hints of mango without taking away from the real taste of these Chinese delights. Another item we highly recommend is the Stir-fried Pork Belly with Mango. The pork is chewy and there’s something really nice about meat with a sauce that has a subdued sweetness to it.
Try the Silken Tofu and Mango Chili Wine Sauce with the Mango Fried Rice. The tofu melts in your mouth and the fried rice has a nice freshness to it. For the desert, you can choose either the Mango Toffee or the Mango Fried Ice Cream. Get both if you can’t decide between the two, as it might be a tough decision to make.
Ghar-e-Kabab
Rudra Nath Rimal, the multi outlet manager of Hotel Annapurna, takes great pride in Ghar-e-Kabab consistently being rated as one of Nepal’s top Indian restaurants. Opened in the year 1981, Ghar-e-Kabab has since then evolved into a fine dining for North Indian food.
Ghar-e-Kabab has drinks, snacks, starters, main course and dessert on their menu for their mango feast. Aam ka Panna is a summer favorite for most because of its freshness and tanginess. Baked in tandoor and nicely seasoned with cumin powder and some black salt, it makes for a delightful drink. Papadi Chat is by nature a savory dish, so the Mango Papadi Chat very cleverly extracts the natural tartness of the fruit to add to the umami of the dish.
For starters, you may also consider Fish and Mango Kebab. Marinated with mango pulp sauce and cooked in a clay pot, there’s a slight smokiness and sweetness to the fish. Fruit and meat really does go well together. There’s something else that goes really well with mangoes – kulfi. While the flavors of mango are understated in the snacks and appetizers, it’s in the kulfi that the original flavor of the fruit is strongly present.
