THE SPICE ROUTE

Style / ambiance: The Spice Route at the Imperial Hotel reflects the journey of spices from the Malabar Coast in Kerala through to Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Malaysia, and from Indonesia to Thailand and Vietnam.

The restaurant, which was seven years in the making, is completely hand painted with vegetable and flower dyes by mural painters brought in especially from a temple in Kerala’s Guruvayur. Designed on the principles of feng shui, The Spice Route is a treasure trove of antiques and is divided into nine different sections, each depicting part of the journey of life. Besides the stunning decor, The Spice Route boasts a menu that will hook the taste buds of even the most seasoned food connoisseur. Orchestrated with passion by the chef, Veena Arora, the menu is crafted almost artistically with gems such as chemeen thoren (Kerala style prawns, stir-fried with coconut, curry leaves and black tamarind and flavored with mustard seeds), tom yum kung (the famous Thai soup with prawns, flavored with lemon grass, lemon leaves and galangal), kung nang phad khing (stir-fried lobster with ginger and Thai black mushrooms, served in the shell), kaeng kheow waan kai (chicken in Thai green curry with pea and cherry eggplants) and phad phak (chef’s special stir-fried baby pok-choy with black mushrooms, flavored with soya bean paste). The restaurant’s courtyard transports guests to the wonderful world of Southeast Asia – adorned with traditional Thai sculptures, from the Chiang Mai region in northern Thailand, it is a visual spectacle.

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