Pop art to sampling 'appams': Masterchef Australia judges take Bengaluru by storm

Bengaluru was the place to be this weekend. With the city playing a first time host to the International food festival, ‘World On a Plate’, in India, you might think the gourmet food would be the highlight of the weekend, but think again. Masterchef Australia judges Gary Mehigan, Matt Preston and George Calombaris flew in the middle of the Masterchef Australia season 8, especially to be a part of the festival. India’s love for anything to do with food, and a few Indian contestants over the years on the show, have boosted Masterchef Australia’s popularity in the country. This assured them a big welcome to the event.

Their big welcome at @ubcitybangalore! #WOAP #MasterChef #Bangalore pic.twitter.com/6znx1H8lpz

— WorldOnAPlate (@world_onaplate) June 4, 2016

The trio made sure they put the entire event on Instagram to appease their fans. Matt Preston’s Instagram account gave us a footprint of their Bengaluru trip, and can we just say, it looks really exciting!

The food festival had 50 plus pop-up restaurants and food trucks spread across the city. The icing on the cake of the was the ever-so-popular but hard-to-recreate masterclass with the chefs from down under. Each of the judges dazzled the crowd with their versions of gourmet dishes, with Gary serving up his version of white mousse, Matt whipping up his famous corgi-styled chicken with spiced pumpkin and George styled up a soft shelled crab dish with an Indian twist (soft-shell crab soulaki wrapped in Indian bread in a cone). 

When you're in @MattsCravat's class, you can be sure you're going to have the time of your life! #WOAP #Bangalore pic.twitter.com/fqQ4ngYGV5

— WorldOnAPlate (@world_onaplate) June 4, 2016

The chefs were also fascinated by local produce, like this Instagram post of Matt checking out the vegetable vendors at Russel Market in Bengaluru.

Gary Mehigan fell in love with the Appams and curries Bengaluru had to offer:

They also got a chance to sample a lot of yummy delicacies by visiting a few iconic hotels in Bengaluru. The judges have then sadly rushed back to Australia to finish the mid-season filming of the latest Masterchef season. Bengaluru, you’re really lucky.