Baby, Nevermind, nevermind, nevermind, nevermind

Nevermind, the first thing that comes to my mind or wondering what that title is all about? Check this iconic BMW Series 3 TVC, with Dennis Lloyd’s ‘Nevermind’ score playing in the background.(Heres the link if you haven’t watched this yet) And why do I mention this? Nevermind, the place has a very similar vibe. Futuristic and elegant interiors and Rohit Barker spinning some excellent tracks at the DJ Console, this is one of my favorite places in Indira Nagar, and I haven’t even come to the food yet! Nevermind completed a year of running a few days back and they have a new revamped menu, which still has some of the crowd favs from the old menu. Here are some glimpses from the fabulous new menu:

Cocktails:

These aren’t the sugary, syrup-loaded cocktails that you would find in most places. The cocktail menu here is driven by ingredients, and good ones at that! Their signature ones are divided into 3 carefully-crafted categories, here are my picks from each of these sections

Farm to Glass(Core ingredient is a fruit or a vegetable)

Fine Revelry: This gin cocktail had cucumber, tonic, a rose-sour made in-house. The freshness of cucumber, the rather unusual combination of a sour-rose syrup which gave this beautiful, floral edge and a tonic to balance it out. Simple, elegant and refreshing!

Mamacita: This cocktail is an attention grabber for sure. A lovely almost transparent green colour, another gin-based cocktail, this has seasonal bell peppers, coriander, lime juice, sparkling water and a thin layer of whipped cream. A very modern cocktail, the bell peppers add an interesting dimension to an already interesting cocktail. Loved it!

Botanical Garden(Edible Flowers or Leaves)

Lady Rose: A vodka-based cocktail with rose syrup, rose tea infused vodka(yeah, no kidding!), lime juice and egg whites. The end result? Something even the Russians have not done with their Vodka, a stunning floral cocktail topped with a egg-white foam to give it more body. Excellent!

Spices & Herbs

Empress Kiss: If ever there was a cocktail to simulate a kiss, this would be it, honestly! Rosemary-infused gin, lime, triple sec and orange juice and egg white. Beautifully balanced, with the sourness of orange and lime balanced by the piney rosemary, this could even be an aperitif! I could have this all day long, it is that good! 

Food:

Here are my recommendations from their menu:

Brie Tempura: Nutty and earthy brie coated in a tempura batter and fried to perfection, this is a delightful way to start the meal here, also a good accompaniment to their cocktails!

Beef & Jalapeno Dumpling: Pan-Asian food has always been Nevermind’s strong suit, and this dumpling just goes to show how good their food this. Translucent covering and a beautifully cooked filling of minced beef and spicy jalapenos made sure that we went back for more.

The B&B Burger: Yes, the bun is actually a donut bun, and it was a delightful addition to this fabulous double bacon burger. So this was Candied bacon, beef patty, glazed doughnut bun, crunchy peanut butter, Chili lime mayo. Excellent stuff!

Pan Seared Red Snapper: Fish and Chimichurri sauce always go great together, and in this case, the flavours were heightened with the addition of a orange and fennel salad, and a beautifully flashed-fried snapper with an ultra-crispy skin. Needless to say, the chimichurri was on point and delicious!

Coastal Prawn Curry : Ah, with all the fancy stuff coming in, a steaming bowl of this beautiful prawn curry with steamed rice was a welcome change. Comfort food at its finest!

Desserts

Tall, Dark & Crunchy: Beautiful textures of milk and dark chocolate with the reassuring crunch of roasted cashews and a sprinkling of cashew praline dust for good measure.

Lemon Tart: Lemon Tart, Torched Meringues and a buttery, short crust arch to seal the deal. This was as delicious as it looked, or even more!

Verdict: Be it a romantic outing, an evening of partying with friends or just an afternoon of sipping some brilliant cocktails while enjoying some lip-smacking food, I cannot recommend this place enough!

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Maziga - Mesmerizing Modern Indian Food

Modern Indian Food has been arriving on the international scene for quite a while now, but it kind of exploded with Gaggan Anand’s unconventional takes on Indian Classics, and that is probably the gold standard of Modern Indian Cuisine for me. At Maziga, Chef Javed Ahamad puts a spin on Indian Classics as well, and we were there to sample their elaborate 15-Course Menu. Here is the lowdown.

This set menu is called ’15-Course Journey Through India’ and it needs to be ordered a day in advance in case you decide to have this and costs INR 2200 + Taxes. I will not list all 15 courses but some of the more memorable dishes from it. I paired this with a Cotes De Provence from Domaine de Saint Ser of a 2012 vintage, which is a rich bodied, complex rose, and to be honest, it went superbly with most of the food. Highly recommended pairing!

The Journey starts off with a spherification, a technique that is gaining popularity given the literal ‘burst’ of flavours that you get. In this instance, it was a chat masala yoghurt variation. I would have loved if the base was not curd-based, but it was a good attempt.

Goat Brain Pav: This was a pav, layered with an orangish gel on top, with a minced, goa-brain filling. The gel was sweetish with a slight tang of orange, and it actually went well with the spiced, mince mixture inside.

Quinoa Upma Cod Fish in Kaffir Lime Sauce : So this was  a beautifully cooked smoked Cod topped with a deliciously tangy kaffir lime sauce and tempered mustard seeds, and was served on a bed of Quinoa Upma.

Soup: A lovely sweet and salty broth of green peas and edamame, I enjoyed the soup. The only thing I could do without were the masala bondi that didn’t really gel well in this dish.

Malvani Prawn: This one was absolutely delicious. A superbly cooked prawn coated with an aromatic, rich, malvani ‘bharta’ sitting atop a charcoal lentils pan cake, I could have had half-a-dozen of these. I would have preferred a bit more chili in the spice to add that extra oomph to this dish!

Duck: This was duck smoked in a tandoor and cooked in a rogan josh curry. Divine would probably the word to describe this fusion. A mellowed down rogan josh recipe, this one too could do with a bit more chilli, but maybe it is just me

Risotto Khichdi: Definitely, the highlight of the meal for me was this one. A very simple combination of flavours , this was a palak khichdi using hand-pounded basundi rice, cheese and ghee. Now this is the kind of fusion I am down for, comfort food at its best!

Khasta Rahra Ghosht Biryani with Burani Raita : Of course, a journey across India is incomplete without some form of biriyani on the menu. This one had a quirky presentation, being served in a cup with a flaky pastry covering it, presumably as it was cooked on ‘dum’ under it along with the raita in a shot glass. The Lamb was beautifully cooked in ‘rahra’ style spices, from the Sindh region on India. The biryani was mellow and beautifully flavored with saffron and a few other spices.

The meal ended with a Turmeric Kulfi and Mango Panna-cotta.

Verdict: It is hard to hold your attention throughout any multi-course meal, let alone one that spans 15 courses, but Maziga does an admirable job at surprising you with each item’s entry at your table. While the journey is not without its ups and downs, it is a pleasant one that has dishes which span the length and breadth of the country. In the mood to be surprised at how Indian Food can too be fine dine or if you just want to have the meal on a whimsy, this meal is one that will stay etched in your memory!

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Haute: Wine and Tapas Review

While there are a lot of good places in Bangalore that serve Wine, there are few which tailor the food so that it pairs well with wine, without compromising on the taste. Haute is one of those places which seeks to please the casual wine-drinker as well as wine-connoisseurs with an excellent selection of New World and Old-World Wines and some domestic favorites as well. Does the food stand-up to the gorgeous wines they have curated? Let’s find out.

We learnt from Chef Adithya Kidambi,(the Executive Chef here) that the concept they are going for, in terms of food is two-fold. For the lunch menu, the food will be a combination of short eats and one-bowl meals, suited to the more casual diner. Dinner however would be an elaborate affair with a multi-course meal, with wine-pairings for each course. For the preview, we had a five-course meal paired with a Fratelli Chardonnay and a Fratelli Gran Cuvee Brut. More on that later.

Course 1: Teriyaki

Mixed Greens, Cherry Tomatoes, chicken slices (marinated overnight in a traditional soy-sauce based marinade), cucumber and the best part, the crunch of a homemade chikki made of sunflower & flax seeds in jaggery. The salad was delicately balanced with sourness from the cherry tomatoes, the crunch and sweetness from the crumbled home-made chikki, some freshness and additional depth-of-flavor from the mixed greens. A brilliant start to the meal. 

Course 2: Beetroot

My initial thought was, this was one dish that the chefs might have gone overboard. Was I wrong! Gazpacho is all the rage on the Indian food scene these days, and while it might be colloquially called, a ‘cold soup’, it is so much more. The one here at Haute was pretty well done. A slow-roasted beetroot gazpacho, served with a dollop cultured cream on the side. The Gazpacho was a brilliant red color, which can only be described as beetroot red and the earthy flavors of beetroot had been mellowed down considerably. The addition of dried orange segments added a much-needed crunchiness to this soup while imparting its own lovely flavor. The cultured cream when mixed with the soup, completely balanced out of the flavors, and to be honest, this is definitely the best Gazpacho I have had so far.

Course 3: Dumplings

We ordered the Prawn bisque and the Paprika Chicken dumplings. Both of them were very well-made with a beautiful, almost-translucent skin. The filling was ample and while the paprika chicken lacked the strong-punch of paprika, this version would appeal to most palates. However, both of these were served with a brilliant, grainy pepper sauce, which I absolutely loved.  

Course 4: Mains

I ordered the Cream of Chicken & Peas hand-cut Linguine while my spouse ordered their popular Bibimbap. Linguine is a pasta which falls somewhere between a spaghetti and fettuccine in terms of width. The linguine here was hand-cut and served with a creamy, buttery sauce and topped with shaved parmesan cheese, and thinly slices of chicken. I have to say, I loved this preparation immensely.

The bibimbap was served in a smoking hot cast iron bowl and was Korean Style Rice with 2 types of kimchi, assorted veggies, a poached egg and was served with a bowl of lamb slices that could be mixed with the bibimbap or had on its own. This is probably the most colorful Bibimbap I have seen in Bangalore, and was pretty good as well!

Course 5: Chocolate 

A beautiful tart with layers of single-origin dark chocolate. True chocolate connoisseurs will appreciate the beauty of the nuttiness of the dark chocolate and when had with the superbly creamy Dulce de Leche that it was served with, it was just heavenly. Not overly sweet nor too bitter, this was another masterpiece. A beautiful finale to a delightful symphony of flavors and textures.

Verdict: Haute is one of those rare places where the execution of a beautiful concept has been done flawlessly. Excellent Wine-Selection, Brilliant food and an Ultra-Chic ambience are the reasons you should visit this place as soon as possible!

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Smoky with a chance of Beer Cocktails -> Smoke House Deli

Smoke House Deli, our favorite Delicatessen, has been serving quality food for a long time, and we were excited to see a repeat of last year’s excellent ‘Camp Grill’ event, but this time around, there are beer cocktails as well. This festival has been aptly named, ‘Smoky with a chance of Beer Cocktails’, and is on till the 15th of September.

It was just another rainy Saturday afternoon, as we settled down around a rather large Victorianesque table on the porch of this lovely white building, accompanied by the sounds of food sizzling away on the grills, nearby. There were a large range of specially curated beer cocktails, and we settled on a couple of them that caught our eye.

Pineapeño: Fresh pineapple, jalapeño water, beer and a bit of sugar and salt. This concoction is one of the most refreshing beer cocktails that I have had. The zing of jalapeños, a bit of sweetness from the pineapple and of course, beer to bring it all together!

Tangerine Tales: Not just a looker, this cocktail had an unusual component, pomegranates. So, fresh pomegranate and orange, pomegranate syrup, lime juice, vodka and beer made up this crimson beauty. The various components here worked well, and the sourness from orange and lime cut through the sweetness of pomegranates and the alcohol was hardly palpable, given the lovely balance of this cocktail.

It was hard to keep up as a large variety of food came trickling in. Here are some of the more memorable items from this outstanding menu:

Burrata Salad with Hazelnut Parmesan Crust & Grilled Mixed Fruit Jam: As I type this, my mouth is watering with memories of this spectacular dish. Picture this: A perfect orb of creamy burrata cheese, topped with shavings of parmesan atop a piece of toast. The nuttiness of hazelnut, the distinctness of parmesan, a beautiful mozzarella crust and soft cheese inside, and just to add another dimension, some grilled fruit jam. Unforgettable!

Lebanese Style Grilled Chicken & Pickled Chilies: This dish was almost a cross between the traditional shish tawook and regular grilled chicken, and a secret ingredient, the five-spice powder added a beautiful punch to this dish. It went well with the creamy garlic dip served on the side.

Grilled Lamb Chops & Spicy Chickpeas: No grill event can be complete without chops, and this dish of lamb chops on a bed of hummus on the side of spicy chickpeas looked promising. A perfect cut of lamb which was crisp on the outside, and perfectly succulent on the inside, this is what the perfect chop should be like!

Double Chili Marinated Scampi with Creamy Crab Rice: Another beautiful preparation, targeting seafood lovers, the scampi (Dublin Bay Prawn to be precise) was delicious and perfectly cooked with the slight aftertaste of the chili it was marinated in. It was the perfect foil to the brilliant, creamy crab rice that it was served with.

There were so many brilliant preparations that they served here that I lost count of, but the very Brit smoked half-roast Chicken with a potato and onion pudding, the delectable smoked cheese filled garlic bread and the supreme pork chops marinated in fresh herbs and served with a cauliflower puree are worth a mention.

Verdict: This is one festival you shouldn’t miss, especially, given the current rainy weather in Bangalore. Sizzling Grills, Beer Cocktail in one hand and the pitter-patter of raindrops in the background, I couldn’t think of a better Brunch idea! Highly recommended!

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Salvadores -> Old World Charm in a Modern Setting

Bangaloreans who have been a witness to the dramatic urbanization of the city, and a subsequent decline in the green cover, lament over the loss of some of its notable heritage buildings, such as the Government Press, the residence of Late Sir M. Visvesvaraya, and of course, the Victoria Hotel. Before the Late Sir Donatus Victoria bought this property, the place housed a reading room, called the Bangalore book society, where Sir Winston Churchill is said to have been a regular visitor. Victoria Hotel was the kind of place one went to, to spend an entire day, starting with breakfast after Sunday mass, and going through to dinner, all accompanied with their favorite tipple. It was a time when most of the diners and the servers knew each other by name and it was a close-knit family of sorts.

Salvadores, the restaurant on the 5^th floor of the building which now stands in its place is run by the same management that ran the erstwhile Victoria Hotel and seeks to bring in a similar kind of familiarity and old-world charm, along with a fine-dine experience. This is the kind of place which will evoke strong emotions of nostalgia, joy and contentment, no matter which age group you belong to; Salvadores manages to retain this old world charm in a modern setting.

As you enter here, the sheer grandeur of this place will make you forget that you are in the same building which houses a mall. This place has an understated elegance that might not draw the attention of a casual observer, but as you get accustomed to the place, the attention to detail becomes apparent. From the beautifully folded ‘Lotus Leaf’ shaped napkins in glasses, the multitude of gleaming cutlery,their beautifully-crafted crockery (made by the famous Japanese Noritake brand) . and stemware neatly set out on the table, the lovely wine cellar-like flooring and the charming section in the corner where a gleaming upright piano stood, ready for an audience. The soothing strains of Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole and Louis Armstrong, amongst others, compliment the entire dining experience and virtually transport you back in time!

As you venture outside the lovely dining room, you are greeted with a magnificent, panoramic view of Bangalore in all its green-glory, with the occasional metro speeding by in the background. The beautiful Al-Fresco seating is perfect for couples looking for a romantic candlelight dinner, or to enjoy a glass of wine, as you witness raindrops gather pace in the distance. Truly sublime!

As you settle down for your meal (we chose the indoor dining section), the rather streamlined menu catches your attention. Most of the items on the menu were classic dishes, including favorites like Pork Chops, Escalope, Irish stew and Fish Pies. The best part of the menu is the fact that each of these dishes are carefully chosen to match wines that they have in-house, and I was pleasantly amazed at the wine-food pairing knowledge of the servers here.

Another interesting thing about this place is that they have temperature controlled wine storage and dispensing machines (made by the renowned French company, Eurocave), so that the wine is served to you at precisely the right temperature. They have an interesting selection of Indian and, both, "Old World" and "New World" wines from France, Germany, Italy, Australia, New Zealand, Argentina and Chile.

The food here is absolutely top-notch, and each of the dishes that we tried here were done to perfection, and plated beautifully in a classic sense.

The herb infused grilled tenderloin steak was exemplary. Cooked medium rare as per my preference, juicy on the inside, slightly-crispy on the outside and served with a lip-smacking pepper sauce, this was hands-down the best tenderloin I have had in town.

Another classic, the chicken parmigiana was spot-on as well. Beautifully cooked breaded-chicken breast pieces topped with shredded parmesan cheese, served with a deliciously- creamy mushroom risotto and grilled veggies. Excellent!

The Grilled Chimichurri Fish steak was another item that we liked immensely. A lovely fillet of fish, marinated in a mixture of lemon, cilantro, oregano and chili and grilled to perfection with a few additional condiments. The lovely fish steak was served on a bed of creamy garlic potato mash and buttered legumes. The fresh flavors of cilantro and parsley, the slight heat of the chilies was perfectly offset by the acidity of the lemons.

For dessert, we went ordered the highly recommended Chocolate Old Monk Rum Tart and we were not disappointed. A crisp tart with a lovely, velvety chocolate-rum ganache filling, which was the perfect balance between sweet and bitter. This was a beautiful rendition!

We also tried the Trifle Pudding, which was another classic. Layers of a lovely-blueberry jelly, mixed fruit custard and fresh cream, another delightful dessert done right!

A special word of mention for this service here. The servers here treat you with the kind of familiarity that you might expect from an old friend, and yet, it is the perfect balance between helpful and discreet. Only the required cutlery is placed in front of you, and the dishes are cleared out with ease, at exactly the right time. Exceptional service.

Nostalgia is a powerful emotion and dining at Salvadores will definitely evoke memories long forgotten and forge new ones of the exceptional dining experience here. Warm hospitality, attention to the tiniest detail, wine served in the correct stemware at precisely the right temperature and of course, exceptional food will ensure that you keep coming back to this place for more!

P.S.: Their set menus are very well-crafted and excellent value for money. Also, their breakfast spread sounds interesting. Coming back here soon!

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Tijouri -> Unlock Fragrant and Flavourful Memories

The mouth-watering smell emanating from a tandoor where naans are being cooked, the sweet scent of saffron-milk as it is poured into a biryani and the smell of the last dollop of butter added to an almost-ready dal makhani; these are the kind of treasures that can be unlocked at Tijouri, the Indian specialty Restaurant at Radisson Blue Atria. Read on.

Ambience:

This is a lovely fine-dine place located in the lower-ground floor of the Radisson Blue Atria. At the entrance is a small fountain around which a few tables are arranged and is perfect for couples looking to spend a quiet, yet fabulous date. As you enter, the first thing you notice is the almost ethereal aura created by the lovely purple-hued lighting. Even the neatly arranged chairs have a shade of purple fabric, and add to the appeal of the place.

The walls are tastefully adorned with murals of the faces of Deepika Padukone and Aishwarya Rai and these do deserve a second look for the sheer beauty of the artist’s work. One side is taken up with a large horizontal window which allows you a glimpse into the kitchen asthe chefs prepare your meal. Antiquely-Elegant is the phrase I would use to describe the ambience here.

The Menu:

Tijouri has A La Carte as well as a set menu, and while I generally prefer ordering A La Carte, the Set Menus here had all the signature. I was surprised to find the pricing of the set-menus to be fairly reasonable for a place like the Radisson. Full-Course Menus start at INR 899(Nawab, the vegetarian version) and go up to INR 1499(Maharaja). We chose to go with the more elaborate Maharaja, which had the largest variety of their signature dishes.

Food:

Course 1: Soup

Yakhni Shorba: This is a meat soup of Persian origin, and was supposedly served to Alexander in Bactria. It has several regional variations, including a thick saffron-scented one from Kashmir, and a lighter, broth like version from Pakistan. The version here is an Indian variation. Soft, shredded pieces of lamb in a meaty, soup broth, with a sprig of mint and a dash of lime to bring out the lovely mild flavors in this one. This was indeed the perfect start to our meal.

Course 2: Appetizers

Gilafi Seekh Kebab: The journey of the kebab from its Turkish origins to the Indian sub-continent is quite a fascinating one. Gilafi kebabs are of Persian origin, and ‘Gilaf’ translates to a cover. This Gilaf refers to the covering of veggies (primarily capsicum, tomato and onion) over minced meat. The version here was exquisitely tasty, and the lamb-mince was cooked to perfection. The kebabs were of a melt-in-the-mouth texture, and the blend of spices was subtle, but delicious.

Meen Masala Fry:  Stepping away from the Sindh province, and going further down south, this was fresh seer fish deep-fried in a batter spiked with spices from Madras, predominantly curry leaves, coriander seeds and peppercorns. A welcome change from the bland basas of the world, we relished this dish with a dash of lime and a creamy mint chutney.

Oruindai Onion Pakoda: So ‘Urundai’ loosely translates to an 'orb' in Tamil. For example, a meatball is called ‘Kolla Urundai’. A pakoda in a fine-dine you ask? This was indeed one of the best Onion pakodas I have had, hands down. The addition of fennel seeds imparted a slight sweetness to the pakodas, which I enjoyed immensely.

Course 3: Mains

Jhinga Masala: A preparation reminiscent of the bengali malai curry, but with a spicier and more fragrant body. The prawns were beautifully cooked, and had a slight bite to them, as they should be. This would go well with any lightly-spiced rice preparation.

Nalli Ka Salan: Finally, the most awaited dish of the evening came in. Nalli translates to a shank, and generally it either a goat or lamb shank. Salan can be interpreted as a gravy. This dish is an amalgamation of the rich Nizami and spicy Andhra flavors. The richness of the gravy is from malai or yogurt and the spice quotient is from red chillies and peppercorns. This dish tasted as good as it looked. Fall-of-the-bone meat and a perfect balance of spice and sweet, I almost fell in love with this dish. A fitting tribute to authentic Deccan Cuisine.

Course 4: Rice

Gosht Dum Biryani: Biryani is a highly subjective and debatable dish, and having tasted the best of biryanis from Lucknow, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Ambur, this would definitely rate high on the taste meter. The scent of saffron as the biryani was brought in, the lovingly layered and dum-cooked rice and the juicy pieces of lamb (I would have preferred mutton though to be honest) cooked to perfection. There was none of the artificial rose-syrup and no overpowering masala to spoil this lovely dish. Simply put, I loved this too!

Course 5: Dessert

Baked Paan Yogurt with Sweet Boondi: After such an extravagant meal, the dessert needed to be soothing, and this was indeed. Presented in a matka, sprinkled with boondi, and a couple of betel leaves perched on top of it, this dessert looked like a dream. As we dug into the luxuriously thick curd, the subtle and refreshing flavors of paan soothed our palate. The sweet boondi imparted a bit of crunch and a little more sweetness to the dish. A bite of the lovely paan leaf enhanced the flavor ten-fold, and I found myself enormously enjoying this simple, yet beautifully crafted dish.

Verdict

Be it the peaceful ambience, the beautiful mini-fountain, the lovely live-kitchen, the excellent food or the polite service, this place has it covered on all fronts. And with the pricing to be fairly reasonable, this place definitely deserves a visit for its old-world charm and food!

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Farzi Cafe -> The Razzmatazz of Modern Indian Food

"Cooking is like painting or writing a song. Just as there are only so many notes or colors, there are only so many flavors - it's how you combine them that sets you apart." 

- Wolfgang Puck

The Indian Culinary scene these days is awash with myriad food-fusions, while some of them are delightfully exquisite, a few others are downright appalling. Farzi Cafe has been an exponent of getting modern, even experimental food to the Indian audience while retaining the true-to-the-roots flavor of all the food served here. Dramatic, flavorful, beautiful while still retaining an earthiness where required, Farzi Cafe is a truly sensory experience. This is a review of the new summer menu at this place. Here are some of the highlights of our meal:

Course One: Appetizers

Avocado and Mint Gazpacho: Gazpacho is a soup of Spanish origin and is generally served cold. It is usually a blend of stale bread, cucumber, tomatoes and a few other odds and ends. This version had avocado as its base and was served with a lovely jeera namakpara. The perfect start to a meal on a warm summer noon or evening.

Curd Rice Tikki Chat, Besan Pearls, and Dragon Scoop: One of the most dramatic starters on the menu, this was served in a clay pot-like vessel, which was sitting on a bed of liquid-nitrogen. As stunning as this was to look at, the flavors combined wonderfully in this one. At the bottom was curd rice topped with pomegranate seeds and a bit of aloo-bhujia. Delicately balanced on it was a crisp aloo-tikki and a couple of scoops of balled dragon-fruit on a skewer. A chaat from the North of India, a South-Indian staple and a fruit from the far-east, fusion at its best!

Santre-Wala Chicken Tikka: Orange with your chicken? You would be surprised at the burst of flavors in this one. The smokiness from a tandoor, the fresh tang of an orange and perfectly cooked succulent chicken pieces, this was a superb rendition. It just goes to show how the basic flavors in food can be manipulated to result in an explosion of tastes on your palate.

A few other dishes such as the Tandoori bacon-wrapped prawns, the Panch-Phoran Paneer Bhurji Tarts and the desi curd poppers were pretty decent as well.

We ended the first course with the unique and refreshing palate cleansers at Farzi Cafe. These lollipops (for use of a better word) were hajmola-flavoured sorbets with a dash of strawberry syrup for company.

Course 2: Mains

Paneer Ghee Roast with Charcoal Appam.  As dramatic as it looked, the flavors were spot on. A Tangy, spicy roasted paneer in a ghee-rich thick, red gravy served lovingly at the center of a crisp charcoal appam. Wonderfully authentic flavors were celebrated with presentation extraordinaire.

Andhra Style Chili Chicken with Thatte Idli: Idli in a fine-dine you say? This was no ordinary combo, mind it! Spicy-Andhra-style chili chicken in a green gravy on a bed of soft, spongy, plate(thatte)-sized idlis.

Dal-Khichdi Risotto: This dish was nostalgia-repackaged! A lovely-homelike dal-khichdi with bits achaar, garnished with coriander leaves and finished off with a crisp pappad at the center. This dish added new meaning to comfort food at a fine-dine.

Course 3:Desserts

Flourless Chocolate Cake with Tanqueray Mousse: Memories of this dessert get my salivating, this was that good a dessert. An intense dark-chocolate cake (it was so soft, it wobbled all the way from the kitchen to our table), and yet, so well made it was that it did not disintegrate when we dug into in. There was this lovely crumbled which has orange zest, and it cut through the slight bitterness of the dark chocolate with ease. Words fail me, when describing this creation. A must-try when you visit here.

Fenni Nest, Chenna balls, and Flavored Milk: This dessert was definitely a stunner in terms of presentation. A lovely nest of crisp fenni at the center of which sat a few cottage-cheese(chenna) balls. With a bit of flair, a delicately flavored saffron milk was poured over this to complete this spectacle of a dessert. This was a lovely adaptation of the traditional rasmalai. Brilliant presentation and lovely flavors, but my heart would go out to the flourless chocolate cake as a choice for dessert.

Verdict: Farzi Café is often criticized for its extravagant presentations and the adaption of traditional dishes to fusion food. While food is highly subjective, and traditional Indian flavors need to be retained, I see the food here as an exploration of the limits to which Indian Cuisine can be taken to. Have an open-mind and let your palate do the talking (not literally), as you experience seemingly familiar flavors in an unfamiliar terrain. You will not be disappointed!

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