OUR DINING EXPERIENCE: KHANDANI RAJDHANI AT ORION MALL, BENGALURU

 OUR DINING EXPERIENCE: KHANDANI RAJDHANI AT ORION MALL, BENGALURU

If, like me, you enjoy Rajasthani food, I would urge you to try the thali at Khandani Rajdhani at the Orion Mall in Bengaluru. They have several restaurants in different parts of Namma Bengaluru. At Orion Mall, you can't miss Khandani Rajdhani as this is the first restaurant you see when you go up to the Food Court in the second level. They offer lunch ( from 12 noon to 3.30 pm) and dinner ( from 7.30 to 10.30 pm). 

Last month, I went to this restaurant with my family. There is something about Rajasthani food that I love so we chose this restaurant. Here, I am told, the most popular offering is the Rajasthani Thali though they have Gujarati Thalis too. 

We also enjoyed the jal jeera and mango lassi along with the thali, though this does not come as part of the deal. 

It is recommended that you reserve a table because it can get quite crowded especially on Friday 

evenings and on Saturday and Sunday. When you reach your table, you are first offered warm water  to wash your hands in a basin. Then the colourfully attired waiters start the service with their customary efficiency. 

Instead of having too much of one particular dish, here the focus is on giving the diner small portions of many dishes. We loved the Rajasthani Thali.  Rotis or rice, you can have as much as you want enjoying the delicious dishes that are served with it. As expected,  I loved my favourite Rajdhani Special Dal Baati Churma, without which no Rajasthani meal is complete. 

In brief, the thali is made up of 2 starters ( I particularly liked the Rajwadi Samosa), 4 veg dishes: Paneer Butter Masala, Sarson ka Saag; Aloo Lasooniya and Jaisalmeri Chana. I must admit that some of the dishes are really not of Rajasthani origin! We also had  Cholar Dal, and Kadhi. These dishes were had with Indian breads such as phulka, puris, and rotlas. The rice offerings were Peas Pulao, Rajputana Khichdi and Anardana Curd Rice (curd rice with pomegranates). The accompaniments were green mint chutney, garlic chutney ( which was lip smacking!), masala chaas (buttermilk), and roasted papads.  

In the desserts, I particularly liked the Malpuas with rabdi (which is made by condensing milk on low heat for a long time). The other desserts were Fruit Shrikhand and Gajar Halwa. 

Interestingly, if yours is an all-women's group, you can choose to eat here on Wednesdays when they offer a special price for their Women's Wednesday Thali!!  If you live far away from their restaurants, don't be discouraged, you can order food from Khandani Rajdhani using the Zomato App. 

OUR DINING EXPERIENCE: AVARTANA AT ITC ROYAL BENGAL, KOLKATA

 OUR DINING EXPERIENCE: AVARTANA AT ITC ROYAL BENGAL, KOLKATA

It was a memorable experience for us to dine at Avartana, the fine dining restaurant at the ITC Royal Bengal, Kolkata where we are staying. This is a new chain of restaurants from ITC Hotels and is positioned as " an expression of culinary art featuring re-imagined flavours from the Southern Indian Peninsula crafted with global culinary techniques." 

Believe me, this is not just marketing speak to push a new product range. It is a realistic description of the way the ITC Hotel Chefs have used South Indian ingredients and food forms in innovative and imaginative ways. 

I am not surprised at all to hear that Avartana at ITC Grand Chola at Chennai has made its debut at #30 in Asia's Top #50 Restaurants! Apparently, this chain will over time be found in more and more of ITC's luxury hotels.

We were greeted with a welcome drink of -what else but Rasam. This flavourful rasam was made without  the use of lentils of any kind.

While there are 4 different dining options ranging from 7 to 13 courses of fine dining, we opted for "Maya" the 7 course one- which was a smart decision as it more than met our needs.

My aim here is not to describe each and every dish as that would spoil the culinary experience for you. I would rather you enjoy it for yourself and draw your own conclusions. I am instead sharing a few dishes that really stayed in my mind.

The picture above is of  Coriander Chicken served with mini-appams. The mini appams really looked so cute and were delicious. The chicken coriander was outstanding- a dish we will remember for very long! 

Another dish that took us totally by surprise for its innovative presentation and taste was the Fermented Chilli Prawn served with a base of idli! 

One would expect a gourmet meal such as this to end with a bang! And it surely did! The dessert - Pumpkin and Candied Ginger, made with Jaggery and Sesame Ice Cream  - was excellent too.

Since it was out wedding anniversary, we were treated to a special extra dessert of pedas and chocolate - in which the principal ingredient was South India's famous Pal Khova! 

Behind every successful restaurant is a team of people who work hard to give us a perfect dining experience. I had the pleasure of meeting Chef Aditya of Avartana in ITC Royal Bengal. He is one of the modern day young chefs who dare to think big . After our dining experience, I am convinced that very soon ITC Hotels'  fledgling Avartana chain of fine dining restaurants will go to great places. 

OUR DINING EXPERIENCE: THE ROYAL CORNER @PAI VICEROY

 OUR DINING EXPERIENCE: THE ROYAL CORNER @PAI VICEROY

Yesterday we went to Jayanagar in South Bengaluru for some shopping. It was nearly 1.30 pm when we were through, so we decided to have lunch before heading home. We were close to Hotel Pai Viceroy ( part of the Pai Group of Hotels). We could pull out the phone and search for possible lunching options or walk into the hotel near by. We decided to do this and ended up lunching at their multi-cuisine vegetarian restaurant: The Royal Corner. 

We hadn't made any reservation but found a table quite easily and set about discussing what we should order. Yeshwant Prabhu is a courteous and well-informed member of the restaurant staff. He made sure we were quite comfortable. 

The restaurant had listed their recommendations by way of starters, main course and desserts. 

From amongst the choice of mocktails, we chose the Black Currant  (speciality of the house) and the Virgin Pinacola ( made with pineapple, coconut water, and fresh cream). Both the cocktails were excellent but we would vote the Black Currant to be the better of the two. 

We chose to have the Chole Biryani ( Chole being chickpeas in Hindi) served with raita ( a curd-based salad)  paired with the spicy Baby Corn Satay. The Chole Biryani was aromatic with a subtle flavour and we enjoyed this. Although this dish is marked as being spicy, we felt it wasn't that spicy at all.

In fact, we had ordered the more spicy Baby Corn Satay to complement the biryani and that turned out to be an inspired choice! The Baby Corn Satay (called Saute here) was probably the best dish of the lunch and came highly recommended as being one of the signature dishes of this restaurant. It lived up to this billing! 

For dessert, we chose the Nuttie Sundae ( made with nuts, dry fruits, tutti fruit, and ice cream). and the Fried Ice Cream. To look at -the Nuttie Sundae looked too much to eat at one go! However, we discovered the quantity was not that much and the optical illusion was created by the shape of the ice cream cup! 

The Fried Ice Cream is not available everywhere so we chose to have this. This favourite is ice cream inside a crunchy outer shell. The crisp outside-soft inside composition of the ice cream gives it its distinctive taste. 

So, at the end of the description of our lunch, we must say we enjoyed it very much.  The ambience of the restaurant was quite good. We found the staff  to be pretty efficient. Overall,  we would recommend The Royal Corner at Hotel Pai Viceroy, managed by Restaurant Manager T J Rajashekar,  for anyone looking for a variety of tasty vegetarian fare. 

OUR DINING EXPERIENCE : GO NATIVE

OUR DINING EXPERIENCE : GO NATIVE

A couple of days back we had a wonderful lunch at Go Native in 5th Block, Jayanagar in our city of Bengaluru. As you can see from their website they have a boutique there but our main focus today is on the restaurant at the same premises.  We had read positive reviews for this restaurant at Zomato and decided it was worth checking out. Believe me, it most certainly was!

It was a week day and there wasn't too much of a crowd but there were a fair number of diners when we got there. We were led up the stairs to the balcony restaurant from where one gets a view of greenery which is becoming increasingly in short supply in Bengaluru. It was nice to see this restaurant was located in a lovely nook in a relatively uncrowded part of bustling Jayanagar.

We were delighted with the food. All the items were very tasty and we got our money's worth. The service was impeccable and Sooraj the guy who looked after us was knowledgeable in helping us navigate the menu which was full of dishes we hadn't come across before. The focus is on providing customers with seasonal products so we saw that many dishes had jackfruit in them. A few weeks earlier perhaps it would have been mangoes.

We started with the Mushroom Chilli Potato Soup which was simply superb!! If you like a spicy soup you can't find anything better. It was a splendid start to our meal.

There were many items on offer- all of them vegetarian, by the way- and we decided to opt for Harabhara Sabudana Kababs served with two types of chutneys. Sabudana, as you know is tapioca.

While we ate this we sipped at the Jackfruit and Coconut Milk Shake. It was surprisingly light given the ingredients and very refreshing.

The next item in our order was Cheesy Maddur Vada. As you would have guessed by now, this was not the conventional Maddur Vada as it had a light stuffing of cheese in it. The accompanying coconut chutney was delicious as were the crisp Maddur Vadas.

We hesitated between the Kathal (Jackfruit) Biryani and the Masala Banana Flower Rotis. We already had some jackfruit so we opted for the rotis. This was served with a spicy green peas gravy and a dry salad of healthy sprouts, groundnuts and the like.  The combination was great with the spicy peas curry paired with the relatively bland rotis and kosambari.

For dessert there were many items of offer. We chose the Lemon Cheesecake Tarts with Jackfruit Compote. This again was something very different from what we had tasted before and the freshly baked tarts were accentuated with the dahi and jackfruit compote. Lip smacking indeed!!

Over all we liked the ambience, the decor and the service. With all this we had a delicious meal with dishes we had never tasted before in this form. What more can one ask for??

In conclusion, this restaurant is highly recommended, if you like something different from the ordinary.

OUR DINING EXPERIENCE: CHUTNEY CHANG

OUR DINING EXPERIENCE: CHUTNEY CHANG

Once in a while when I feel like it, I write about our experience in dining out at a restaurant, hoping that would be of use to readers of my blog. These days with Trip Advisor, Zomato and what have you, there are many inputs you can get about a restaurant but this is to share my personal experience.

Chutney Chang has something for everyone. If you are one of those who approach a buffet spread as if it is your last meal on earth, there is enough and more for you. Go ahead and eat till you drop. If you are more choosy, you can wander around looking at the wide variety of dishes and choose what attracts you or what you like best.

We went there recently to celebrate my husband's birthday and came away extremely satisfied with our dining experience. We visited Chutney Chang in Jayanagar though there is one in Church Street too. For elder people the landmark is the old Cosmopolitan Club, for the youngsters it is Amoeba!

What we liked was the spaciousness of the place. There were ever so many people around but it seemed like we had our own space and the tables were not crushed close to each other.

We started with the Sweet Corn Chicken Soup which was quite delicious. There was also Noodle Soup on offer which looked quite interesting. 

 

For starters we headed to the Live Grill from where we picked up Tawa Fried Seer Fish, and Stuffed Chicken Rolls sliced into Spring Roll like portions. These were excellent hot off the tawa. Also on offer was Mutton Kheema in roasted pav (buns) .

For the main course, we had Gosht Dum Biriyani, Chicken Tangri Kabab, Murgh Sesame Kabab and Fish Spring Rolls had with mint chutney, garlic and chilli sauce. The mutton pieces in the biriyani were soft and tender. The fish spring rolls were awesome!
























We also sampled the Bombay street food inspired Tawa Fried Noodles with a host of colourful ingredients that go into it.

 

In conversation with Chef Martin as we have the Tawa Fried Chicken Noodles.

Did we try most of the buffet? Of course, we did not. We didn't go to the Live Chaat section or the  Live Dimsum counter nor did we taste the vegetarian delicacies on offer.

For dessert, we skipped the Indian sweets and stayed with chocolate brownies, strawberry pastry, and marshmellows and jujubes soaked in the sinful chocolate from the chocolate fountain.

We visited on a Friday afternoon. The Khao Chao Indian Chinese fusion theme was on. The bill for two of us came to Rs. 1550 inclusive of all taxes. The staff were courteous and helpful especially Sheela our helpful hostess who took good care of us.












Overall, we were delighted with our dining experience and would heartily recommend the buffet at Chutney Chang. I believe you will get your money's worth!

OUR DINING EXPERIENCE AT KESARIYA: A RAJASTHANI SPREAD

OUR DINING EXPERIENCE AT KESARIYA : A RAJASTHANI SPREAD

On my birthday a few days ago, my husband and I decided to lunch at one of my favourite restaurants here in Bengaluru. It is called Kesariya and is known for its Rajasthani cuisine. I love the wide variety there and thought I would share our experience with you. I would like to thank Prem Rao, my husband and partner in this blog, for sharing his views on the dining experience.

Firstly, it's best to make a reservation especially if it is a weekend.

The thali in Kesariya is served in "silver ware", whether it is silver or silver plated, I have no idea but I do know it looks so attractive spread out on the table for you. The little katoris are cute and there were some 11 of them waiting to be filled with the goodies.

Now let's get down to the most important part of this blog post: The Food! The menu looks imposing, listing as it does fully 31 items but I must hasten to add that quality was not at all compromised for quantity. Each of the dishes was superb, though things being relative a dish did pale in comparison with another.

As soon as you are settled down, the waiter walks up with a stylish miniature kettle like jar of the kind from which you would half expect a genie to emerge! This contains warm water for you to wash your hands in the bowl that he holds with his other hand.

Another waiter brings you an Indian version of an apperitif by way of Masala Chaas ( Spiced Buttermilk) and Pudina Neembu Pani (Lime Juice with Mint). These act as appetizers and as digestives, both! As you sip these you are served  a sweet- Sada Malpua, which was awesome dripping in its syrup. I read that in a Rajasthani meal there is no such thing as a dessert or sweet being served at the end of the meal. Sweets are eaten at the start of, during and after a meal.

The starters are next. Here they come and they are piping hot. Urad Dal Samosa, ( crunchy and spicy),  Hing Kachori  (with the flavour of asafoetida or hing) and Aloo Pakoda ( made with potatoes). As dips for these are an attractive green chutney, an orange coloured hot Garlic Chutney and a fiery red Rajasthani chilli pickle. If the dips were tasty, the pickle was out of this world. You also got a long dry chilli which you munched along with the Kachumber (a salad of fresh vegetables) In front of these, I am afraid the Papad went relatively unnoticed.

You can presumably eat as much as can  but should you wish to ask for another round of starters, be warned that there's lots more to follow!! Along with the starters comes the first round of Dal Panchmel with the famous Matar Paneer Baati served with ghee with the traditional pairing of sweet Choorma.

In the meanwhile, you are plied with repeated offerings of hot Fulkas, ( also spelled "Phulkas"),  Missi Rotis and Urad Dal Kachawdi. Unlike the normal fulkas which are large in size, here the fulkas and indeed the missi rotis are very small in diameter. They are as delicious as they are cute.

By then the katoris are filled with Maharaja Paneer, Bharwan Kofta, Aloo Petha, Tinda Masala, (which was awesome), Moong Mogar and the delicious Imlana, made of tamarind. You also have Do Chonk Ki Dal and Bhujiya Ki Kadhi.

When you are through with the rotis and fulkas, ( if you still have the appetite for it) you have the choice of Hari Moong Dal ki Kheechdi, Chasni Ka Chawal and Steamed Rice. After all the chutneys and pickle, we opted for the simple steamed rice served with some high quality curds.

Lastly, we cap the meal off with another round of dessert - we have two today Apple Halwa and the Mango Shrikhand. On any other day, the Apple Halwa would have stood out in my mind but I have to say it was dwarfed by the delectable Mango Shrikhand.

Before you can stagger away, there is one last item for you to finish. Mango Kulfi!

When we visited last (16/7/2016) the unlimited thali cost Rs. 545 per adult and Rs. 300 per child (between the ages of 5-8) on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, and Public Holidays. From Monday to Thursdays, the comparable figures are Rs. 495 and Rs. 250 respectively. This is inclusive of all taxes.

I would overall rate the food and service ( despite it being crowded on a Saturday afternoon) as excellent. Tip: sample every dish and let the taste linger. I found eating small quantities of each dish was the secret to wade through the entire menu.

Highly recommended for those who are looking for a value for money vegetarian deal!!

BLOCKBUSTERS FROM FOODCINEMAS

BLOCKBUSTERS FROM FOODCINEMAS

I have been sharing recipes till now in this blog. For a change, today I shall share something else: an experience of ordering in online. It was a delightful one at that, I may add. Yesterday we ordered in from FoodCinemas.com, a start up in the online food business which is just a couple of weeks old but has made a positive impact on those who have experienced their products and services. Details of their products and rates are mentioned in their simple but effective website.

As a tea time snack, we asked for the Veg Medley Cutlets which were light and accompanied with a rich mint chutney and fresh salad. They lived up to their description of being "a crisp melody of vegetables in a juicy cutlet."

 Later for dinner, we had Chicken Tikkas as starters " a delightful marinated and char grilled starter"followed by the Nilgiri Niche, a veg combo meal of  "Nilgiri veg curry, paneer tawa masala, and coin parottas." The perfectly marinated tikkas were succulent and delicious, and the best of what we had ordered. The veg curry too was aromatic and tasty with a liberal use of spices.

The food was excellent and we were more than satisfied that it was a value for money deal. The packaging was efficient  and hygienic, the service prompt and courteous.

You will, I am sure, hear more about FoodCinemas as they grow over time. At present, they offer evening snacks and dinners delivered around a limited vicinity in South Bengaluru but based on our experience, I daresay they will spread their wings and grow to be a blockbuster in the online food business- like the Blockbuster Platters they serve.