Food Talk

Absolute Punjabi

2010-05-12T23:35:00.004+05:30

I am a self confessed foodie and love eating out, much against my family’s liking! I had heard much about Punjab Grill from my peers and family friends, so decided to try it out.

Indian food generally gets my fancy, Punjabi food in particular, because of the unique flavors it has to offer, so this was a real treat. Some of my friends and I visited the Punjab Grill at Saket’s upscale shopping location – Select City Walk for dinner. The restaurant here is divided into two parts, one is an interior seating which is air conditioned and the other one is in the open which is partially covered by a canopy and does not have air conditioning. However, to deal with Delhi’s heat, the outlet has used some sort of water sprinkling system, which combined with powerful fans brings in the feeling of cool air blowing around you. I found this very amusing, as the water drops that come out of this system are so fine that they do not fall on the people sitting in the restaurant or the food on the table, yet keeps everyone from sweating. A brilliant concept, I would say!

As always, we had not made any reservations, a BIG Mistake (my impatience gets the better of me)! We were courteously greeted by one of the fine hostesses who politely inquired if we had any reservations? Looking at the crowd outside and inside the outlet, it seemed overflowing with guests. We told her, we did not have any reservations and wanted a table outside on the Terrace, however were informed that there was a 20 mins waiting. We decided to get our table registered and check out the retail outlets to create a wholesome appetite. In about 15 mins, we received a call informing us of the availability of our table. Once at the restaurant, we were greeted by a fine young gentleman who took us to our well laid out table on the terrace.

As soon as we were seated, one of the servers promptly asked us if we wanted regular or mineral water. We asked for regular water which he got within seconds (I judge the service level of any restaurant on the basics such as greeting and offering water!) along with a menu for us to decide. We decided on feasting on the main course and not order too many starters. However, having heard about their Salmon Tikkas and Dahi Kebabs, these were our obvious choice of starters. Along with this my friends had ordered for the Chaas and I had asked for the Shikanji. The Chaas was just about OK (as stated by my friends), but the Shikanji was well prepared and perfect to douse one’s thirst. It took about 15 mins for the starters to be served, but it was worth the wait. Both these dishes exceeded the much hype created by my friends and our expectations. The Salmon has a distinct flavor of its own, which at Punjab Grill is completely out of this world and unlike anything I have had before. I had no idea that one could make kebab using curd; the Dahi kebab really amused me, as it was in perfect shape without having cracked or broken while serving and brilliant in taste. For the main course we had ordered the Raan, Dal Punjab Grill, Malai Kofta and the Guchi Pulao. I was very impressed with the prompt service offered here; as soon as we were done with our starters, the server cleared our respective plates and laid the table for the service of the main course. Shortly after which we were served our food, the aroma of which was just divine. The Raan was well cooked with perfect seasoning and could be had using just three fingers and a must try. The Malai Kofta was good, although was a bit heavy on the fat and can be avoided. The dal had a very unique flavor to it and very different from the ones available at Dumpukht and Frontier. But the Guchi Pulao is out of this world and something I have never experienced before and definitely something worth recommending. Post our main course, we were absolutely stuffed and did not have space for any desserts, however, my weakness for Kheer got the better of me. The kheer here is nice and thick and much like any other however does have a unique flavor to it and can be tried.

The portions at Punjab Grill are just perfect and these dishes managed to quench our hunger for fine cuisine. I hear they have opened in Mumbai as well and highly recommend this place; however PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU MAKE A RESERVATION.

All in all, on a scale of 5 (obviously 5 being the highest), I would give the food a 4.5, service a 4, the decor (not something that really impressed me, except the concept of the Terrace) a 3.5 and an overall experience of 4.

Location:

3rd Floor, Select City Walk, Saket Business District, Saket, New Delhi

Phone - 011-41572977

Manré Maza & Manré Meze

2010-01-25T17:04:00.001+05:30

OK, before I get into sharing my experience at the famous (and insanely expensive) F&B joint – Manré, let me just say that as much as I love trying out new cuisines and experience new places, this one particular joint really did not do too much to impress me!

Manré, has its origins from a small town in the Champagne region of France. Now, for a bit of education on this region, sparkling wine produced in this region is named Champagne, not only because of the name of the region. The development process of these wines use a particular methodology called Methodé Champagnoisé and is not necessarily dependent on which region it is developed in, in France, till it is made using this process. It is only then, that the sparkling wine can be termed as Champagne. So basically, all Champagnes are sparkling wines, but not all Sparkling wines are Champagnes!

So, coming back to our topic of discussion, Manré is named after this town in the Champagne region of France. It was the brainchild of Ms. Ramola Bachchan and her partner KD Singh and was set up with the thought of offering to Delhi, what it had been missing for a long-long time – a luxurious dining out experience of international standards (ACCORDING TO THEM, NOT ME).

Now, what I found really fascinating was that Manré is situated in the MGF Metropolitan Mall in the Saket area of New Delhi. Great location, one would wonder! But what got my attention was that, MGF is not a mall I would usually go to (I love City Walk, like a million others in the city {its next door neighbor}) and frequent it more often than any other shopping area in the city; but then that’s me!). The entrance to Manré has about 2 – 3 bouncers (welcoming staff!!!), or maybe it was a rare occasion to have been stopped a multitude number of times since I had visited this place with female company on Christmas eve!!!

Anyhow, coming back to more important things - the ambience, the food and the service of the place. The welcome experience, as elucidated above was not worth remembering. Once you manage to get through the ‘welcoming staff’, you are directed to the elevator which takes you to the 4th floor. Off at the floor, there are as many staff clueless of what needs to be done, as there are guest’s (atleast the 1st timers). Now, Manré has been developed as a great party place, but what I fail to understand is why would they mix fine dining with loud music (the Lounge Bar)? I’m guessing the obvious – a lot of place, too much money to invest and no clue how to utilize it and develop a great place!

After being seated at the ‘completely deserted’ restaurant (except for the staff present!), we waited for almost 10 minutes and then had to call for someone to server us the basic first – Water! Now, ideally, this is something I would not usually nit-pik, however, considering there was no other guest present or being served, one would not appreciate having to ask for water and that also after 10 minutes of being seated. That’s the first thing everyone offers guest’s when they come home, correct me if I am wrong!

Having decided what we would like to have for dinner, we waited, yet again, to gain someone’s attention to come and take the order. Anyhow, the place was so loud that we, amongst the three of us had to talk loudly to understand what the other was saying and the order taker had to personally come to each one of us to take our orders. Guess where the noise was coming from? The lounge bar adjacent to the fine dining restaurant!!!

Once the food finally showed up, it was the least appetizing as far as presentation is concerned and decently luke warm, nor was the flavor that great. Infact, I don’t even remember what I had (which is a rarity). By now I am aware that I completely sound like a whiner and a narcissist pig, but when you are paying the kind of money that Manré charges, these are the basics one would expect!

Alas! Having heard so much about this great place, its sufficient to say that it fell way beyond short on the expectations, service and the food meter, for sure.

Fwd: Taste of India

2009-12-09T17:36:00.003+05:30

Well, to be fair and honest, this is not my original piece of work... it is a forward I received... and since we're talking food thought it best to post it here, before it disappears somewhere amongst the hordes of other nonsensical mails... enjoy! :)

Be Spooned!

2009-11-16T14:50:00.003+05:30

A recent change in job got me posted at Nariman Point – Mumbai’s prime commercial area. After sorting the issues with commuting to and fro, (there are very scarce direct transport options. Yes, it is still Mumbai’s prime commercial area) I was faced with another dilemma: Where do I eat? Well, I have never been the kinds to carry lunch from home, (a habit I’m in process of kicking off) and Nariman Point has very few restaurants so to speak of. And then, on one sunny afternoon, whilst I got into the 'Christopher Columbus' mode and went around scouting for food joints, I came across – Spoon!

Spoon is the name of the food court at CR2 (famous for the Inox Multiplex). I have been to other food courts in the past and they are anything but entreating, but that’s not the case with Spoon. The ambience is warm and colourful. The seating is interesting with options of benches, high-back cubicles and round chairs. And most importantly, the length (and breadth) of the food court is just right – not too expansive and not too cramped.

Another interesting fact about Spoon is that you pay for your meal using their Food Debit Cards, which are nothing but advanced coupons. So you pay for your meal in advance using – Cash, Card or Meal Coupons – and they add that to the Food Card. The card is reusable (and transferable) till you exhaust the complete billed amount. Interesting na? :)

Spoon’s Italian counter is my favourite and a must try. The Pasta, Pizzas, Nachos, Salads, and Rosemary Potatoes are delectable. Their combo meals – a main course (Pepper Chicken and Cheese Macaroni is yummm) with soup and garlic bread is complete Value for Money.

Apart from the Italian counter at Spoon, there is the falafel counter, South Indian fare, Chinese counter and Swati’s (which is a pure-vegetarian snack bar). The North Indian counter too has some lip smacking dishes like the Biryani, Achari Paneer and Black Dal. Again here the combo meal is a No-Miss. Meals are complete with the HAS juice bar and Gelato.

The pricing is very reasonable, and an average meal for 2 should cost you something between Rs 300 – 400. The portions are sufficient and good enough for a single adult.

This place is complete self-service but the counter attendants are polite and the housekeeping staff is very prompt in clearing tables of used plates.

Overall: Nice Place, Good Food, Great Price!

PS: I guess I do have something of Columbus in me, I came across a great find too :P

Spoon

Cr2 Mall (Food Court), 1st Floor, Nariman Point, Mumbai

Phone: 67477666

Steak for a break!

2009-11-12T13:45:00.003+05:30

Last night I managed to take out time from my not so busy schedule and accompany my friends to a joint in the busy Pahar Ganj area of New Delhi. This was my second visit to the place after almost 2 years! The occasion – nothing out of the ordinary; just that all of us had had enough of our usual hang out places and with the winters setting in, really wanted to have some nice Steaks. And, this is one place which serves one of the best Steaks I have had in ages.

Now, one thing that people visiting this area have to be careful about is that if you are commuting in your own vehicle (size is of no consequence) and do not have a chauffeur, parking is an issue. The best option would be to park in Connaught Circus, popularly known as CP and either hire a rickshaw or an auto to bring you up to the market. Else, it’s going to be a bitch driving into this area and finding parking space.

This joint is located in the inner lanes of the busy Pahar Ganj area, which is frequented by a lot of international budget travelers, majorly of Israel & Russian origin. It is located on the roof-top of a presumably shady hotel in the area – Hotel Shelton. Now once there, one might wonder what is so great about this place; well to be frank, nothing really. Although have to give it to these guys that the place is quite well kept and very neat as compared to the rest of the places in the area.

The roof-top menu has a multitude of cuisines on offer – Continental, Israeli, Chinese and ofcourse Indian. But the best on the menu is a part of the Israeli cuisine – The Steaks and Sizzlers. Now the gang that I went with frequents this place more often than me and ends up having the same thing each time and leave stomach happy and much more to fit in it! And if one happens to start a conversation which has a mention of Steak in it, well, be rest assured you will get to hear of this place more often than you would like.

Now, the roof-top can easily accommodate about 30 – 40 people, in spaced out comfortable seating, is not really much affected by the ‘no-smoking ban in public places’ put into effect by the Government and is heaven for people who would like to check out the real feel of Delhi and chill out for a while. The food smells divine (atleast the Steaks do!) and the service is pretty much ok, if you are not in a hurry. The pricing, although increased from our last visit, are still very much affordable and lite on the pocket. Beef Steak @ Rs. 130 is killer, especially given the fact that it tastes heavenly. Although, they could look at serving some breads along with it; but then I’m not complaining.

We had ordered for some Pepper Steaks and the Cheese Rum Steak (all Buff, mind you. Although for the non-beef eaters there is always the option of chicken) and were in a bit of a hurry to have it. There were 2 reasons behind this, one, all of us were really hungry and the thought of the Steak was just too appetizing and second, one of us had a deadline to meet (to reach home!). And, as it always happens, when you are in a hurry, you never manage to finish what you intend to on time. Even though we were told that since there was not too much pressure on the Chef with other orders, we should get ours in no time, it did take about an hour for it to be served. But, it was Worth the wait!

It just took us 10 mins flat to polish off our respective delicacies and we left the place with plans of returning soon. It is a must visit for people who love Steaks and their food equally.

Hotel Shelton,

5043, Main Bazaar

Pahar Ganj, Opposite New Delhi Railway Station

New Delhi (ofcourse!)

Ph # - +91 – 11 – 23580575 / +91 – 9818492479

Cafe Mangii, Mumbai: Lets have some more space pls

2009-11-11T14:43:00.006+05:30

Cafe Mangii was our choice for a "Girls-Evening-Out" (for those of you who don't know what that is, it basically means a couple of hours to detail in person the snippets of bitching and gossiping exchanged via insufficient means like - phone calls, chats and text messages)

Now I have always been a a strong admirere of subtlety, but having to play treasure-find with a restaurant is not too exciting. It's not that Cafe Mangii is not locatable, infact it's quite the contrary (it is just off the main road). The actual problem is that the signage does nothing to let you know that you have arrived, once you have arrived.

Well, so after confirming with the attendant, you enter into a warm and cosy... eh ... room, and while you scout for the remaining of the cafe, you realise that there isnt any remaining.. This is it! (Sorry MJ) Now don't get me wrong, it is a nice and cosy setting, with warm lighting, wooden furniture, and white tablecloths, but it does tether towards being a lil cramped.

So we sit ourselves down to order some food for our tummies, we already had our chatter matter (rhyme non-intentional) to refresh our senses.

And while we were seriously lip reading to understand what the other was speaking (thanks to the constantly increasing crowd and the TV overhead), in came the food : the herbed chicken (served on sticks) is amazing, it actually gets your expectations up for the main course, which falls flat on its face, atleast so did the Mangi Chicken. The dish came with a ridiculous sauce that it could seriously do without. The drinks menu is disappointingly limited and the drinks are due a miss...(suggest u stick to ur diet coke and ice here). However, the Banana Caramel Tart is ........ heavenly... the goey caramel and fresh banana taste lingers and keeps you asking for more...and more... and more........mmmmmmmmm

With regards to the service, the attendants are very polite and hospitable, but it would be ideal if the space permitted the staff to stop looking like a crowd...

We left Cafe Mangii with a moderately affected wallet and a mental note to visit it again on an occasion-less and wasted night!

Cafe Mangii

Junction of Khar Pali and 14th Road, Off Linking Road, Khar (W), Mumbai

Landmark: Between Nike & Citiwalk Showroom
Phone: 26498100