Beyond Indus - Beyond Awesome

Was here as a part of preview of the Ola Prime restaurant week. I had chosen to dine here for the silliest reasons:

1. I turned vegetarian for two months and I believed if there was any cuisine that would appeal to me, this was most likely to be it. 

2. Forgot to add, not just vegetarian- but no desserts too. I assumed it would be easier to skip desserts when dining at a North Indian cuisine restaurant. A judgement I was grossly incorrect about and regretted when I saw my friend eat desserts like there was no tomorrow. 

About the food:
We were served with paapad and an in-house pre-meal appetiser. This appetiser or chips made from Indian breads was crispy and combined fabulously well with the hung curd-garlic-olive dip. 
Starters:

1. Brocolli Simla mirch or cheesy brocolli
This was well cooked brocolli with a healthy cheese infusion; never tasted anything better made of Brocolli. Loved it! 

2. Lal mirch paneer tikka
Moderately soft paneer chunks with a good spicy flavour. 

3. Hara bara kebab
Not my favourite among the three, but nailed it for sure. 

Main course:
1. Aloo tee wadi da bharta - on a normal day, I would have definitely never ordered a dish with potatoes in it, that too at a luxury diner. But this, is by far (when I say far, I really mean far) the most interesting and tasty use of potatoes I have come across in North Indian/ Punjabi cuisine. 

The curry is made with mashed potatoes and I literally had to snatch my share from the otherwise carnivore friend. 

2. Paneer lababdar
A perfect contrast for the aloo curry, even-though both aren't the spicy options. They nailed the lababdar and it had the right balance; it's one dish I love but find overbearing in a few restaurants - this was fortunately not the case here. 

3. Kadai vegetables
This was the extremes to which a temporary convert carnivore would go. That said, it was an extreme I was impressed with. 

Breads: tried pudina parata, chilli olive naan and garlic naan. As always, would rate the garlic naan best. 

Vegetable pulao - Typically, the vegetables are tossed in tawa and mixed to make pulao; this was possibly the reason for the vegetables being marginally saltier than the rice. A decent offering minus this inconsistency.

Desserts 
Did not eat them, but a part of me ached as I saw my friend having a mini-meal with my share of desserts included. 

Ambience
A relatively small restaurant if one was to judge by the carpet area. The interiors are however done gracefully and definitely sets the theme for the cuisine. 

Pricing 

The restaurant week is possibly the best time to try for cost conscious customers. But even otherwise, this is a place worth visiting on special occasions. 

On a summary note, this restaurant is the gleaming highlight in the last couple of weeks I have spent as a vegetarian and is one restaurant I would recommend all my north Indian cuisine loving vegetarian friends to try.

Fern Residency, Mumbai

Star Category - 4 star
Location - Chembur, Mumbai

Had stayed at Fern Residency as a part of my official visit to Mumbai a couple of months ago.

About the Hotel:
Its a four star eco-tel business hotel and shares quarters with a club; the club partners as the gym and and pool facilities provider to the hotel.

Location:
Located in Chembur and a stay here would be advisable if the locality has a reason of interest for you. Personally, I found dining options limited in the neighborhood and neither was I inclined to go in search for one after long work days.

Recommended For:Business travelers

Pricing
The room rents are priced between INR 6-7k. I paid different rates as my last day's booking was through an offer I found on trip-advisor, while other days were through direct bookings.

Personally, I found that to be a tad premium given their setup and offerings.

Hospitality & Service (8/10)
The staff are pleasant and welcoming; check-in, stay extension and checkout process was smooth and I have absolutely no complaints about their service.

The first night I noticed the washroom had a minor fix was required, which they had got done without request and seamlessly during the daily room cleanup.

Room (Facilities and comfort)
The room had the basic essentials and maintenance and quality was appreciable. However, the wifi seldom worked during my stay here and I was told they had some server issues; for a business traveler these are certain basic essentials and a failure for 3 nights is impermissible.

Secondly, the beds were excessively soft. Like I could feel a part of myself drown into cotton every-time I neared it. While this is an initial wow factor, frequent hotel users would agree that excessively soft beds does give you back pain; or at least if you have a ponch like me and have a habit of lying on your tummy.

Food
Their breakfasts were a big pass for me and that did not motivate me to try their 'paid dinner'; despite it having a slightly better spread. The masala dosa and chole poori were the two decent offerings in their breakfast menu.

On a summary note, a decent business class hotel but one that I would not be motivated to visit again. 

Sora Jima Japanese Fusion Food Festival

A fellow foodie pinged me to inform about a bloggers meet at a Japanese restaurant and I agreed to give it a try despite being apprehensive about it. The hesitation was largely because of my lack of exposure to quality Japanese food and an inherent discomfort with sushi's. That said, after having tried and loved several new cuisines over the last couple of years - I really wanted to get my palate accustomed to the globally loved and enjoyed - Japanese cuisine.

About the Festival 

This festival is in celebration of the Japanese summer and showcases some of their delicacies with a desi (Indian) twist. This made it perfect for a person like me to make a gradual progress and to enjoy and appreciate this cuisine. 

For authentic Japanese food lovers, sticking to their regular menu might be ideal. 

Ambience

Despite the fact that they are the only dedicated Japanese restaurant (or so I believe) in a five star property in Chennai, they are styled in a mini restaurant model with a small and limited dining area. What was impressive though was how the restaurant was structured to accommodate large groups. 

With minor additions to set the theme, the private dining enclosure was one of the attractive aspects from an ambience perspective.  

Service

The staff did a good job in ensuring we were comfortable and in guiding us through the orders. Mr. Sourav who attended our table was an enthusiastic chap and seemed reasonably informed about the dishes. 

The food however is served with a minor lag, which is relatively common among luxury diners. 

Pricing

The promo menu was fairly priced for a five star hotel. However, if one was to benchmark to regular dining joints (I believe that may not be a fair practice though) it could be considered expensive. 

Food

Soup - Chicken clear soup

A clear soup with made of chicken chunks and generous portion of seaweed. The seaweed usage resulted in giving a seafood aroma and taste to the soup and that did not work for me. Considering they had a dedicated seafood soup, I could have might as well tried that if that was the taste I desired. 

Sushi

With Indianised stuffing like paneer tikka and tandoori chicken, these sushi were quite good. At least finding a familiar taste with a bite made it easier for me to accustom to the cuisine.

Starter

We tried the following:

1. Prawn tempura - batter fried prawns served with a good dip. 

2. Teriyaki Chicken - grilled chicken cooked with teriyaki sauce

3. Masala okonomiyaki - a pancake made of vegetables, chicken and fish and topped with mayonnaise. 

4. Rock shrimp tempura - a sauce mixed batter fried dish

The okonomiyaki and rock shrimp tempura were; the former tasted fresh and the mayonnaise adulteration was a welcome one. 

Main Course

Japanese Chicken Biriyani - A hardcore biriyani lover like can not accept anything which is merely titled biryani but fails to have the necessary flavors. This dish ended up being a fried rice made out of sticky rice.

Seer fish with Aleppey dashi - the grilled seer fish with a bitter coconut curry was such a saviour and made the biryani manageable. We went for refills of the curry and this was among the better dishes served to us. 

Desserts

I had considered skipping desserts when I noticed all of them had a green tea base (not much of a green tea lover); and, to make it worse the options were: creme brulee and panacotta. These are two desserts I have appreciated on very limited occasions. 

1. Panacotta - Served with a dose of strawberry syrup and infused with fine coconut chunks, it felt like this dessert was custom made to suit my preference. Loved the slightly unusual creamy taste and how all of the aforementioned elements blended in perfectly. WOW! 

2. Creme Brulee - The ladies ordered for a refill and kept gorging on this one. I found it decent and torched top was especially well made.

3. Green tea Ice Cream - By this point I had gotten tired of green tea. A typical green tea lover might appreciate this ice cream, however the inconsistency in mixing and adding of green tea powder put me off a bit.

On a summary note, this place is to be tried if you are a Japanese food lover or one aspiring to try this cuisine.

  

Sahara Star Hotel, Mumbai

Star Category - 5 Star
Location - Ville Parle, Mumbai

Was on a business trip to Mumbai and had checked into this hotel for experiencing their luxury.

About the Hotel:

A beautiful property centered impressive lagoon theme. Given my brief stay here, I was not able to experience/use much of their common amenities like spa, gym and swimming pool. 

Below pictures are the night and day views of the lagoon from the room

Recommended for: 
Business travelers and those looking to stay close to stay close to Chatrapati Shivaji Aiport (Domestic Terminal/Terminal 1)

Pricing (8/10)

The room tariff's were relatively well priced when compared to other airport hotels. I made a reservation through Agoda for INR 7300.

Hospitality & Service (4/10)

Walked myself to the front desk and there was absolutely no hospitality offered to sail through the check-in process or for carrying luggage to the room. The front office staff found an opportunity to dump the room farthest from the elevator on me (considering it's a circular shaped hotel, the room I was initially allocated was a good mile from the elevator). After cardio intensive trip to the room I rushed all the way back to the reception to get the room switched. Thankfully, this time around I was attended by a staff who was kind enough to offer a room closer to the elevator.

The staff mentioned about their free airport pick up and drop for 'domestic' flights. The moment I mentioned T2 (Jet's domestic flights fly from Terminal 2), there was silence - indicating the revocation of the offer. I wanted to get it clarified anyways and when asked was told no such facility will be provided for Terminal 2.

Room (Facilities & Comfort) (9/10)
The room was a moderately spacious one and each room has an attached balcony facing the lagoon; the lagoon is one of the wow factors of the hotel and occupies the central area of the hotel's circular layout. Key room facilities include: a mini sofa and table, well stocked mini bar, study/work table. The room I stayed in had a bath tub and a separate glass enclosure for shower.

The facilities were top notch and the unlike the usual excessively soft beds you find in a few hotels, their mattress was just what I was looking for after a long tiring day.

 

Food (4/10)

The breakfast at Earth plate was a disappointing one despite their huge spread. In simple words, it was quantity over quality.

On a summary note, the room and facilities were impressive but the hospitality and food was underwhelming. 

Konaar's Biryani - Kodambakkam, Chennai (3/5)

Madurai food is something I am particularly fond of and when I saw this newly opened restaurant near home, could not resist trying it out. 

Food (3.5/5)

Interestingly, the restaurant offers around 8 biryani combos, each with a different starter (includes chicken 65, kadai, fish, mutton kola urundai, tandoori chicken, etc). 

I ordered a south Indian biryani combo. This comes with a bowl of biryani, raita, brinjal curry, mutton kola urundai (minced mutton fried and served in a ball shape), sweet and a soft drink. 

Portions: Initial thoughts on the biryani was the rice quantity was not sufficient; however, as a combo it balances out. With 4 large kola urundai's, anything more would be too much for an average eater. 

Taste: found the taste of biryani rice just about average. The raita and brinjal curry did not significantly impress either. That said, the large chunk of meat which was served with the biryani was tender and very well cooked. 

On the contrary, the kola urundai was lip smacking. The crust of the urundai crumbles as you bite into it and it is easily among the best I have had. One observation was that it had small bone pieces (not sure if it's intentional or traditionally made so). 

Coming to soft drink, I was impressed that they had bovonto as an option and I am sure it have more takers than pepsi. 

Ambience: the dining area was clean and well maintained. Seating - though a little cramped, was moderately comfortable. 

Cleanliness around the hand wash area needs attention and tissues refills need to be monitored.

Pricing: the combo I had was priced at INR. 260. I would consider it good value for money. 

Service: I first wondered why it took them ten minutes to serve a biryani order. However, one bite into the kola urundai and I knew exactly why (hot and freshly made - I am sure they need preparation time for it). 

On a summary note, while the biryani was not too impressive, this place serves the best kola urundai's I have tasted. Definitely going back for more of those and probably to try some tiffin and parota combinations.

RWI Preview - Dakshin - Crowne Plaza, Alwarpet

As a part of the ongoing restaurant week celebrations, I was invited to preview the offering from a given list of restaurants encompassing different cuisines and outlets of most leading five star hotels. I chose Dakshin for three reasons:

1. For the heritage value of the restaurant and its long history

2. The cuisine - it is one I enjoy and appreciate best

3. The restaurant has been on my hitlist for a very long time (had reserved it for a special occasion and maybe I never considered any occasion for special enough in recent times). 

I took my cousin brother along and we were privileged to have the company of Sous Chef. Harish Rao, who guided us through the dishes, its history and affiliation to the restaurant. 

About Dakshin and its ongoing promotions: 

The hotel has seen multiple change in banner names, but this restaurant has been has stood through all test of times. Established in 1984, the restaurant has been pioneers of luxury south Indian food. Their menu encompasses specialities from all five southern states/union territories (Tamilnadu, Pondicherry, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka); as a part of their annual celebration the restaurant has food festivals ongoing on a weekly basis which brings to you unidentified and distinguished menus and dishes from the southern region. 

When I visited, they had the third (Coorgi food) of the nine weekly food festival ongoing. Thanjavur Marata food festival (which is the last of the lot and expected to happen around May-end/June) is something I am looking forward to; for it brings dishes and kebabs of south India that very few people have heard of or tried. 

Restaurant Week Menu: 

The menu is comprehensive and encompasses regular and signature dishes. A course includes single selection of: appetiser, main course, staples and desserts; one could avail extra dishes at an additional cost of INR. 100-200. 

The course is priced at INR. 750 for lunch and INR. 1000 for dinner. 

Ambience

The restaurant has a grand and traditional setup. They also have a small podium with live instrumental music playing. 

Service & Hospitality

From my experience one thing was clear, the staff have stuck together for long and share a family like bond. If you are willing to join them as a family for your experience you are guaranteed to enjoy your meal better. 

Even otherwise, the staff are very courteous, friendly and hospitable with their service. 

Food & Desserts

Got to try out the following: 

1. Iyer special - included banana flat-cakes and adai (dosa styled preparations). Together they offered a sweet and savoury quotient for starting the meal. The banana dish is an in-house speciality and is clearly something they have perfected over time. 

2. Pookosu melagu peratti:

Was a mildy spiced vegetarian starter with cauliflower tossed with mustard and pepper corns. 

3. Vadai of the day

Crispy and just the way it's meant to be. 

4. Kozhi Kempu Bezule and Dakshina Yera Both of these were fried preparations and had comparable flavours. The meat was well cooked and adequately spiced. 

Having tried three fried dishes, it did cause an overdose for me and I preferred to quickly move on to the main course. 

5. Royyala vepudu

A spicy andhra styled prawn preparation. Loved the flavours and the dish combined well with parota, appam and even curd rice. 

There was also a chicken curry I tried, the name of which I don't recollect. 

6. Staples

All of the staples (parota, appam, idiyappam, kal dosai) were decent and kal dosai was the best. 

The parota could have been crispier/fluffier. 

Among the items we tried (not part of RWI menu), their south Indian adaptation of fried rice with shredded mutton and egg stood out. The balance in this preparation was perfect that it did not require a curry or side as accompaniment.

Desserts

The house special ice creams were an absolute delight. It included:

1. A three flavoured infusion of banana, jackfruit and mango

2. A custard apple ice cream

Unlike the naturals ice cream where you get to taste bits of the fruits, these were made from freshly prepared extracts (puree) of the fruits. 

Other desserts I tried were decent but did not exactly stand out when compared to my personal quality benchmark for the same. The desserts included: elaneer payasam, basandi (unlike the regular thick and layered basundi, this was more fluid. It is a common ingredient in jigarthanda - a dessert drink from Madurai) and palada paysam. 

The one I regret missing out is the vattapalam - an interesting South Indian version of caramel custard. 

On a summary note, it was a great dining experience and the long lunch with the chef was enlightening in many ways. Looking forward to trying their regular classics and some of the upcoming food festivals.