Purani Dilli Ka Zaiqa; Are You Missing Something or Is it Just Another Marketing Strategy?

Name: Purani Dilli Ka Zaiqa Festival at Copper Chimney

Location: Oberoi Mall, Goregaon

Date of Visit: 16^th September 2012 (Lunch)

Don’t you wonder when you read an ad about a festival at your favourite restaurant. Should I make a trip to Copper Chimney for this festival? Is it special? Am I missing something if I don’t make a trip before 12^th October?

Let me answer all of these questions about Purani Dilli Ka Zaiqa for you.

Why festivals?

We all know about most of the items that exist in an Indian fine dining menu. The tomato based, nut based curries, tandoori chicken and a bunch of other kebabs. I bet I can name 70percent of the basic preparations in any restaurant menu before glancing at it. Festivals introduce change from the ordinary list to hopefully to an extraordinary selection of novel dishes. It also gives an opportunity to the restaurant to experiment and introduce new dishes. Often popular dishes from festival menus are later included to the regular menu.

Did the Festival Succeed As a Concept?

As a concept Purani Dilli flavours is a safe bet. Purani Dilli Ka Zaiqa brings the flavours of Old Delhi to Indian Fine Dining. This festival attempts to match the exotic flavours of kebabs, rich ghosht preparations as well as Dilli chaat varieties have been brought to the table. Similar items are already a part of the Copper Chimney menu. The selection of starters and curries is similar to what I have eaten before from their regular menu apart from one or two selected preparations, which stood out.

There is limited variety of items for vegetarians. This is acceptable because Purani Dilli mostly features boti kebabs, khameeri rotis along with preparations like kormas, keema and neharis. Having said that, many Dilli style preparations have been brought to the table to add to the vegetarian variety, including sweet potato chaat and chhole tikki.

Is It Worth making a trip to Copper Chimney for this festival?

There are a few highlights in this festival.

Must Try

Dilli Chaat

Shakarkandi Chaat – Have you ever tried sweet potato chaat? It is rarely available in Mumbai, but in Delhi and Punjab you can spot these little stalls with steaming hot sweet potato and masala, especially during the winter. If you have a palate for sweet potatoes you should definitely try this unique chaat.

Raj Kachori chaat was featured on the menu but we were told that it will be discontinued since the execution of the item had not been successful.

Chhole Tikki is also featured on the menu, although I have no doubt that its execution and taste can be trusted, I did not try it since it is easily available across Mumbai.

Tali Machhli

The advantage of having a Purani Dilli dish at a fine dining restaurant is this superb quality fish and a non-oily light preparation with subtle flavours. This was ideal since the delicate texture of the fish was worth being highlighted in the dish. This was the Star dish of the meal. Tali Machhli does not sound appetising enough, it does not do justice to this dish. The USP is that it has been prepared with vietnamese Vasa filets in subtle Indian flavours, making it a modern twist of Purani Dilli’s Tali machhli.

Jama Masjid Ka Ghosht Korma

Based on a full bodied mutton stock like nalli nehari, this cardamom flavoured red curry mutton preparation is full of flavour. Its ‘nehari’ quality base makes it a favourite on the festival menu. This quality and this style of mutton preparation however, is no different from the regular selection of items in Copper Chimney. This is a great dish but not big change for the palate.

Bread & Rice Selection

The typically purani dilli style rotis and rice preparations are worth mentioning. Although the peethi puri is similar to a dal kachori, the khameeri roti with its chewy texture goes beautifully with the mutton preparations such as the ghosht korma. Afghani Rice cooked in dum is among other unique items in this selection.

Kulfi Falooda

Kulfi falooda is served in many restaurants across the city yet, I loved this dessert for its presentation and flavours. The kulfi was smooth, flavourful beautifully combined with the falooda.

Not Worth It

Murgh Boti and Murgh Changezi did not work for me. They were like any other preparation, at any other restaurant. These preparations did not impress my tongue because they did not surprise me. Murgh boti was similar to chicken tikka and Murgh Changezi is a semi dry preparation tasting similar to home-style sukha chicken flavoured with whole spices.

Similarly, with the Mughlai Paneer I expect you to surprise me with something new but unfortunately this paneer preparation was just like other paneer preparations at Copper Chimney’s standard menu.

My Verdict

Vegetarians and those who are inclined towards poultry need not bother visiting specifically for this festival, unless you intend to visit Copper Chimney anyway because the food quality was consistent and top notch. For the Tali machhli preparation and khameeri roti with mutton I recommend this festival to all non-vegetarians.

It is an ala carte festival menu and you can order a combination of items from the festival selection as well as their regular menu. Purani Dilli ka Zaiqa brings Old Delhi flavours to your table in a contemporary style. Copper Chimney fans will not be disappointed. That thing about this place for Copper Chimney is always the consistency they have maintained over the years in food quality as well as service. The festival in particular doesn’t boast great novelty, having said that, it is worth trying Khameeri rotis which is a breath of fresh air.

(Please note that this was a review on invitation.)

Ambience: 7/ 10 Good

Value for Money (Festival): 7/ 10 Good

Menu (Festival): 7/ 10 Good

Food (Festival): 7/ 10 Good

Service: 7/10 Good

That Thing About This Festival: 6/ 10 Average

Good Ambience + Good Value for Money + Good Menu + Good Food + Good service + Average That Thing About This Festival = Good

Rating: 7/ 10

Rajwar Festival in Rajdhani; Is It Worth the Extra Cost?

Name: Rajdhani, Rajwar festival

Location: Phoenix Market City, Kurla

Date of Visit: 15^th September 2012 (lunch)

Why I would prefer going to Rajdhani over other Thali places in Mumbai? It is because of their delectable sweets. The sweets at Rajdhani have won the battle of Thalis for me. It was a good thali until I had the sweets, and then it crossed the line to extraordinary. We were visiting the Phoenix Market City, Kurla branch of Rajdhani on invitation. While this branch is far, far away, the food of Rajdhani has always been promising so we didn’t mind the travel. Although if I were you, I would go to the branch closest to work or home since the all branches of Rajdhani are running this festival till the end of this month.

Rajwar Festival as a Concept

The Rajwar festival is conceptualized around the food served to Royalty and therefore offers richer food with more number of items compared to the standard thali in Rajdhani. The servers are also dressed in Royal-style uniforms. The festival attempts to bring Royal style of cooking to your table. The fragrance of pure desi ghee in all of their food is testimony to the food of the Royals.

Are both available? During the Rajwar festival, the standard Thali of Rajdhani is not available.

Regular versus Rajwar

(Please Note the Pricing is subject to the Kurla outlet, different Rajdhani outlets have different pricing.)

Regular was for Rs.325 (Kurla) – It consists of a variety of vegetables, dals, kadhi, breads and sweets. The number of items is fewer in comparison with the Rajwar Thali and a welcome drink is not served as part of the meal.

Versus Rajwar Thali for Rs. 375 (Rs. 425 for dinner and on Weekends) - Consists of 5 or 6 more items than the standard thali. It includes an extra starter, a welcome drink, jalebi, malpua and rabdi, new fruit halwas such as apple, chikoo and pineapple have been introduced, Phirni has been included, one extra vegetable is also served in the Rajwar thali. Gatte ki sabzi and Dal Bati Churma which are otherwise rotating items on the menu, will be served on all days throughout the festival. It also includes a refreshing pan shot at the end of the meal which was yummy!

There is no point in me mentioning each chutney or farsan served on the thali. I am just going to tell you the great dishes from the disappointing ones.

Extraordinary Dishes

Chikoo halwa – lightly sweetened, this chikoo flavoured halwa was not too heavy on the stomach, nor was it dominated by the ghee in it. It was light and beautifully flavoured. I wouldn’t have tried it if everyone at the table weren’t raving about it already.

Malpua & rabdi – Out of this world! The texture of these tiny malpuas crisp on the sides, soft in the center dipped in light sugar syrup, smeared with rabdi. The extraordinary thing about this dish was that from the looks of it, it seems too sweet and heavy but it is so smartly executed that all you experience is the wonderful flavours and texture in your mouth. It is unlike other experiences where in you feel that your tongue will stick to your palate with the sugar in it. This was the Star dish of my meal.

Jalebi – The tiny mouthfuls of warm, crisp jalebi was dipped in a saffron flavoured light sugar syrup. Making it more appetising even after a meal than jalebis are for breakfast.

Good Dishes

Kadhi – plain kadhi usually has limited scope for note worthy flavours. The thickened buttermilk was flavoured with a little ghee giving the kadhi so much character.

Masala Khichdi – with some vegetables and lots of ghee this khichdi was much better than regular khichdi.

Lasan Chutney – very spicy, lip smacking and delicious.

Chhaas

Batata Sukha Bhaji

Math rasawala

Hari Moong Dal – was flavoured with spices.

Phirni – was good, not too sweet.

Ordinary Dishes

Paneer Tikha

Valore Muthiya

Masala Puri

Dal bati

Disappointing Items

Puran Poli

Biscuit bhakri; it is interesting concept, but doesn’t work on the grains used to make bhakri. I have eaten other biscuit forms of bread, this one was very hard to bite. I didn’t enjoy it.

Shahi Gatta – the gatta was too dense and unappetizing. I liked the gravy of this dish.

Churma – lack of flavour made it seem like an unmotivated cook prepared the churma.

Dahi bada – was also too dense and not palatable.

Patra – was also very dense and lacked flavour.

It is worth mentioning that the Rajdhani group intends to maintain the cost of the Thali at Rs. 375 even after the festival, as mentioned to me by Mr. Aji Nair who is the F&B Vice-President with Rajdhani. It is only fair since with the amount of pure ghee added to the food. We were also taken into the kitchen where food is freshly prepared in batches, with good quality ingredients in a hygienic space. With the prices of food, fuel and other items rising, it is unfair to expect restaurants to be serving food at the same old price without compromising the quality.

Some popular items of the festival are also likely to feature in the standard thali after the festival ends. If you were planning a trip to Rajdhani, it would be a smart decision to go for the Rajwar festival for the extra items and richer and tastier food. The price of the standard thali may or may not be the same as it was earlier.

Service – In my experience, traditional Thali restaurants have the best and the most courteous service compared to other restaurants. The true meaning of Indian hospitality and culture is reflected in their service. On my previous visit to Rajdhani I found the servers to be polite, courteous and prompt. On this occasion the service was exceptional, however, I will except this aspect of the review since we were there to review this festival on invitation.

The service staff has also developed their own sign language to interact with each other to bring a particular item to the table. Using these signs reduces chaos, confusion and loud noises in the restaurant. It was interesting to watch them interacting in their ‘thali’ language.

Do I recommend a visit to the Rajwar festival? Yes, for the malpua, rabdi and jalebi, which were out of this world. I am not a sweet tooth and neither am I a big fan of malpua or jalebi. Most of the time I prefer to skip the sweet course, so believe me when I say it was gorgeous. It was so good, that me, a ‘no-sweet-for-me’ person loved it. Sweet tooth or no, you must try their new range of desserts in the Rajwar festival and that is the thing about this place. With many tasty items in this selection I intend to visit again, this time with family.

Ambience: 7/ 10 Good

Value For Money: 8/ 10 Very Good

Menu: 8/ 10 Very Good

Food: 8/ 10 Very Good

Service: 7/ 10 Good

That Thing About This Place: 8/ 10 Very Good

Good Ambience + Very Good Value For Money + Very Good Menu + Very Good Food + Good service + Very Good That Thing About This Place = Very Good

Rating: 8/10

5 Things I Hate About Silver Beach Café, Juhu; Confessions of a Tortured Tongue

Name: Silver Beach Cafe

Location: Juhu

Date of Visit: 8^th September, 2012 (Dinner hour)

I rarely use the word ‘hate’ for a restaurant so let me fully explain why I came about using this word for Silver Beach Café. Silver Beach Café is the perfect example of ‘All that glitters is not gold’. When I entered this dimly lit, cosy little café I was surprised to see such few tables occupied on a Saturday evening. ‘What could go wrong with a place like this?’ I thought to myself, hoping to not find the reason in their food. Everything, every single thing can go wrong in a place like this. Alas! I did not know this before I visited, else I would be saved from the strange things that they call food.

Reason 1 – I’m torn between spitting it out and swallowing these potatoes with water.

Their service staff recommended a potato appetizer. I think their tongues must’ve gotten numb from tasting unappetizing food for a long time. It was confusing to me; first, why the appetizer was brought to our table after one of the main dishes was served. Secondly, I was extremely confused about what they were trying to achieve when they designed this dish. It was unwashed, unpeeled and undercooked medium sized potatoes, cut into half smeared with coriander paste and served on a bed of very sweet tomatoes. It’s indecent to spit the food, so I gulped it down with water.

Reason 2 – Offensive Service

The service staff was rude, and they did not know what they were doing. I asked the gentleman (sorry, rude man) serving us whether it would take much longer to bring the food to our table. He did not look at me, he did not stop to listen to what I wanted to say, he simply passed me by while my head turned to follow him, when finally he spilled out the words, ‘5 minutes!’ To tell you the truth I almost felt privileged at that moment when he replied. Thank you Mister, no tip for you. He mustn’t be worried about that, they charge a pretty good sum as service charges. Clearly, the restaurant owners know about the bad service and yet don’t wish to loose tip money.

Reason 3 – It feels like being in Jail.

Have you ever thought what it would be like to be handed food in Jail? Well, here is your chance. The service staff is doing you a favour. They don’t look at you, or smile or bother for a kind word to their paying customers. They also bring your food, as it is prepared, not all together. If you want to eat together, everyone must order the exact the same dish. No, that won’t help either. They don’t understand that people have come to a restaurant to enjoy a meal ‘together’. Live with it!

Reason 4 – Which Jerk Made this Jerk Chicken?

Or should I just call it what it really is, a rubber chappal? When I put this chicken in my mouth, I could visualize the cook tormenting that stale chicken breast. Whatever juices were left of it, were pressed on a hot grill and forced out to yield rubber on my plate. Like a Punjabi mother crisps up parathas. It’s a pity chicken breast wasn’t treated differently. The sauce couldn’t mask the chappal. Yet, somehow that wasn’t the worst part. The cook managed to make it worse. Cook a cup of rice in half a bottle of vinegar, bad quality vinegar and you’ll know what the accompanying rice tasted like. It was hard to tell whether the rice was stale or not, because all I could taste was vinegar. Don’t ask me how I finished this dish, let’s just say, I don’t want to talk about it anymore.

Reason 5 – How can you go wrong with cream based pasta?

I don’t think I will ever be able to answer this question; you may try if you will. The spaghetti was what I call ‘Blue Bird’ quality pasta. It was stick, soggy and broken all through. Spaghetti was obviously over cooked. The cream was in lumps and not properly mixed before it was added. It was edible, like the spaghetti I must’ve cooked when I was eight. No, I was never this bad. The quantity was pretty good, but that would have mattered more if the pasta tasted better.

The ham and chicken pizza they served even before the appetizer tasted okay.

This meal was in many ways a writer’s dream and a nightmare. Dream because I enjoyed telling you about it, a nightmare because I had to eat it before I told you about it. With dark wood furniture set in a cosy almost cramped space, a cigar selection and a variety of wines to choose from don’t be deceived by the appearance of this place. It is not worth anyone’s time. No wonder it was sparsely populated even on a Saturday evening. That thing about this place is that they carry a selection of cigars.

Ambience: 6 Average

Value For Money: 5 Below Average

Menu: 6 Average

Food: 3 Poor

Service: 3 Poor

That Thing About This Place: 7 Good

Average Ambience + Below Average Value For Money + Average Menu + Poor Food + Poor Service + Good That Thing About This Place = Below Average

Rating: 5 on 10

Brings You Home. Revival Indian Thali, Lokhandwala

With frozen toes, curled up in my blanket, my hands arrested, leaning my head on that frosted window I gazed at the snow; it was a chilly winter, that year in Nottingham. Yet, when I closed my eyes and thought about home, I could breathe the smell of fresh rotis soaked in desi ghee, the sweetness and creamy texture of white butter rolling in my mouth, that piece of ‘gud’ at the end of the meal which just sticks on to your palate and plays with your senses for hours later. Even the thought filled me with warmth and brought a smile on my cold lips.

I would often get lost into my own world while writing long and boring assignments. Then again, don’t we all? My mouth still waters when I think about a large, well prepared thali with four different types of vegetables, curries, dal and kadhi served with delicious rotis soaked in ghee. Not to forget, the papads, achaars, chutneys and delicious sweets. In many ways my visit to Revival was a realization of that recurring dream I used to have in Nottingham. I mean who are we kidding, which one of us in todays time and age has the time to even think about preparing more than one sabzi and dal? We save the trouble of making kadhi and khandvi for special occasions.

Revival’s warm and welcoming hospitality showcases Indian culture at its best. There is no doubt that this is a great place to bring along your foreign collaborators or friends. There are LCD screens at each table that describe each dish on the day’s menu for the diner’s information.

It was a reasonably priced meal at approximately Rupees 280 per person on weekdays as on 6^th July 2012 and Rs 335 on Sundays. With a well-lit and spacious dining area and traditionally dressed serving staff, the dining experience here is a delight.

Heavy Thalis in an intimidating size covered with fabric covers were laid on the tables. The service staff was warm and well spoken; I was happy to hear them speak to us in Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati or Marvari rather than in English as they served each item with a smile. One of the biggest USPs of this meal was the royal treatment with chandan (Sandalwood) water that was brought to our table at the beginning and end of the meal to wash our hands.

We were welcomed with a warm Tulsi drink followed by a range of savoury items including Gujarati and Marvari Kadhi, Spicy Dal, Khandvi, dhokla and rasam, small sabudana patty filled with roasted peanut mixture, along with veg kurma, matki math (which I loved), batata bhaji and tori with matar for the vegetable curries and dry preparations. My favourites on the Thali were the soft and tender Khandvi, Spicy Dal, Matki Math and Veg Kurma.

These were accompanied by 3 types of bread; which included rotis with lots of ghee, the second was crispy, sweet bread and the third, Rotla. Rotla is a bhakri made of Nachni, it is slightly hard and chewy, yet small rotlas served with white butter (loni) and jaggery (gud) was like poetry in my mouth.

The breads were followed by a simple khichadi with lots of ghee and saffron pulav, which sounds better than it tasted. Some amazing chutneys, achaars, papad and murrabbas along with chhaas accompanied these items on the thali. I must mention the Aonla murrabba, I’m not sure whether this was made in house or not, but it was the most amazing aonla murrabba there ever was, great taste.

The food was freshly made with good quality ingredients and from what I learnt from the LCD screen, they were organic ingredients. In fact, apart from traditional Indian food and service Revival also seems to be involved in bringing back organic and ayurvedic food products to our city. I happened to glance at a list of ayurvedic and organic food items featured on the LCD screen, a nice idea to advertise, although I didn’t read much, I was busy enjoying my meal. Even with little katoris on that plate, with the number of items and warmth with which we were insistently served, I was already full by the time we got to the dessert. Revival serves limited dessert on weekdays and unlimited desserts on Sundays. I could just pick one from custard with cut up fruits, strawberry halwa and shrikhand. How can I say no to Shrikhand? I over-stuffed myself, but I don’t regret it. It was a great meal concluded with a meetha pan.

That thing about this place is that they are preserving and promoting Indian traditional meals and hospitality and bringing it forward by using contemporary techniques such as the use of that LCD screen at every table.

#FoodMantraRecommends

Revival’s Rotla with gud and loni (Jaggery & White Butter)

Revival’s Aonla Murrabba

Ambience: 7/ 10 Good

Value For Money: 8/ 10 Very Good (With That Amount of ghee + Unlimited Food)

Menu: 7/ 10 Good

Food: 7/10 Good

Service: 9/10 Excellent

That Thing About This Place: 9/10 Excellent

Good Ambience + Very Good Value For Money + Good Menu + Good Food + Excellent Service + Excellent That Thing About This Place = Very Good

Rating= 8/ 10

I Like It Rare. Indigo Café, Andheri

Name: Indigo Café

Location: Behind Svenska Hotel, Andheri West, Mumbai

Date of Visit: 4^th July, 2012 (Dinner)

You know when you’re young, some instances, small or big, make such an impact on who you shape up to be. I don’t remember what magazine or who wrote those magical words, but smiling at me, on top of the page were the words,

‘The Herb Crusted Filet Mignon at Indigo is like orgasm in your mouth’.

I can divide my life into before and after I read those words, I was 12, obviously I didn’t exactly know the meaning of all the words. But I was a curious kid; I nagged my grandpa into telling me, that the dish was magical. So, I had imagined that whenever I get to eat a Filet Mignon at Indigo, there would be fireworks! It’s a pity that it took me nearly 12 years after, to try out the Filet Mignon at Indigo. But it was my calling and I made it.

So, last evening when my sisters and friend accompanied me to Indigo Cafe, Andheri West, there was definitely no question about what I was going to order. I went through the menu anyway, it’s a hobby, to imagine all the gorgeous items listed when I am hungry, and salivate like a dog. The menu was a combination of French, Italian and contemporary cuisine. It also included breakfast classics like scrambled eggs with roesti and waffles with syrup. There was a range of different sandwiches and burgers, including BBQ Pork, salmon to safer picks like fried chicken burger with a side of potatoes also made into the listing. Selection of pastas was on the menu, including pink pepper gnocchi in the specials that made up for an impressive variety to choose from.

Herb Crusted Filet Mignon, was unfortunately not listed on the menu, I realized that it had taken me 12 years and they must’ve revised the menu several times over. I went for their Filet Mignon with jus and a side of garlic potato wedges. My younger sister chose a salmon burger while the older one went for a corn crusted, vegetarian, potato burger and our friend chose a fried chicken burger with a side of mashed potatoes.

Finally, I took a breath to look around. Hard wood furniture, no- cushions (at least in the outer section where we were seated.) Very simple looking aesthetics with a spacious setting and yet, with the mood lighting, candles and bowl full of white spider lilies which made the place look casual yet romantic.

The staff was on their toes and courteous. But I must mention that the glass they served me water in, had an eggy smell. It could have been a small slip up, but no one appreciates a stinky glass. In an udipi or chaiwala it can be excused. In Indigo café, I ask for a complaint card.

If you find three girls laughing hysterically on the next table, you can identify one of them as me. It was so hard to stop making silly jokes when our food arrived, for the fear of throwing it out of our noses. I am almost certain that the service staff and other diners thought we were ‘under the influence’ of something.

The best tasting item, my younger sister’s salmon burger, great fish, great flavor. You can see that fresh dill and salad along with the spiced fish in the picture above.

The safest choice was clearly the fried chicken burger, which tasted decent, like any other fried chicken burger, nothing extraordinary.

The veggie burger below was more studded with corn than it was crusted, as described in the menu. Not a treat for a corn-hater as my older sister. I tried the veggie burger made with fresh, soft cheese with the sweetness of corn and I liked it.

Let’s get to the point now, the Filet Mignon was simple and there were no fireworks whatsoever. Either the gentleman in the magazine had questionable taste buds or in 12 years the Filet Mignon at Indigo, is no more the best of its kind. I believe there is some magic in simplicity, and yet the best chefs can make a simple dish with subtle flavours taste great. I can safely say, there wasn’t one of the best Chefs that created that Filet Mignon, it was bordering on Mediocre and below average.

Don’t get me wrong; my high expectation hasn’t blurred my judgement, I speak from experience. I have eaten many a rare steak, globally. In fact, the first time I ate rare pepper steak in Sauce Diane back in college (IHM Mumbai), when we were learning Flambe techniques and gueridon service, I had 7 of those and I can tell you those bad boys were 10 folds better than the steak I had last evening. The best one that I can re-collect though was in a little place when I was studying Nottingham, it was rare steal with cognac, cream and green peppercorn sauce and those flavours are still etched in my memory. Getting back to the point, this was perhaps one of the steaks that was barely bordering towards enjoyment, but definitely not what I had read about and expected.

That thing About This Place is that it definitely creates the perfect setting for a meal that I will remember, with its beautiful décor, pleasant staff and a memorable evening. What brought it all together was that smiling security guy ,Valet guy and the memory of those words that will always remain with me, an Indigo Café that made me realize my love for rare steak.

Ambience: 8/ 10 Very Good

Value For Money: 7/ 10 Good

Menu: 8/ 10 Very Good

Food: 7/ 10 Good

Service: 6/ 10 Average (For the Stinky Glass)

That Thing About This Place: 7/ 10 Good

Very Good Ambience + Good Value For Money + Very Good Menu + Good Food + Average Service + Good That Thing About This place = Good

Rating = 7/ 10