Tamil Brahmin Cuisine of Mylapore and the Magic of Chef Rajan

Dakshin at ITC Kakatiya is arguably the best South Indian restaurant in Hyderabad. This is one of the places I look forward to the visit as the experience is always impeccable. Chef Sakala Sankara is a master of his craft and rolls out great promotions, one after another. Recently, my friends in Kolkata were going gaga over the Telangana food fest he curated in ITC Sonar.

 However, when I was invited for the Mylapore Magic festival, I really did not know what to expect. As far as my knowledge went, Mylapore was a part of Chennai, so I wondered how it was special compared to the usual Tamil cuisine.

I met the curator of the festival, Chef Rajan, a veteran in his late seventies, who is still hugely in demand even after nineteen years of retirement. Still working at ITC Grand Central, Mumbai, Chef Rajan had been favourites of many celebrities like President Venkatraman, Narsimha Rao, MS Subbulaxmi and MS Dhoni, for the authentic South Indian food he dishes out there. For his talents and fame, Chef Rajan came across to be a person with a permanent smile on his face and a lot of humility. He sat with us throughout our food journey, and patiently explained each and every dish to us.

Bread Bom

The promotion actually is a combination of two themes – Mylapore cuisine and a few non-vegetarian dishes specially prepared by Chef Rajan. As explained to us, Mylapore was earlier a traditional Brahmin locality in Madras, where the Brahmins had very simple food even without onion and garlic. We started with Thakali Rasam, a cumin flavoured tomato rasam, which had a very balanced taste. To accompany the rasam, Chef Rajan brought out Bread Bom, one of his signature dishes. These are specially created bread cutlets stuffed with an assortment of vegetables and cheese. This was easily one of the stars of the show, especially the filling.

Tanjore Kunuku

The drink which Chef Rajan had prepared for us was tender coconut water based Vasantha Neer, with a dash of lemon, honey and mint leaves. An assortment of chutneys was brought out with Tanjore Kunuku, a crunchy dumpling of rice flour, daal and grated coconut.

Assorted Chutneys

Appams at Dakshin are always the best you can get. Today they were served with Murmgaikai Vatha Kuzhambu, a tamarind and jaggery based drumstick curry. This was a superb dish with a perfect combination of sweet and sour.

Urlai Roast

I loved the slightly sweet Urlai Roast with the Veechu Parathas. The spice combo of the baby potato gravy demanded a second helping. Dishes to be savoured with rice included the Thakali Paruppu (tomato based dal), Malabar Avial (with a strong flavour of coconut) and Bendakai Morkuzambu (here the bhindi is cooked in a yoghurt based gravy with coconut).

Bendakai Morkuzhambu

Each of the dishes was typical soul food, light and tasty. This seems to be the hallmark of Mylapore cuisine. I loved the curation of the fest – no two dishes were remotely similar.

As we were told that Mylapore cuisine is traditionally vegetarian. Over the years Chef Rajan has adapted quite a few non-vegetarian dishes with his own ingredients and spices. The second part of the promotion is thus aptly called Chef Rajan’s Special.

Keemasadam

Chef is known for his Keemasadam, or keema rice, which has become a legendary dish in Mumbai. Again a very simple dish where the taste of mutton mince is combined with some aromatic spices.

Veinchina Mamsam

The other mutton dish was Veinchina Mamsam, the popular dish from Andhra Pradesh. But Chef Rajan had added a special coconut based masala to it giving it a different spin. This was another star. There was also Melugu Kodi Chettinad, a pepper and coconut-based chicken curry. I loved it with Bhadhaam Sadam, the almond rice. From Chef Rajan’s looks, I do not think he approved my choice of combining the two dishes. The almond rice had almonds, cashews and raisin in rice with no masala at all. It could be savoured as a standalone dish.

Melugu Kodi Chettinad

I was too full by this time. Some special Chicken Dosa and Prawn Dosa came out, but I could try out only a small portion of each.

The desserts

Of the two desserts served, Basundi was special. The Semiya Payasam was par for the course.
I loved the festival because of the simplicity of food. Years of experience have gone into fine tuning the recipes, and this was the work of a master. It was my good fortune to interact with Chef Rajan. Clearly, he is a person who loves to share his knowledge with others. He told us that he is working on a recipe book for his dishes which will be published soon.

Any connoisseur of South Indian food should not miss this promotion. All items are a-la-carte and pricing ranges from Rs 400 to Rs 1200. The festival is open only for dinner till 31st July.

Location:
Dakshin
ITC Kakatiya
Begumpet
Hyderabad

Telephone: 23400132

Disclaimer: The review is based on an invite from the restaurant.

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Barbeque Nation's New Look: Orange is the New Black

Barbeque Nation is one of the favourite chains when it comes to get-togethers, whether it be personal or official. The concept of the live over-the-table grill is quite revolutionary and has redefined the way people experience the joy of dining. With a brand new outlet in the Soulspace Arena, the chain expands to eight restaurants in the garden city.

However, this new Barbeque Nation is a touch bit different from the others. While it retains its major hits in the food and service, the new outlet sports their new upbeat orange and white logo. The restaurant boasts of changes to the colour schemes and decor in addition to some fascinating accompaniments to its original fare, both to its grills and buffet menu.

Caramel Food Decoration

Inaugurated on the same day by Kannada film actress Kavya Shetty, I got a great chance to try their new menu firsthand. Being the non-vegetarian that I am, I headed straight to the exotic meats section which had rabbit, quail and duck along with shredded chicken, fish and sausages. Like most of the barbeque places nowadays, the food was prepared right in front of me. I had chosen a combination of rabbit, chicken sausages and quail which was made spicy and tangy right according to my taste.

Exotic Meats being prepared at the Live Grill

Right next to the exotic meats was the shawarma counter where layered chicken was put together and roasted on a vertical spit. Shavings are cut from the block of the meat and served with chopped veggies, mayonnaise in a pita roll.

Shawarma Counter

Close to our seat was the Kathi Roll Counter, where roomali roti wrapped rolls were being made available to the customers. There was an option of four different fillings like mushroom, paneer and chicken, of which I chose to have the chicken tikka one. I didn't quite like the kathi rolls as I felt they were a bit oilier than necessary but there were folks who guzzled down the kathi rolls in a jiffy.

While the chain is most famous for its grills, the blend of American, Mediterranean, Oriental and Indian cuisine in the buffet is always overshadowed. The buffet section in the Doddanekundi outlet is reinforced with some major changes including a soup station, dal station and a biryani section.

Over the table grill

I visited the soup station first. A vegetable clear soup stock is prepared and is kept as the base for all soups which can be customised with a choice of shrimp/prawn, chicken and exotic vegetables. Additionally one can also add vinegared chillis, soya sauce and salt and pepper to enhance a particular taste even further.

Soup Station

Another new addition to the buffet menu is the Dal Counter. The Dal Counter had three different types of Dal - Dal Panchmel, Dal Tadka and Dal-e-Dum. The chef present at the station is armed with various whole spices and dry chilli which is first roasted in oil/ghee to make the tadka for the daal. I liked the Dal Panchmel the best which was a mixture of five different types of daal - arhar, moong, chana, urad and toor. The dal was sweet but had a zing of the achari oil which was poured along with the tadka.

Dal Counter

Other than these they have their general set menu which is available in the buffets. The biryani counter which previously had a vegetarian and a non-vegetarian biryani now gets a third type too with folks getting an option to choose from the Hyderabadi and Awadhi preparation of the biryani. On the day I went, Lucknawi Mutton Biryani was up for grabs along with Hyderabadi Chicken Biryani. Each Biryani comes with its own characteristic salan and raita too.

The last but not the least, we visited the dessert counter which was filled with an assortment of goodies like pastries, cupcakes and fruits. Indian desserts such as moong daal halwa and jalebi with rabri was definitely a big hit in the group with kulfis often making their melt in the mouth appearances.

Kulfi

The new menu seems to lay more focus on the customizations which can be made available to the diner. I personally think this is a great move as the greater variety in spices and marination will result in people not having to adjust to the daily sale but modify preparations to suit their individual tastes.
The buffet costs comes to around Rs 900/- per person.

Address:
Soul Space Arena, 3rd Floor,
Doddanekundi Main Road,
Chinappa Layout, Marathahalli,
Bangalore

Phone : 080 60600000, 080 60600001

Disclaimer: The review is based on an invite from the restaurant.

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Quick Bytes: The New Teppanyaki Menu at Collage, Hyatt Gachibowli

A few months back Park Hyatt at Banjara Hills had a teppanyaki promotion as part of their pop-up series. The event was successful in demonstrating the interest of Hyderabadi food lovers in Japanese food. Now Hyatt Hyderabad Gachibowli has a permanent teppanyaki live counter at Collage, their all day diner. The live counter will operate for as long as twelve hours a day from 11 am to 11 pm, and has a brand new menu serving select items from Japanese cuisine.

California Uramaki

Teppanyaki is an extremely interesting style of cooking where the guests sit around a flat iron griddle (known as teppan) and watch the chef prepare the food in front of them. The style had originated in Japan and is mainly used for recipes which use stir frying as the major method in cooking.

Chef Prasanth Martha

At a bloggers meet to celebrate the new menu launch I met Sous Chef Prashant Martha, the man behind the teppan. Chef Prashant had selected a list of special items from the new menu to be served on the occasion. The Bloggers Meet was well organized with an eye for minute details, for example each blogger had a designated seat with name cards. As we took our appointed places in front of the grill, we watched the Chef quietly starting to prepare a salad.

Avocado and Seaweed Salad

The Avocado and Seaweed Salad was the first item to be served.  The seaweed had a sweetish taste, and the dressing was slightly tangy presenting an overall balance with avocado, cucumber and vegetables.

Miso Soup

This was followed by Miso Soup, simple but flavourful, again with seaweed and some tofus in it. The fermented miso as well as the seaweed gave the soup a slightly muddy taste.

Prawn Tempura

We watched Chef and his team preparing sushis as we feasted on the crisp Ebi (prawn) Tempura, served with a soya based dip. For the vegetarians there were the assorted Moriwase Sushis, with ingredients such as shitake mushrooms and asparagus.  The non-vegetarian sushi was California Uramaki, with rice in the outer layer sprinkled with fish roe on top, and crab meat and prawn tempura as filling. The sushi platter was served to us with wasabi and soya sauce along with gari, the Japanese ginger.

Assorted Vegetable Moriwase

All the starters were presented in a very stylish way. The guests were especially interested in the method of sushi preparation and crowded around with their cameras to have a closer look.

Chicken Teppanyaki

For the main course, the Chef decided to serve Chicken Teppanyaki with rice. The fried rice preparation Yasai Yakimeshi was a simple and fragrant mixed vegetable based dish prepared on the grill. The teppanyaki was the star of the show, with the chef deftly using his spatulas to prepare chicken on one side of the griddle and a vegetarian combination with mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, beans and broccolis on the other. The showstopper chicken with the rice was a perfect end to the meal.

Yasai Yakimeshi

I had a look at the complete menu. It has half a dozen items each for sushis and tempuras. The teppanyaki has interesting choices such as salmon, tenderloin and gyoza. The a-la-carte dishes are priced from Rs 300 to Rs 1100. Fans of oriental cuisine will definitely enjoy the new Japanese menu at the live counter, watching the chef prepare different dishes as they have their food.

Location:
Collage
Hyatt Hyderabad Gachibowli
IT Park, Road 2, Gachibowli
Hyderabad
Telephone: 48481234

Disclaimer: The review is based on an invite from the restaurant. 

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Quick Bytes: Sri Lankan Food Festival at Cayenne, Mercure Hyderabad

A few months back there was a festival of Sri Lankan flavours at Deccan Pavilion, ITC Kakatiya. However, the theme of the promotion was the influence of Sinhalese food on the Tamils of the island country. It was not truly a complete representation of the diversity of Sri Lankan food. Cayenne, the all-day dining restaurant at the new Mercure hotel at Erramanzil now brings to us a festival celebrating the cuisine from the spice island.

Chef Nihal Senanayake, a renowned chef from Lighthouse Hotel, Galle is in Hyderabad to curate the festival. As per him, Sri Lankan food thrives in the combinations of ingredients it uses. Coconut is abundantly found in the state and is used in most of the recipes. Though the herbs and spices are quite similar to those used in the Chettinad region of Tamil Nadu and Kerala, there is a distinct influence of Malay flavours in the recipes. The Dutch who ruled Sri Lanka for more than a century also had their contribution, especially in a signature rice and meat dish Lamprais.  Seafood is particularly a favourite of the Sinhalese people.

The Staff in traditional Sri Lankan Batik Costume

The restaurant wore a festive look for the festival, with the buffet set up under a beach shack structure, reminding me of the display of food at the Galle Face beachfront in Colombo. The wait staff were dressed in traditional colorful Sri Lankan batik attire.

The Sambol Counter

The sambols are the lifelines of Sri Lankan cuisine. There must be more than hundred recipes of the pickled dishes, and the Chef chose a few of them to set up a special counter. The sambols on offer on the day were Pol Sambol (spicy recipe with grated coconuts), Fried Okra and Tomato Sambol as well as Fried Auberigine and Onion Sambol. There were a few combo short eats on the counter too, the best being Tuna Fish Ambultiyal on Carrot Sambol, which had a tangy preparation of the fish on pickled carrot. Another combo I liked which had Roasted Chicken with Seeni Sambol. Raw Papaya Salad with some delightful mustard dressing was a huge hit. In fact, it was my constant add on to my entire meal.

Tuna Cutlets

The starter which wowed us all was Tuna Cutlets, a round shaped croquette stuffed with fish. The filling with fish mince and Sri Lankan spices was perfect.

Pittu

I was looking forward to Lamprais, but unfortunately, neither this or String Hoppers (idiyappam) featured on the day’s menu. The Chef told me that they would be served on other days, as the festival has a different menu on each day. The main carb was Pittu, (known in Kerala as Puttu), cylinder shaped mounds of ground red rice from Sri Lanka.  I loved this dish with Mutton Pepper Stew, the best preparation in the main course with typical Sinhalese curry flavours.

Mutton Pepper Stew

Another non-vegetarian dish of note was Curried Assorted Seafood which had prawns, squids, and fish. The Kukul Mas (chicken) Red Curry, prepared in red chillies was nothing special.

Curried Assorted Seafood

In the vegetarian section, the best of the lot was a preparation of leafy vegetables. The Cashew and Peas Curry went well with the yellow-coloured Cumin Curry Leaf Rice.

Jaggery Pudding

I loved the Jaggery Pudding which is similar to the Goan dish Dodol. Other desserts on offer were Mung Karali (a fried sweet of mung dal with jaggery inside) and Coconut Toffee.

Coconut Toffee

The festival provides an opportunity to food lovers in Hyderabad to try out some authentic Sri Lankan cuisine. Persons visiting should also interact with Chef Nihal, whom I found very knowledgeable in the short interaction I had with him. The festival is on till 21st July only for dinner. The dinner buffet is priced at Rs 1499 plus taxes and includes alcohol.

Chef Nihal with Executive Chef Vinay of Mercure KCP Hyderabad

Location:
Cayenne
Mercure Hyderabad KCP
Erramanzil, Banjara Hills
Hyderabad
Telephone: 67888860

Disclaimer: The review is based on an invite from the restaurant.

Some pics are courtesy Mercure KCP Hyderabad

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Quick Bytes: The Kashmiri Food Festival at Siesta Hitech

Qube Café, the all-day dining restaurant at Hotel Siesta Hitech, Kondapur has made quite a name for itself for its popular and affordable buffets for both lunch and dinner. With a steady clientele asking for more, the restaurant organizes frequent food festivals, where a team of guest chefs is invited to present a different cuisine.

The Buffet at Qube Cafe

Hyderabad had its share of food festivals last year celebrating food from the Kashmir valley. ITC Kakatiya had done a promotion of Kashmiri Pandit cuisine, whereas Taj Krishna had a Wazhwan promotion. However, I had very good experiences at the Bengali and Awadhi food promotions at Siesta and was really looking forward to "Flavours of Kashmir", the Kashmiri Food Festival here. Two master chefs had arrived from Srinagar to join the Kashmiri pandit chef they already had on their rolls, so the fare promised to be extremely interesting.

Tabaak Maaz

It was the second day of the festival, and it had an extensive menu. I started with Tabak Maaz, popular among the Wazwan dishes. The fried lamb ribs after simmering in milk and Kashmiri spices was cooked just the right amount. I remembered the words of a Kashmiri Chef who told me that making Tabak Maaz is a challenge, the meat should not be tough but also should not fall off the ribs. At Siesta, the dish was exactly as per that specification.

Kukur Lababdar Tikka

Tsaman Zafraani Tikka

The other two starters I tried were Kukur Lebabdaar Tikka (soft boneless chicken marinated in Kashmiri spices) and Tsaman Zafraani Tikka (a saffron based paneer starter). Both the dishes had soaked in the marinade well, and I especially loved the flavourful paneer dish.

Rogan Josh

It was time for the heavy duty main courses. Kashmiris prefer a lot of lamb dishes on their plate, so the signature dishes of the Wazwan mostly use this meat. Also, spicy food keeps them warm during the cold winters. Rogan Josh serves both these purposes. The yoghurt and Kashmiri chilli based red gravy were my pick of the main courses. It was served with oval shaped and soft Bakharkhani bread.

Gushtaba

Next was a fish dish called Gadh Mujh, a yellow curry with sliced radish. The curry was simple and replete with flavours.  Gustaba (Pounded lamb mince balls in a yoghurt based gravy) was a tad too sour for me.

Kashmiri Naan

The Kashmiri Naan made its appearance somewhere in between. It was so good that it disappeared in no time. I especially enjoyed it with a vegetarian paneer dish, Methi Tsaman.

Dum Aloo

The most popular vegetarian dish in Kashmiri cuisine is the Dum Aloo, baby potatoes cooked in a red masala with more than a strong hint of Kashmiri chillies.  The Kashmiri Pulao with fruits and nuts was just the right thing to go with it.

Kashmiri Pulao

Lotus Stems are popular vegetables in the valley. Nadur Yakhni, a yoghurt based dish was a simple dish to go with rice. I missed the leafy Haak in the menu of the day, but I am sure it will be served on some other days.

Zafraani Phirni

Finally the desserts. The Zafraani Phirni was good, but Chukandar-E-Afroz impressed even a dessert-averse person like me to try a second helping. A beetroot halwa with raisins and nuts, it was not very sweet but tasted heavenly.

Chukander-E-Afroz

We ended a good meal perfectly with the Kashmiri version of Kahwa, infused with kesar, dalchini, and elaichi.

The Chef team at Qube has tried to make the preparations as authentic as possible, and in my opinion, have dished out another successful promotion. For the price of Rs 550 at which this is offered at Bookmyshow, it is a complete steal. The management of Siesta Hitech has to be complemented for bringing diverse cuisines from India to their customers at an affordable price. The festival is on till 24th July  only for dinner.

Location:
Qube Café
Hotel Siesta Hitech
55E Kondapur, Hyderabad
Telephone: 42420000

Disclaimer: The review is based on an invite from the restaurant.

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