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Tuesday, August 30, 2016

Quick Bytes: The In-Room Picnic at The Park, Hyderabad

 Soumabha     7:40 PM     Events, Hyderabad, Quick Bytes, Sabyasachi     No comments   

Food festivals and promotions are regular features in all star hotels these days, as any property would like to delight their discerning customers with unique experiences. However, promotions specifically addressing room guests are not at all common. The Park Hotels group has set a new trend by introducing In-Room Picnic, where a special dining experience is specifically created for room guests to enjoy a picnic right in their rooms with a special menu of food and drinks, board games and other recreational activities. Dining in the room is often a boring affair, and the new experience is set to change that. The design of “The Park Picnic” is done by a professional consultant from The Netherlands in association with the hotel.


To showcase this experience The Park Hyderabad had invited a few bloggers to one of their luxury suites overlooking Hussain Sagar Lake. The table at the living space was laid out with games such as scrabble, puzzles and tambola. As we settled down we were in for a major surprise – a magician almost magically cropped up in the room to entertain us with his trade. He started with a few tricks like turning newspaper pieces into currency notes but soon went on to demonstrate some amazing card tricks. We were asked to pick up random cards from the stack, and he always read our mind to produce the correct card.


All along this, we were enjoying the nice view of the lake sipping some wine served to us. There were quite a few varieties of short eats around the room, and my favorite were some butter rich puffs which were kept near the windows. The nachos with sour cream were also nice to munch.


I had a look at the special picnic menu as part of the promotion. The menu had five sections – My Own Tea Picnic, Tropical Picnic, European Picnic, Asian Picnic and Kids Picnic, thus catering to most of the palates and age groups. Each of the sections had a separate five-course pre-set combo for vegetarians and non-vegetarians.  The pricing of the picnic looked very attractive ranging from Rs 750 to Rs 1450 per combo.



It was now time for a picnic trolley to roll in.  The colourful trolley was decorated with balloons and had multi-compartment tiffin carriers as well as cups and water bottles dangling from it. Below these were some of the snacks and desserts served separately in plates.



I had opted for the Tropical Picnic (non-vegetarian). The first compartment of the tiffin carrier had two pieces of soft and tasty Nizami Kathi Rolls with chicken filling.


 Another compartment had Hyderabadi Gosht Dum Biryani served with Mirchi ka Salan and Cucumber Mint Raita. The biryani at The Park is well-known for its superior taste and today was no exception. The dessert in the combo was Khubani ka Meetha Tart, an apricot based fusion preparation.



My Own Tea Picnic was what the person sitting next to me was having; it looked pretty interesting too. The veg version had Mirchi Bhajji, Vada Pav with Lehsooni Chutney along with some Masala Tea and Cakes. The non-vegetarian version had Dum Ka Keema with Coriander Pav instead of Vada Pav. I could not help but try a little bit of each dish here. After all, a picnic is all about sharing food.
The entire afternoon was full of fun. Though we did not play any of the games, they could be a major recreation for families and kids. We ended the afternoon with some assorted desserts.


Overall a nicely designed concept with lovely presentation. Every minute detail of the promotion looked carefully planned starting from the trolley to specially designed paper coasters for the promotion. Imagine a picnic right at the hotel room where you are staying over. You can also invite a couple of your friends from the city and spend the entire afternoon enjoying delicious food with select drinks. The staff at The Park Hotels are also ready to customize the experience to your needs. The in-room dining experience will only be available in specific rooms of each property.

Location: 
The Park Hyderabad
22 Rajbhavan Road
Hyderabad 500 082
Telephone: 2345 6789

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



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Sunday, August 28, 2016

Quick Bytes: Dakshin Celebrates Franco-Tamil Cuisine from Pondicherry

 Soumabha     8:31 PM     Food Festivals, Hyderabad, Quick Bytes, Restaurant Reviews, Sabyasachi     No comments   

Pondicherry was a colony of France for almost three centuries. The French had left a lasting legacy on the state which is still visible in terms of the architecture of many of the buildings, names of roads as well as many restaurants serving French cuisine. In the local Tamil cuisine here, the culinary influence of France is distinctly visible in the flavours and taste of food. Some of the names of dishes are even localized from French such as puyabaisse (bouillabaisse) and saladu (salad).

Masala Coated Fish
Masala Coated Fish

The influence of the French on the local recipes of Pondicherry is visible in many other ways. Vinegar is widely used here as a souring agent much more than tomatoes or tamarind.  The uses of spices are significantly less compared to other Tamil food, though frequently the curries use coconut milk as a base. Other highlights are the use of chicken or seafood stock in cooking and the appearance of baguettes amidst local desserts.

Meen Puyabaisse
Meen Puyabaisse

Dakshin at ITC Kakatiya is easily the best South Indian restaurant in Hyderabad. Their regular menu has dishes with exclusive recipes from the four southern states. However, the promotions which are organized by Dakshin often delve deeper into food from a particular state or a region in it. After a successful festival of Tamil Brahmin cuisine of Mylapore last month, it is now time for a Franco-Pondicherry Food Festival here at ITC Kakatiya. Chef Pavan of Dakshin who has curated this festival has utilized his rich experience in working at Pondicherry a few years back.

Urlai Kola Urandai
Urlai Kola Urandai

We started our preview of this festival with Meen Puyabaisse. The seafood soup had small chunks of boneless murrel fish, and a distinctly fishy flavour. The dish is the localized version of Bouillabaisse, a seafood broth from coasts of France.

The starters included Urlai Kola Urandai, a potato dumpling. Mashed potato had been mixed with diced onion and green chillies as well as select spices and then fried, with a final sautéing in masala. Kassa Kassa Kola Urandai used mutton mince, but here the dumplings tossed in poppy seeds were far spicier. Masala coated fish is another popular recipe from the state, which was being showcased here.

Kassa Kassa Kola Urandai
Kassa Kassa Kola Urandai

The promotion has options of vegetarian, non-vegetarian and seafood thalis. We were served select delicacies from each thali. The highlight for me was Yeral Vindail, a prawn curry with coconut milk and vinegar. Executive Chef Paul Noronha was sharing that the cuisine of Pondicherry has influences from Portuguese food also, and I was wondering if the name of this dish had anything to do with vindaloo. The combination of coconut and vinegar in this gravy made the dish a winner with some appams fresh from Iyers Trolley.

The Main Courses
The Main Courses

Kothina Kari Pulliperattal was a kheema preparation in red chillies and tamarind. We were served a large Veechu Paratha in the thali, and this was a perfect foil to the minced meat preparation. There was also Meen Inji Curry, a ginger flavoured gravy of fish. We were also served some Chicken Pulav from the area, which was flavourful with subtle use of spices.

Of the vegetarian dishes Keerai Kari, a dry preparation of amaranth in coconut went well with rice. Vendaikai Thair Curry showcased a curd based preparation of bhindi. The best of the vegetarian dishes was Markari Theeyal, a tamarind and coconut based gravy of drumsticks which had raw mango in it.  The rich and tangy gravy was extremely tasty both with rice and appams.

Dessert: A milk based dish with abundant fruits and nuts

The dessert served was milk based with abundant fruits and nuts in it. As is usual at Dakshin, we had the best Filter Coffee to end the meal.

Filter Coffee

A look at the festival menu revealed some other interesting dishes. COQ curry, an eggplant based recipe from the region is quite well known. Langouste Curry (mild spiced lobster) and Sudal (quail) looked interesting. The dessert list had Puttarisi Halwa (a rice and wheat dessert), Pondicherry Cake and Coconut Baguette.


Dakshin has again pulled out a winner for lovers of South Indian food.  The promotion will be on here for both lunch and dinner till 2nd September.

Location:
Dakshin
ITC Kakatiya
Begumpet
Hyderabad

Telephone 23400132

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



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Thursday, August 25, 2016

V Junction Global Eatery: World Cuisine comes to Banjara Hills

 Soumabha     9:43 PM     Hyderabad, Restaurant Reviews, Sabyasachi     No comments   

V Junction Global Eatery is one of the new restaurants in Hyderabad which has created quite a buzz. Situated on the main thoroughfare of Banjara Hills with a large seating area and two open kitchens, the restaurant has been in the news especially for its buffet incorporating dishes from all over the globe.

Kabab Platter
Kabab Platter

The restaurant which can seat around 140 people is the brainchild of Mr. Veer Vijay Singh who used to be a familiar face at Taj Krishna Hyderabad.  Both his sons manage the restaurant which has an inaugural offer of Rs 750 (plus taxes) for the multi-cuisine buffet that they serve. The place which has a nice view of the adjoining road and City Centre Mall serves a-la-carte dishes as well.


Invited to a bloggers table to sample some of their food, I was welcomed with a mocktail named Green Garden which had an apple juice base with kiwi, lime and mint flavours. The drink was extremely smooth and refreshing and I went for a repeat during the lunch.



While waiting for the delicacies to arrive, I had a detailed look at their menu. The a-la-carte menu is divided into three parts – Indian, Eurasian, and Oriental. Quite a few of the dishes from each menu looked interesting, a few of them being Sashimis, Trio of Hummus and Khyber Gosht. The restaurant has different chefs for Asian, Indian and continental cuisines, and the buffet offers delicacies from all these cuisines as well as a few contemporary fusion dishes.



Varieties of Sushis
Varieties of Sushis

The buffet takes pride in the number of starters which are served. We were served four varieties of sushis. There was California Roll with crab meat in it, a prawn based sushi, and Futo Maki with assorted vegetables. The sushis were served with soy sauce, wasabi and gari. Also on display was a special wasabi which was literally “mind blowing”, many of us took a bit of time to recover after tasting it.


Kothe
Dimsums

Dim Sums followed the sushis. The translucent Crystal Vegetable Dumpling was my favorite of the three varieties served; the Kothe too had a nice stuffing of chicken.

Chicken Lollypops
Chicken Lollypops

After the oriental short-eats, it was time for the Kabab Platter to make an impact. The platter had fish and chicken kababs in three types of marinades – the usual tandoori masala, malai, and green. The platter was attractively styled and the food got devoured in no time. The red-coloured Chicken Lollypops, a favourite of Hyderabadis were nice and crunchy.

Stuffed Mushroom
Stuffed Mushroom

By now, more starters had trooped in and I was starting to lose count of the number of starters we were served. Stuffed Mushroom was one which stood out, and there were some nice Grilled Prawns served in delightful cherry tomato salsa.

Grilled Prawn with Tomato Salsa

Podi Idlis
Podi Idlis

There were tiffin items from the South Indian cuisine too – brilliantly plated Podi Idlis with some allam and coconut chutneys deserve a mention here.

Marmalade Prawns

We were told that Chicken Butter Masala was a star dish here and indeed it was one of the better ones I had in Hyderabad. It is a Lahori preparation where the butter and tomato gravy is tempered with dry methi. From the oriental stable, we sampled Marmalade Prawns.

Linguini in Beetroot Extract

From the continental kitchen, Linguini prepared with beetroot extract had a nice color, and the pasta tasted quite nice too.

The Desserts

The desserts brought out were Coconut Cheesecake, Tiramisu, and Chocolate Brownies. Though I do not consider myself as a fan of desserts in general, the Tiramisu was the one I liked most.

If there is one reason I would visit the restaurant, it is the variety of the starters. They have short eats from all over the world, including some attractive fusion dishes. A special note to the fans of Japanese cuisine, they can enjoy their sushis and sashimis here.  I would also like to go back and try a few select items from the main course of each of their menus – continental, Indian and oriental.

Location:
V Junction Global Eatery
First Floor Alcazar Building
Road No 1
Banjara Hills, Hyderabad
Telephone 33165703

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




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Wednesday, August 24, 2016

Quick Bytes: Fungi Fiesta, the Festival of Mushrooms at Tuscany

 Soumabha     4:11 AM     Food Festivals, Hyderabad, Restaurant Reviews, Sabyasachi     No comments   

Edible fungi and mushrooms do not find wide acceptance with the Indian food lovers. Some people are allergic to them, some people are put off by the looks and there is always the confusion whether mushroom is vegetarian or non-vegetarian food. However the real fans of mushrooms know how the fungi can bring a subtle to strong difference in flavour and taste of dishes.

Oriental Crust Pizza
Oriental Crust Pizza

Against this backdrop, it is very impressive to see Tuscany, the Italian restaurant at The Trident Hyderabad organize a promotion “Fungi Fiesta”, which is solely centered on Italian dishes incorporating mushrooms and other fungi. Among the top chefs in Hyderabad, Chef Manik Magotra is also one of the most experimental ones. As a result, the promotions at The Trident are often quite unique and brave.  At a bloggers table, we were exposed to a set preview menu, where starting from appetizers to the main course all the preparations were carefully planned and executed.

Wild Mushroom Cappuccino
Wild Mushroom Cappuccino

We started with Wild Mushroom Cappuccino. Mushroom based soups and bisques are not uncommon, but this one had a special twist – espresso foam added a subtle flavour to the combination of porcini, shitake and button mushrooms. For me, this was the dish of the day with its rich composition and a refreshingly different aftertaste.

The appetizer in the set menu, Chocolate and Crumb Fried Button Mushrooms was also novel. These were served with saffron cream. I was surprised at the appearance of chocolate coated mushroom at this stage instead of being the dessert and queried Chef Manik on this. As per him, the idea was to present these together came from the fact that both chocolate and mushrooms are umami. A sprinkling of rock salt on chocolate enhanced the taste of the starter.

Chocolate and Crumb Fried Button Mushrooms
Chocolate and Crumb Fried Button Mushrooms

Tuscany is known for its pizza and pasta. Today’s offering was Oriental Crust, a thin crust pizza with fish, squids, white fungus on a tomato and cheese base, with lemon grass and galangal adding a special oriental touch.

Salmon stuffed Ravioli
Salmon stuffed Ravioli

Salmon stuffed Ravioli was a delight for any seafood lover. But more than the pasta I was bowled over by the taste of the sauce in which it was served. The jus had chicken stock with sun dried tomatoes, shitake mushrooms, dill cream and caper, and the Chef had got the combo right resulting in a brilliant taste.

I am not a fan of risotto at all. But the creamy Portobello Risotto with mascarpone cheese and sun dried tomato were flavourful. The cheese and tomato sauce complemented the taste of Portobello mushroom nicely; I wondered if it could have been done in a pasta instead. But that, of course, is a personal preference or prejudice.

Portobello Risotto
Portobello Risotto


The dessert had Chocolate Mud Pie. It was served with truffle oil vanilla ice cream adding the fungi touch to it. The ice cream had a very different aftertaste which I enjoyed with the chocolate sauce.

Chocolate Mud Pie
Chocolate Mud Pie

I had a look at the menu for the promotion. Quite a few other dishes which looked interesting to me such as Porcini Glazed Chicken Breast, Assorted Mushroom Platter on a Bed of Ciabatta, a Pizza with four types of mushrooms and cheese and a pasta with black and white fungi.

What I loved about the festival is that each dish has been created and selected carefully to present the diversity of mushroom based Italian recipes. A wide variety of mushrooms has been showcased ranging from porcini, truffles to shitake and white fungus.

The promotion is on till 28th August and opens only for dinner. The dishes are available a-la-carte. Connoisseurs of Italian food will love the dishes served in this festival. It is also a must visit for experimental food lovers as well as lovers of mushrooms.

Location
Tuscany 
The Trident
Hitech City (next to Shilpa Kala Vedika)
Hyderabad
Telephone: 66232323

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



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Sunday, August 21, 2016

Sodhi da Dhaba from Amritsar comes to Sheraton, Hyderabad

 Soumabha     9:01 PM     Food Festivals, Hyderabad, Restaurant Reviews, Sabyasachi     No comments   

Of all varieties of Indian food, Punjabi cuisine is clearly the one which is most popular across the country. Even abroad, Indian cuisine means a localized version of Punjabi dishes like tandoori chicken and chicken tikka. However, often the recipes are fine tuned to the locate palate, and it is quite difficult to find authentic Punjabi food in the restaurants. To take an example the Punjabi food available in Hyderabad is often peppered with too much chilli powder and chaat masala, making one yearn for traditional tastes of the food from the land of five rivers.


Against this backdrop, Feast, the all-day diner at Sheraton Hyderabad decides to bring the earthy flavours of Punjab straight from a dhaba in Amritsar. Chef Sodhi, owner of Sodhi da Dhaba in Amritsar is here to curate “Aromas of Punjab” a festival of authentic Punjabi food. The restaurant has been decked up for the occasion in true Punjabi style. A live counter fashioned like a truck has been set up in the restaurant dishing out a range of Punjabi street food. There are other live counters as well serving some delicious lassi and garam chai.



I was greeted with some cool Kesariya Lassi as soon as I arrived for a Bloggers Table. The thick saffron flavoured lassi was a great refresher after a long journey to the hotel. To go with the lassi, there were some soft Paneer Tikkas and Vegetable Pakodas freshly prepared at the live street food counter.



We had a long chat with Chef Sodhi. Amritsar is the place which serves the best food in Punjab, and his dhaba is located just next to Jallianwalabagh. Their kitchen starts serving Chhole Kulche and Sarson da saag with Makki Di Roti from nine in the morning to late afternoon. In the evening it is time for Bhatti Ka Murgh, Butter Chicken, and other delicacies. As per Chef Sodhi, the original Punjabi recipes are very simple and use much lesser masala than the Punjabi food we get in Delhi or anywhere else in the country. In this festival, he has presented all the dishes in their true form as they are prepared in the hinterlands of Punjab.

Bhatti Da Murgh
Bhatti Da Murgh

One of the best dishes of the day was Bhatti Da Murgh, chicken prepared in an earthen kiln. The chicken pieces marinated in curd and select ground spices were so juicy that I did not need the mint chutney to go with it. Machhi Amritsari, the signature starter from Punjab had large chunks of fried boneless fish in a predominantly ajwain based masala.

Kulche Chhole
Kulche Chhole


After the starters, it was time to taste the well-known delicacies from Punjab. Kulche Chhole was the first such dish, the stuffed kulchas were delicious but the earthy chhole was really the star. The Sarson da Saag was again a simple preparation paired with Makki di Roti. I tried the Keema Kulcha with a Pyaaz Chutney, the chutney became a constant companion for the rest of my lunch.

Sarson Saag with Makki Di Roti
Sarson Saag with Makki Di Roti

Punjabi cuisine boasts of many tawa cooked dishes. Chef Sodhi explained that offals or lamb organs are popular as tawa dishes, and the day’s menu had Magaz (bheja), Kaleji and Gurda. The tawa counter also served Chicken Tikka Masala garnished with tomatoes and Boti Masala. For vegetarian, there was Tawa Tarkari and Paneer Tikka Masala. I tried a little bit of each with naan, the brain masala was especially good, with a distinct flavour of ground black pepper.



Food from the Tawa - Bhaja Kaleji Gurda and Chicken Tikka Masala

I could only try few non-vegetarian dishes from the main courses – Machhi Amritsari Masala and Rara Gosht were simply superb. The traditional Murgh Makhani (Butter Chicken) had less of masala and more of butter, with the naan dunked in the gravy soaking in these flavours. As per Chef Sodhi, the taste of butter chicken is predominantly of the butter and spices should not overwhelm that taste.

The Main Courses 

The desserts had some hot and crispy Jalebies and Moong Dal ke Halwa. Malpua is one of my favorite desserts, though today it was a trifle too sweet. We ended a super meal with some garma garam chai.



Desserts

“Aromas of Punjab” is on till 2nd September as part of the lunch and dinner buffets at Feast. It is priced at Rs 1350 (plus taxes). For food lovers, it is an opportunity to try out the rustic preparations straight from the dhabas of Amritsar.

Location:
Feast
Sheraton Hyderabad Hotel
ISB Road, Financial District
Gachibowli, Hyderabad
Telephone: 49251111

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


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      • Quick Bytes: The In-Room Picnic at The Park, Hyder...
      • Quick Bytes: Dakshin Celebrates Franco-Tamil Cuisi...
      • V Junction Global Eatery: World Cuisine comes to B...
      • Quick Bytes: Fungi Fiesta, the Festival of Mushroo...
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