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Aku's - The BRRGRR co.

 Burgers have been on our minds ever since we got sidetracked the last time we were on our way to Aku’s. This time I was craving one so bad that I also put on my burger cuff links so that I could do some subliminal influencing on my lunch mates. No such influence was needed and we made it to the little place this Tuesday for our usual JAMsession. When I say little I mean it, it can seat about 12 people. Surprisingly though they have squeezed in a much needed restroom which I was very thankful for when I reached.

Between the 3 of us we had 5 burgers and that wasn’t just because we eat a lot, we ordered 3 first and then another 2 so one thing I clear that the size is somewhat small. The burgers look and feel reminded me of In and Out burgers in the USA which are one of my favourite burgers.

Manav had been there before and he is clearly biased about burgers so he opted to stay quiet and let Jasjit and I try our burgers so we could make up our own minds before we openly discussed them.

The first round was all lamb burgers with different toppings as per the menu. I like to try the menu offerings first before I manipulate the food as per my liking. The burgers came nicely half wrapped in butter paper and with name stickers on them so they don’t get mixed up. Thats important if someone orders a vegetarian burger :). The buns used are very fresh and super soft, we really liked them but the problem with such soft buns is that if there is a lot of sauce the buns turn mushy. That wasn’t too much of a problem because we ate them pretty quickly :).

The burgers are also steamed while on the grill which not only speeds up the cooking time but also makes the patty juicy, moist and very delicious :).

The Meister, which is what i ordered first, comes with a fried egg on top of the patty. But in my case the yolk was fully set and not runny like it ideally should be so the yellow goodness spread all over and adds another flavor element. I missed that part.

The chicken burger was a bit dry, probably because of the chicken breast used. I think in the battle of taste versus health, health won that round. We won’t be ordering that one again.

There was a selection of french fries also on the menu and we got the paprika ones and the parmesan truffle fries. Quite nice but the hint of truffle was too low to register.

What we felt was missing was a basic cheese burger and in our next round we got one made with only the lamb patty and cheese in between the buns. Thats when the burger really shone and I would totally go back for that. And this time I will take a couple of pepperoncinis to really complete the In and Out feel. Yes I know In and Out serves a different pepper but I have those at home and I think they are pretty close to the real thing :).

I would also like to go back and try the mushroom burger which I have heard is pretty good.

So all in all it was a good lunch with decent burgers, certainly repeatable but not the awesome experience we were anticipating.

 

 

 

 

Me and my love for Mushrooms - Ping's

Every now and then you have that sort of other wordly experience with food.

It happened with me at lunch today at Ping's.

Lured by the promise of a great stewed duck with rice I walked in not knowing what was in store for me. While placing the order I heard the words Mushroom rice and a voice in my head said 'order that'. So despite the wierd looks I got from my companions for ordering something vegetarian, I followed my instinct and ordered that. People who know me, know that i have this strange fetish for Mushroom Rice and Congee. So much that i regularly try and make both myself in order to learn about the secrets lurking within them. The mushroom happens to be my favourite vegetable (if you can call it that).

One bite of the mushroom rice and I felt a warm glow enveloping me. And no the air conditioning was working just fine. Havent you ever taken a bite of food so good that you just stopped talking ? It was just about me and that rice on my plate, everything else seemed to get blurred. Cooked so perfectly with a medley of different types of mushrooms that the umami goodness was packed into every single grain of rice. With just a hint of truffle oil to round of the flavour so smoothly. This is the kind of food you want when you are sad. This is the kind of food you want when you are happy.

It hit a note !

This was meant to be an ode to that rice but I am having such a problem putting my feelings down in words.I am already thinking about when I can go back to eat it again.

I must add that everything else I ate was also excellent, in particular the Duck rice which I had gone for in the first place. I walked out of Pings this afternoon with a increased amount of love and respect for the place and their kitchen staff.

So folks if you haven't been to Pings, please go. If you have been to Pings, please go again, they have new stuff but don't forget to try this Mushroom Rice although it may not do to you what it did to me. And most importantly, ALWAYS listen to that voice in your head .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Orza

This week a couple of friends and I hit Orza at Ansal Plaza. We had been planning and missing it for a while but it was meant to be and we showed up.

The place is more than 6 months old but it looks fresh and new. Contemporary seating and layout with a menu that covers the food between Turkey and Uttar Pradesh.

Meat lovers that we we, we decided to stick to the lamb offerings. One friend slipped up and ordered a ….. I find it difficult to even say it … vegetarian starter. We were were obligated to peck at that mix of Pomegranate, Olives and Walnuts but what we were really looking forward to was the MEAT.

A complementary Lahmacun came first, both the vegetarian and lamb type. The vegetarian one was ok with too many things on it but the lamb one was outstanding. Very nicely spiced and can be had as a pizza any day. We ate it before I could realise I forgot to take a picture of the lamb one, will have to return for that picture :).

The Afghani Lamb Kebab was next. I can’t comment on the origins of the kebab but it was excellent. The meat was very tender and flavourful. The Chapli Kebab came and I knew was great from a visit earlier.

We also ate the Tabak Maaz which I would say was the only dish I personally wasn’t completely overjoyed with. It didn’t mean I didn’t like it enough to not finish it :).

While we were mostly full from the kebabs, I pushed for us to try the Lamb Biryani. I had eaten it at a previous visit and it is clearly one of my favourite biryanis in the city. Its both delicate and lightly spiced with each grain of rice coated in the delicious lamb good ness.

The best dish of the lunch was something they are about to launch and since we had seen some pictures of it on social media, we requested for it. The Lamb Seekh Kebab was simply divine. The spicing was great and it remained tender and moist. It came sitting on a nicely packed pile of onions which tasted great with the kebab.

I must say the attention given to the plating of every dish was superb. They looked as good as they tasted and the kitchen team deserves a pat on the back for that. The service team was great and very attentive, clearly knew what they were doing.

After a great satisfying lunch, while we sat wondering why hadn’t visited sooner, one final surprise awaited us when the bill arrived. The pricing at Orza is extremely good and clearly you get a great bang for your buck. With great food and great pricing, we will certainly be back again soon. They do have a full bar which we didn’t take advantage of sadly, being a working day.