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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.

 

 

 

 

 

A double Michelin meal - Gaggan

Never has a meal left me so conflicted that I was not able to put my experience down in words. Its taken me more than 10 days to be able to pen down my thoughts about my recent meal at Gaggans. And my friends in Delhi AND Bangkok have been asking about my experience so I finally managed to get a few words out.

Gaggans had been on our to do list for a while now but we missed getting a table during the last few trips to Bangkok so when we were planning our summer break there this year, one of the things we did before even booking a hotel was a reservation at Gaggans. We had to move the date around a bit but we finally got our confirmation to eat at the eponymous restaurant run by the ONLY Indian chef to have bagged 2 Michelin stars.

Located in a sort of a hideaway and clearly not looking for walk-ins, the restaurant is set up in very nicely done house with the tables spread across the different rooms. We arrived a little ahead of time as I did not want to lose my table, and after a brief wait we were seated.

The menu was a long list of Emojis, 17 to be exact, representing each course. My wife being a vegetarian got one with a couple of Emojis different from mine. While a few of the images gave hints as to what was coming, most were difficult to decipher, adding to the mystery of the dinner that was to unfold. As the servers brought our food, carefully placing the vegetarian version in front of my wife, they insisted we eat it first before they would tell us what it was. Predictably, barring a few of them, we got them wrong and the servers took great pride in telling us what we had just eaten.

Most of the courses came sans silverware and we were supposed to get involved with our food. One actually came with a bluetooth speaker playing the song “Lick it up” by Kiss, because that is what we were asked to do with the sauce smeared on our plates. Coming to the dishes the food was served in, they were matching with the food and clearly custom made for each course.

It was a 3 hour extravaganza and we got up from the meal feeling quite full so contradictory to some other experiences I heard of, there was more than enough food. And I was dining with my wife so it would be dangerous to say the wait in between courses was uncomfortable, which it truly wasn’t.

Chef Gaggan Anand was very present through the dinner and his celebrity status was clear to see as he walked from table to table like an epicurean rock star, chatting with the diners and happily posing for photographs. I had my fan boy moment and not only got a picture but I asked him to sign my menu which he did. My respect for the man has only increased for what he has done to Indian cuisine and for putting us on the global food map.

Eating something, I feel is a multi sensory experience and the chef can play with the elements to appeal to all of the senses. I loved the way Gaggans brought in every sense to play with the food. What I value the most though is the sense of taste and I felt it was that sense that was lower in the mix. Maybe to appeal to a larger International client base, I felt the flavours were somewhat muted.

The food presented was not short of art painted by a master, which Gaggan clearly is. I think my art appreciation gene though is missing. So while I know a Picasso can be worth millions, I don’t know what the fuss is about in his paintings. I would walk through the Louvre, ONCE.

The sheer inventiveness of the food and the absolutely superb service will make sure I will cherish this experience for a long time to come. Would I go back and eat this meal for two that costs $500 ? As much as I enjoyed the experience, the answer is a NO.

Not many pictures in this post, while I took pics of everything we ate, the lighting in the room made the pictures quite dark. I missed my video light sooooo much !

A bong feast ...

Not only are we going regional in our weekly lunches but we are also going seasonal.

Our bong friend Sharmistha graciously invited us for a traditional summer Bengali lunch and we wasted no time in accepting that offer. The long wait would have been unbearable but since we also had short vacations in between, we survived the wait.

Got to her house on time and started with a lovely fresh coconut water spiked with rum and a few other additions. Great cool drink in our crazy hot afternoons.

Next up came the starters, Fish Fry (which no Bengali meal can be without) with Kasundi and Vegetable Chop. Breaded and fried perfectly the Bekti fish was super tasty. Predictably there was no fish left on the plate which still had some vegetable chops bearing a rejected look.

We went there expecting great food thanks to her culinary reputation, but we were not prepared for the scale of the meal that was laid out. We were 3 , the meal was prepared for 30. won’t lie, love a full table and this table barely had any room left and we could hear the legs creaking under the weight. 5 types of fish, 2 types of prawns, Mutton and also some vegetarian dishes to round out the menu and of course the ever present Aloo.

The Kosha Mangsho was excellent as was the Chingri Malai Curry with the large sized prawn cooked just so it was super soft and not rubber. The Bhekti Poturi think was everyones favourite with the right amount of mustard and chilli bang. We could have done with that alone. The Gondhuraj Roi was not only delicious but deliciously fragrant with Kaffir Lime topping. It made a wonderful mouthful with the rice.

Now lovely parwal which is cooked regularly in our home. How does one make it better ? By stuffing it with yummy fish. And that is what the Potol er Dolma did. This lovely and seemingly simple item had multiple layers of prep and cooking but the result was smashing.

The Pabda Bori Jhaal, cooked as a whole fish was amazing. The meat just peeled away from the central rib cage and what was left was the Tom & Jerry fish skeleton as Manav pointed out. The meat itself was so good, its a shame couldn’t go for a second fish.

The big surprise was the aptly named Dhokar Dalma. Made with daal and meant to fulfil the meat longings for those who couldn’t eat meat anymore. wouldn’t say it made me not want meat but as a vegetarian dish it was excellent and in the absence of meat would eat this any day.

All of these were accompanied by soft, hot luchhis and govindbhog rice. Both the things we kinda avoided eating too much of, so we could focus on the good stuff. The pictures do no justice to the food honestly.

This is not quick fix food and the perfectionist that she is, Sharmistha laboured long hours finding the right ingredients, the prep and of course cooking in the kitchen to give us this treat. A big thank you to Sharmistha for her very warm hospitality and for taking us through this delicious journey through the Bong summer cuisine. This is super comfort food, Bong style 🙂. Aami khete khoob bhalobashi …

 

The Forbidden City brunch at Shang Palace

Another day , another dim sum. Or so I thought as I walked into Shang Palace. This place is well known for its food and for not compromising for the Indian palate. When I was informed that they had started a lunch serve based on the food from the Forbidden City in Beijing, I was intrigued and since I had been on the look out for dim sum recently I jumped at the chance to visit last week.

Once a year there is a street festival at the Forbidden City where food is served using age old recipes. It is these somewhat lost recipes that Shangri-La Delhi is recreating for their Sunday brunch.

My absolute favourite item in this meal was the Barbeque Pork Bun. I have eaten a bun or two around the world but there was definitely some black magic done with this one. I have never experience a bun so soft and the filling was delicious. I would return for an entire meal of this alone.

The twice cooked lamb chop was soft and tender and not made on the grill so the asian flavours were well seeped into the meat. They use New Zealand lamb which is lovely soft meat.

The lobster dumpling looked beautiful as it came topped with a little ring of green onion. To make it more luxurious perhaps, it was topped with some Beluga Caviar. In my opinion that was not needed, the dim sum with a mouthful of sweet lobster meat was the clear hero on that plate. The same was on a pre plated duck pancake. The duck skin was awesome and it shows they do an awesome duck, the serving was a little large for my mouth though and I had to cut it in two.

The stir fried scallop with snow peas was a great dish as well. Enough scallops to make anyone happy. Lightly flavoured and not drowning in sauce that you couldn’t taste the scallop.

For the main course I loved the Steamed Seabass in Sichuan Chilli Sauce. A perfect accompaniment to the Egg Fried Rice. The fish had a great flavour and the chilli was not overwhelming. While the serving was that of the whole fish, it was deboned so it was eaten easily.

One thing is for sure, the food was great and somewhat different from what I have eaten in other Chinese food places. So whatever they are doing is working well. We only got a sampler of what they serve but it was enough for me plan a return for the whole shebang.

I won’t comment on the service as due to the esteemed company I was in, the service couldnt have been better.

If you are looking for something a little different from a regular dim sum lunch then this is certainly not to be missed. This special brunch though is for a limited time only.

 

 

 

 

ATM - A Ta Maison - NOT for members only

Visited A Ta Maison (ATM) for lunch today. Right from the secluded hidden entrance in the back alley to the ambience of the restaurant itself, i was blown away. The food, the place, the service ... everything a cut above. The service especially was not far away from some posh gentlemens club in London or New York and i think thats what the plan was when this place was set up. I am surprised i hadnt been there before and i think that is because I didnt know part of the restaurant is open for non members.

The floor for members is something else altogether. Like a very tastefully done home that offers different seating styles to suit the mood. We decided to chill in the cigar lounge and ate there. Felt just like sitting in a friend's very tastefully done up den, all to ourselves and our nonsensical conversation over some beer and gin.

We kept it simple with the food and let the chef take over the ordering. First came the carpaccio, sliced really fine yet retaining the inherent flavor of the meat. The tenderloin we ate for the main course was out of the world. If i get into how soft it was, i will end up with an adult post so i will keep this post for all audiences. It was SOFT. Perfectly cooked just the way i like it. Rounded off the meal with a delicious Tiramisu.

If there are more people like me who thought ATM is for members only, its not, so do give this place a try. The folks behind the bar, in the kitchen and on the floor are doing wonders. I will most certainly be back.

 

 

 

 

 

Bengali food gem - City of Joy

Continuing the search for great regional food, last week a friend surprised us by taking us to City of Joy. Its not an easy place to find and once you enter and find that you are the only diners there its not comforting. My friend however had been there before and reassured us that the food is good. It looks like a canteen set in old times Kolkatta with the walls adorned with pictures of yesteryear movie stars from Bengal.

We didnt waste too much time on the menu and ordered some Bengali staples, Prawns Poturi, Prawns Kabiraji, Bekti Poturi, Kosha Mangsho and Mutton Biryani. We had some lovely Luchis with the Mangsho and ended the meal with Mishti Doi. The mutton in both dishes was really well done and was very tender.

The food was excellent but the Kosha Mangsho and Mutton Biryani were simply outstanding. Our server was great, smiling and eager to make us happy. I would repeat this meal any day and in fact now that i am writing about it i need to go there again.

 

 

Triple 8

A new entrant into the Asian food scene in Delhi is Triple 8, in Ansal Plaza. A large and opulent space very tastefully done up and in 2 levels. But what sets this place apart is the food.

Great sashimi is not that easy to get outside of 5 star hotels in Delhi, with one or two exceptions. Even then you would not be able to find the rare Blue Fin Tuna sashimi. Triple 8 has super fresh blue fin that just melts in your mouth. They dont stop there and also put it on a pizza with a little truffle, modern twist and just as delicious as the sashimi alone. This is brought in from Japan frequently and the Japanese know a thing or two about good sashimi :).

I have to applaud the boldness of the chef to put congee in a fine dining restaurant. Its a rare find also because its not easy to make a very flavourful dish out of what is essentially rice porridge. I am a little biased towards this one and i just would eat bowl fulls of the Prawn Congee in this place.

This bold attitude continues with the addition of the Five Spice Goat Brain, loved it. The asian flavours worked very well with it.

Another item that was familiar yet new was the lotus stem. This is not your regular lotus stem that you can find in most asian restaurants. Its BIG and like many of their ingredients, imported. Amazingly crunchy.

A beautiful high end ambience and top notch food will make this a very frequently visited location for people who love great food in a fine dining environment.
I will be visiting again soon, so many other things to try out.

Regional cuisine at Jamun

If i recall, about 15 or so years back good food in Delhi was usually Indian, Chinese, Italian or something called Continental. The people of Delhi were not very experimental and Mumbai was considered the place for a more varied food experience. Over time though i have seen Delhi go through a sea change in the food habits and as people have been eating out more and more, the restaurant scene seems to be going through a renaissance like period.

Even regional Indian food has broken through the state bhawan chains and is now widely accepted with more and more restaurants exploring different foods of this diverse country.

One such new regional offering is Jamun, from Rakshay Dhariwal of ATM, PCO, PDA and Pings fame. Located in the relatively quiet market in Lodi Colony (this is where Tres used to be), it covers food mainly from the Indian subcontinent south of Mumbai. There are some dishes from the North as well. There splashes of purple here and there and the seating is simple. Adding to the charm of the place is the music, old Hindi evergreen classics which puts everyone in a warm nostalgic mood.

I started with my current favourite bar snack, the Andaman bait fish. These little yummy morsels are fried in a light batter and a little squeeze of lemon is all it needs before you just keep eating them.

Some of the things i ate and would go back include the Jhalmuri with Soft Shell Crab, which is an interesting combination and the soft shell crab is an unusual item for a standalone restaurant. I must say here i focussed on the crab and pushed the jhal muri aside.

The Goan pork was super soft, delicious and accompanied with Poi bread had you imagining sand below your feet and the sound of waves outside. The size of the Poi was also just right when you have a lot of other food on the table.

My absolute favorite item was the Raan in korma gravy. The slow cooked raan was full of flavour and was clean off the bone.

Some of the other notable mentions were the Daab Chingri, the Seekh Kabab and the Prawns in butter garlic. They are using some great big sized prawns here.

The vegetarian part of the menu had its own stars, like the excellent stuffed morels and their Daal.

The Jamun fruit, aside from bringing a memory of a very seasonal juicy delicious fruit and the cool purple, also brings to mind your mothers warning , keep it away from your clothes, that juice stain is permanent.

Just like the fruit, the Jamun we tangled with last night also left an indelible mark on our minds and palates.

Fun Fact: If you look at the menu at Jamun and see the purple splashes on each page, those are not random splotches, they are actually outlines of Indian states :)