HYDERABAD: A conclave of chefs spent more than enough time with khansamas from the by lanes of Delhi to come up with this elaborate spread.
Beginning with the appetisers, to the desserts, you cannot just pick a few. The Rivayat menu at Kanak, Trident, aims to revive the traditional Indian cuisine and the job is done right. While the chef says both vegetarians and non vegetarians will be happy, non-vegetarians might disagree.
The best
The purani Dilli fried chicken kebab is finely cooked chicken covered in homemade spice mix that is the traditional secret recipe of khansamas from old Delhi. The spices hit your palate in the first bite, but only delicious and harmless. Then, the galavat kebab that is minced lamb kebab is also well spiced. The flavour settles in after the perfectly done kebab melts in your mouth. If lamb is not your first choice, then you might rethink.
In the main course again the lamb meat wins over the chicken. The traditional lamb curry cooked in earthenware pot is the maratban ka meat. Its strong garlic and chilli flavours make the perfect combination with the sheermal or the lacha paratha. The purani Dilli ki nihari, lamb gravy flavoured with authentic spices does not let you rest after one serving. This works well with the Lukhnawi murgh biryani. Not at all like our local biryani, that has strong flavours, this one with the lamb gravy leaves a lasting impact on your palate.
For the vegetarians, bharwan amchori bhindi that is accompanied with raw mango and whole onions has very unique flavours. The masala stuffed in the bhindi, coupled with the sourness from the raw mango makes it go on the list of the top dishes.
The good
Vegetarians can binge on the soya ke tootak, for starters – spiced soya bean patty covered with crisp semolina pastry. The crunch on the outside and the softness of the patty inside leave you asking for more. The flavours are slighlty on the milder side. The Rampuri paneer tikka also is slightly spiced, but the texture is what makes it stand apart.
Pindi chole too is very differently flavoured.
The traditional butter chicken on the menu can be given a miss. Only because you don’t want to miss the lamb dishes.
What stays on
If there is one thing on the menu that is going to stay with you, haunting you to go back and have more is the dry fruit dudhi halwa. The traditional bottle gourd pudding with nuts served in a matka. The texture, the sugar content and the flavour of the dry fruits are all well-balanced. The diet-conscious, the ones without a sweet tooth, the diabetics – should all take one bite. Let me know if you will stop at that.
Details: Rivaayat is an ongoing festival till April 5, at Kanak, the Indian speciality restaurant, Trident, Hi-Tech city from 7:30 pm onwards. Priced at `1995 per person exclusive of taxes.
For reservations: 040 6623 2323