HYDERABAD: Anyone who has watched the movie Dawat-e-Ishq will remember the scene in the title song where the heroine is bombarded with all the oh-so-delicious Lucknowi food, that is the feeling one gets on entering the aptly named, Dawat-e-Awadh, Awadhi food festival at Firdaus, Taj Krishna.
The meal kickstarts with drinks which are the usual orange and mint mocktails that refreshing and cool and provide a welcome relief from the heat outside. The festival is an elaborate four course lunch affair with appetisers. The Subz Badam Ka Shorba will steal your heart and is hot and filling. But don’t fill your stomach just yet as there is more to come in the meal.
Next in line are the starters which are the kebabs and galawat of Lucknow. But the main course stands out with an almost applause deserving perfection. The vegetarians should try the dal nawabi which is arhar dal with a tinge of lemon and zesty garlic and the gobi musallam, which is finger-licking good with its rich cashew nut gravy. For the non-vegetarians, the murgh awadhi korma, chicken simmered in cashew and onion gravy and the nihari gosht which is lamb cooked in lamb stock called ‘yakhani’ is an explosion of tastes. They are served with Ulte tawa paratha and Warqui paratha, which are both just tools to enjoy the curries. The desserts were also pretty good but it was evident that the main course stole the show. The best among all the desserts is the Shahi Tukda, which is the Lucknowi version of our very own Double ka Meetha.
The chef behind the menu is Mohammad Nizam, who works as a consultant back in Lucknow.
The Awadh Food Festival will go on till November 5 and is open for lunch and dinner.