So last month was the brother's birthday and we wanted to take him out some place fancypants just before throwing him off the stiff edge of the cliff - first job and moving out. It's always a tough decision when you have to be a mom and dad simultaneously without forgetting to be the big sis. You have to protect and provide, you have to egg and push, you have to be fun and just mildly dictatorial. But birthdays are times to put all of that aside and just, you know, have a good time.
The brother is a major foodie but his experiments will usually stop at the familiar and comforting. So dinner at The Kitchens Of Kangan Festival put together at Kangan, Westin, was perfect. What's more, three of their best chefs from Hyderabad, Pune and Mumbai had put together a delectable menu.
We finished the dinner with a very sweet, very rich and very flavourful Khubani ka Meetha - which you may find too sweet. I do not have much of a sweet tooth. My sugar cravings are limited to those times when my blood sugar dips. But as sweet and loud as this dish was, I somehow found myself going back for extra scoops of it. it was ridiculously delicious and I think I would eat it again. Oh yes. They also had this Gulab Patte Ki Kheer - nice, fresh, cooling and delicately sweetened. The man loved it more I suppose. I don't know if my sugar was dipping or if I was just feeling out of sorts but Khubani ka Meetha is what I will go back for.
It was a lovely dinner, and an even lovelier idea, getting three master chefs from three cities to put together a delicious menu. We were most impressed by and spoke the most to Chef Shamsher of the Mumbai kitchen. Chef Shamsher is a sweet, humble man who strives to stick to simplicity and very soulful, full bodied, Indian flavours in this world where molecular gastronomy, and new and alien flavours are all the rage. He's easily a symbol of all that is familiar and comforting that you can go back to in the culinary world. His flavours are home.
And Westin is fast turning into one of my favourite dining out destinations in Mumbai. If you folks get a chance to sample, do. Westin in Pune and Hyd are also hosting this festival and well, even if they are not, go. Parts of the menu are part of the perennial menu.
(PS: If you plan to photograph your food, carry your DSLR and some fancypants lenses- great food, very romantic and candle light worthy but terrible for taking food photos.)
The brother is a major foodie but his experiments will usually stop at the familiar and comforting. So dinner at The Kitchens Of Kangan Festival put together at Kangan, Westin, was perfect. What's more, three of their best chefs from Hyderabad, Pune and Mumbai had put together a delectable menu.
We started out with polishing off an entire plate of poppadums served
with a bunch of chutneys; a garlic yogurt, pudina chutney and small
pickled onions. Nice stuff. I had a horrid cold but the man got himself a
tall glass of a 'Herbal Fair' mocktail, which looked a lot like one of
those health drink smoothies. But once I tasted it, I instantly
regretted not getting one for myself. Refreshing, crushed basil with
citrus notes and hints of cumin. Very good.
A platter of assorted starters came in. A grilled paneer, some Aloo Tuk,a Corn Kebab - all of it good but most shockingly, what blew our minds was the Baby Potatoes - Aloo Tuk, a sweet, sour, spicy, roasted dish that we could have eaten in heaps and called it a day. I'd go back just for that.
Main course arrived, it was again something the chefs decided for us because we insisted they take charge of our menu for the night. Sometimes, it's a huge relief not having to select, especially when there are two men looking beseechingly at the food blogger in the family to make all the right choices. That's when higher gods are summoned: chefs' choice. A basket of assorted breads, including Roomali Roti, Missi Roti, Tandoori Rotis, Pahadi Roti (a lovely, earthy roti with spinach blended into the dough) and Garlic Naan spiked with some very potent red chilli.
I know it all sounds very simple and usual but you eat this and every other regular restaurant will pale in comparison. I loved the Pahadi Roti and Garlic Naan and I do hope the former stays on the regular menu. Very yum. There was Saag and Paneer - the usual fare. And Adalhaat ki Dal.
There's something very interesting I noticed about the entire menu we tasted - nothing was overtly spiced, a lot of the ingredients were able to find their own voice in the dishes. You could taste the spike of ginger in the dal, the bitter earthiness of methi in the saag - there was no attempt made to cloak any flavour and if you clsoed your eyes, you could believe this was a meal as rustic in flavour as it contained finesse in delivery. Impressive. We also got a supremely tiny tasting portion (we were about to burst and dessert was still a future milestone) of Dal Kangan - please go eat this. Please. It is, essentially, Kaali Dal aka Maa Ki Dal but they do glorious things to it, slow cooking it for 12 hours and then lifting it with heavy cream and...just, seriously, go eat this. It's a bowl of divinity.
We finished the dinner with a very sweet, very rich and very flavourful Khubani ka Meetha - which you may find too sweet. I do not have much of a sweet tooth. My sugar cravings are limited to those times when my blood sugar dips. But as sweet and loud as this dish was, I somehow found myself going back for extra scoops of it. it was ridiculously delicious and I think I would eat it again. Oh yes. They also had this Gulab Patte Ki Kheer - nice, fresh, cooling and delicately sweetened. The man loved it more I suppose. I don't know if my sugar was dipping or if I was just feeling out of sorts but Khubani ka Meetha is what I will go back for.
It was a lovely dinner, and an even lovelier idea, getting three master chefs from three cities to put together a delicious menu. We were most impressed by and spoke the most to Chef Shamsher of the Mumbai kitchen. Chef Shamsher is a sweet, humble man who strives to stick to simplicity and very soulful, full bodied, Indian flavours in this world where molecular gastronomy, and new and alien flavours are all the rage. He's easily a symbol of all that is familiar and comforting that you can go back to in the culinary world. His flavours are home.
And Westin is fast turning into one of my favourite dining out destinations in Mumbai. If you folks get a chance to sample, do. Westin in Pune and Hyd are also hosting this festival and well, even if they are not, go. Parts of the menu are part of the perennial menu.
(PS: If you plan to photograph your food, carry your DSLR and some fancypants lenses- great food, very romantic and candle light worthy but terrible for taking food photos.)
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