Hyderabadi Food Festival : Daawat-E-Nizaam at Sepia, by Renaissance Lucknow

Wait! Did we just read 'Hyderabadi food'? One of the most exciting cuisines in India, or should we boast like it and say around the world? Yes, the food and beverages team at Renaissance Lucknow Hotel has managed to bring down the authentic flavors from the city of Nizams to city of Nawabs to savour!

Hyderabad is hugely admired for its sophisticated, spicy and absolutely scrumptious cuisines. Like any other historical city, the food of Hyderabad blends royal zest with regional tang and delivers a mouth-watering potpourri of Andhra (now Telangana) specialities and Hyderabadi cuisines that is loaded with spices, ghee and dry fruits and displays the indigenous culinary tradition of the land. Since centuries, Hyderabadi food has attracted bon vivants with its delicate taste and aromatic flavor. The food platter of the city of Nizams not only boasts of local zest, but is also influenced by the culinary traditions of Persia, Arabia, Afghanistan and Turkish nations.

Upon my recent visit to the Sepia restaurant, situated on the third floor at Renaissance Hotel, I was treated with a smorgasbord of finger-licking delicacies straight from the aesthetically curated Hyderabadi menu by Chef Moshin Qureshi and his team, where they beckon its guests to come and experience a 'Shahi' fine dining event. From delectable kebabs to heavily spiced curries to highly aromatic biryani, the on-going HYDERABADI FOOD FESTIVAL at Sepia is a delightful haven for the foodies! Scroll down below to take a look at what all I tasted..

STARTERS

Of all the Muslim cuisines, Hyderabadi is the only cuisine in the sub-continent that can boast of a major vegetarian element. Well, I could sense that from the starters, and it continued till the main course. But first things first, I was served some delightful looking Paalak Anjeer Kebabs which were basically made of spinach + green chilly + coriander + lemon leaves + mint soaked all night and made into a paste, and binded into kebabs while filling them with anjeer (figs) and khoya, blended with spices that burst flavours in your mouth. And, similar was the case with the Veg Shikampuri Kebabs that melted in the mouth right as you feel the taste of cumin, cloves and cinnamon rolled into bengal gram lentil. Lastly I tried the Hariyali Paneer Tikka which was grilled perfectly on the sides, but became coarse on the centre, but were beautifully marinated in the green paste with subtle spices and tasted just yum!

Paalak Aur Anjeer Ke Kebab

Veg Shikampuri Kebab

Hariyali Paneer Tikka

MAIN COURSE

Hyderabadi cuisine contains a variety of ingredients that are commonly used, ranging from vegetables, spices, rice flavors, fruits etc., with tomato and tamarind being the most commonly used ingredients. So, among the widely displayed main course, I chose to taste some Bhaghare Baigan (a dish consisting of stuffed eggplant with grounded peanut-coconut mixture, cooked in a rich and creamy paste) with the other dishes including the very famous Mirch Ka Saalan, (gravy with bigger green chillies as the core ingredient) Khatti Daal (whole gram lentils boiled with tamarind and curried with tomato and other spices), and Paneer Khatta Pyaza (cottage cheese with pearl onions in a tomato based curry topped with mint). Each of the dishes were rich in taste and texture with mouth-watering aromas, and relished with breads that included Roghni Naan (a soft, fermented crisp bread with a tinch of sweet and salt), and Muraani Naan. Highly delectable, I must say. And to top it all, came the Subz Biryani (vegetable biryani cooked with the dum pukht technique) that tasted nothing less than what the non-vegetarian could substitute on a 10/10 scale! 

Bhaghare Baigan

Khatti Daal

Paneer Khatta Pyaaz

Mirch Ka Saalan

Roghni Naan

Muraani Naan

Subz Biryani

DESSERTS

There is literally no better way to end a royal meal than slurping off some derivative desserts from the city of Nizams, that included Khumani Ka Meetha (an apricot pudding, topped with almonds and cream) and Double Ka Meetha (Bread toast pudding, topped with dry fruits and cream). The apricot pudding being a fruit based was however a bit too sweet than the other one containing just the right amount of sugar to resolute with bliss!

Khumani Ka Meetha

Double Ka Meetha

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One thing that bowled me over this time at Sepia was the decoration at the entrance. The global icon of Hyderabad, the CHARMINAR stood tall on a cut-out surrounded by pots and buckets filled with pickles, chutneys and whole spices, displayed to give an authentic touch to the festival as running inside a dimly lit Awadhi restaurant with a sophisticated ambience that included LIVE music to add to a fine dining experience! 

The decoration at the entrance

The table I chose to sit at, diagonally opposite the musicians' dais.

Clicked while sipping some guava juice, waiting to hog on the main course.

I hope you enjoyed exploring this post, but must have missed reading about non vegetarian food, right? Well, for all you non-veg lovers, my friend Azman Khan reviewed it entirely for you in his LIVE video session on facebook. You can CLICK HERE to watch! PS :  The Hyderabadi Food Festival is up till 26th February, 2017 at sepia restaurant, so you can go and experience it yourself. Make your bookings HERE, and do share your experience with me! :)

 

Photographed by : Azman Khan


~xoxo~

Punjabi Food Festival at L-14, by Renaissance Lucknow

Hi everyone, hope y'all are doing good. Well, for all my Indian readers, I know guys we are all going through mixed feelings at the moment with the new currency notes issued. But, I really hope the government is able to do what they have pictured for future, for the betterment of everyone!

With that, I'd like to mention that for past few days I've been getting requests to post a full story about the PUNJABI FOOD FESTIVAL that's going on at L-14, Renaissance Lucknow Hotel, on my blog as you'd been seeing pictures from there on my social media. But amidst all the currency affair, I just got delayed. As I collect the energy to write this down today, I thought of just quickly taking you through the entire buffet that I captured the other day on my visit to try some authentic Punjabi food at the restaurant!

You know I tend to eat a lot when it comes to dinners, and Punjabi food has always ignited the foodie in me. I love the cuisine of Punjab, as it has an enormous variety of mouth-watering vegetarian as well as non vegetarian dishes. The spice content ranges from minimal to pleasant to high. Punjabi food is usually relished by people of all communities. In Punjab, home cooking differs from the restaurant cooking style. At the restaurants, the chefs make a liberal use of desi ghee, butter and cream to make the food lip smacking and finger licking. Since I was a kid, my parents were keen on feeding me dishes from the land of five rivers, as they say. And developing a taste so good is always useful because now that I have so many Punjabi friends, I keep getting the flavor love!

So, I recently attended the on-going Punjabi Food Festival at L-14, Renaissance Lucknow and got to taste some authentic but exclusively prepared dishes from the dinner buffet curated by Chef Balvinder and his team. To be honest, they always make me go crazy with their innovative flavors and that's exactly what happened this time again. I chose to try the maximum vegetarian dishes I could, and my friend Azman did all the non vegetarian tasting and we have a complete review for you all below.

Also, the fest is up till 13th November, 2016 so you all can go and enjoy all of it yourself!

That's my plate full of sarso saag (topped with white butter), makka roti (corn bread), rajma, chathkara pyaaz (onion), gud (jaggery), paneer tikka, and corn kebab.

Like always, let's start with the starters first. As I like spicy food, I kind of also keep it subtle, and hence tried the famous Bhutta Kebab that's made of corn and is amazingly crispy and full of Indian flavors, and along with that tried some Paneer Tikka as the starters, beautifully roasted and topped with spice that matched my taste so much! In the non vegetarian section, Azman picked some Lamb Chops and some Amritasari Machhi (fish) and in his words, "I simply loved the mouthwatering lamb blended with flavors of real Punjab, and the fish I've tasted has never been so crisp and on fleek." So first come first rank the starters are always so good at Renaissance.

Bhutta Kebab

Bhatti ka Paneer

Coming to the main course, I'll first tell you about the vegetarian dishes as that's all about my liking. I love paneer more than anything in the main course mostly, and hence I tried the delicious Butter Paneer along with the authentically prepared Sarso Saag, Rajma and Karare Matar that are always the highlight of the Punjabi buffet, as lentils have always been the important ingredients of the cuisine! My three favorites cooked to perfection and I just couldn't resist getting second servings of each!

Butter Paneer

Sarso Saag

Rajma

I'm not sure but do you too feel that Punjabi cuisine has more Non Vegetarian dishes than Vegetarian and I kinda dislike it, because why the difference bro? Well, good for Azman because he got to try so many varieties of lamb and chicken and fish and everything was so appealing and like always he did insist me to try some but I'm just against animal killing (and also eating). But, I'm sure many of you are hard core non-vegetarians and must be drooling looking at all the pictures below. As per Azman's review, he liked every bit of the soft cooked lamb which bursted with Indian flavors leaving the spiciness on the tongue for a log time! The Chicken Wings were so delectable and the Butter Chicken had a distinctive local flavor to it which was irresistible. He also found the Bhuna Gosht and other lamb dishes really toothsome and tasted more than a piece for satisfaction!

Tandoori Kukkad (chicken with Indian spices)

Bhuna Gosht (Lamb with Indian Spices)

Butter Chicken

Chulhe di Champee (Lamb cooked in Traditional Indian Spices)

Asian Style Chicken Wings

Gosht Pulao (Lamb Pilaf)

 Oh, and guys don't forget to taste some Papad. It'll just add to the Punjabi flavor!

Traditional Punjabi thali consists of varied kinds of breads; some are baked in the tandoor such as Tandoori Roti, Lachha Paratha, Naan and Kulcha, while others are dry baked on tava like Chapatti and Jowar ki Roti. There is another fabulous variety of roti called Rumali Roti, which is larger in size as compared to the normal one and is also easily absorbable. Also, there are breads that are shallow fried such as Parantha and deep fried such as Poori and Bhatoora. And we tried so many varieties all together, simply because they looked so inviting and tasted scrumptious!

And it was so sweet of one of the chefs to show us the proper technique he uses to make the best tandoori rotis/kulchas for us!

Variety of Naan and Kulcha we tasted, including Makka Roti, Methi Naan, Pudina Naan, etc.

High on calories maybe but Punjabi dinner cannot end without a serving or two of authentic Indian desserts. You won't just do justice if you forget trying the indigenous Gulab Jamun and Rasmalai with melting-in-mouth tendency. They are two of my favorites in the Indian dessert list, and adding to that my most favorite Mahalabia at L-14, which is always impressible! Along with these, we also tried some other desserts from the counter and I really liked the Strawberry Mousse because it had that soft texture and light sweet flavor that appealed so much!

Gulab Jamun, Rasmalai, Mahalabia 

White Chocolate Strawberry Mousse

Cheese Cake

Baked Yogurt

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I had a wonderful time, enjoying the Punjabi dinner buffet at L-14, Renaissance Lucknow Hotel and I highly recommend you all to visit there and try the specially crafted food for all. Its not something you get in town everyday, and so you shall MAKE RESERVATIONS NOW.

 

Photographed by : Azman Khan

~xoxo~

Safar - The Journey Of Flavours From Then Till Now at Sepia, by Renaissance Lucknow

Aadaab janaab aur mohtaram! I am surely ruling by this style of greeting, eh? Anyway, that just simply means 'hi everyone!'

Being a Lucknowite by birth and have lived in the city of Nawabs all my life till now, I have a great great attachment with Lucknow and everything that's associated with it. May it be the culture, fashion, its people or most importantly its food. As you might know, Lucknow is known well worldwide due to its unmatchable Awadhi cuisine which is an indigenous part of the city. The dishes and cooking style of the people here is inspired and influenced by the Mughals, and I'm one die hard fan of it too!

Recently I attended the on-going Awadhi food festival, SAFAR - THE JOURNEY OF FLAVOURS FROM THEN TILL NOW, along with my friend Azman Khan at Sepia restaurant at Renaissance Lucknow Hotel, and it became a must share story for me with you all!  

The richness of Awadhi cuisine lies not only in the variety of the cuisine but also in the ingredients used like mutton, paneer (cottage cheese), and rich spices. The need for such a cuisine arose in Lucknow as the emperors, the Nawabs of Awadh, being inhabitants of Persia were used to a certain type of diet which comprised of grains, dry fruits, fruits and vegetables available in that part of the country apart from various forms of meat. This style of cooking was further polished by the Nawabs by adding exotic flavors of saffron and other Indian spices.

The bawarchis (chefs) and rakabdars (gourmet cooks) of Awadh invented the dum style of cooking or the art of cooking over a slow fire, which became popular and synonymous with Lucknow. Their spreads consisted of elaborate dishes such as kebabs, kormas, biryanis, kaliyas, nahari-kulchas, zarda, sheermal, roomali rotis, and warqi parathas. 

Today, years later with SAFAR, Chef Mohsin Qureshi - the Chef De Cuisine along with his team at Sepia, took ques from the original recipes of some popular Nawabs of the city, and has reinvented its glorious flavours while recreating an extravagant menu for all of us to relish and feel the modernised twists in the age old recipes! 

Awadhi cuisine is native to the city of Lucknow. The cooking patterns of are similar to those of Central Asia, the Middle East, and Northern India with the cuisine comprising both vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes prepared with exotic spices, herbs and garnished with dry fruits. I, along with Azman gorged upon some of the finest Awadhi delicacies prepared exclusively for us by Chef Qureshi and below is an array displayed for you to have a look and drool!

Oh JK! This food festival is running up till 2nd November so you can actually go and taste the entire menu yourself!

STARTERS (VEG)

Kebabs are the integral part of Awadh. There are several varieties of popular kebabs in Awadhi cuisine like Kakori Kebabs, Galawat ke Kebabs, Shami Kebabs, Boti Kebabs, Patili-ke-Kebabs, Ghutwa Kebabs and Seekh Kebabs are among the known varieties. So, we were served lots of kebabs in the starters and I was so happy to see that they had some unique vegetarian recipes incorporated!

Til Bhindi ke Kebab (Sesame + Lady Finger)

My favorite out all, so that's no.1!

Doodhi Dahi Gilawti Kebab (Bottle Guord + Curd)

This is one of the most unbelievable kebabs I ever tasted.

Tara Arbi

For most of you who don't like colocasia, this is a must try!

We also tried 'Gobhi (Cauliflower) ke Shaami Kebab' which were super tender and tasteful!

STARTERS (NON-VEG)

Machhi Masala (Fish fried in herbs and spices)

Soft, delectable, yummy!

Jeera Dhaniya Murgh 

(Cumin Seed + Coriander in Chicken filled with Mozerella Cheese)

Very innovative dish, and Cheesy AF. A junk non-vegetarian's paradise!

Gosht Gilawti (Mutton Kebabs with Garlic Bread)

Love the unique display and it did taste awesome as well!

MAIN COURSE (VEG)

Curries and Kormas originated in the lavish Mughal cuisine wherein lamb or chicken was braised in velvety, spiced sauces, enriched with ground nuts, cream and butter. The main course menu of Safar include lots of revamped vegetarian and non-vegetarian varieties and you must take a look below at what all we tasted the other day!

Bhindi Nain Tara (Spicy Ladyfinger)

I was drooled by the name already, and also its my favorite vegetable so it was yum indeed!

Dal Dhungar (Black Lentil with Mixed Spices)

Khumani Kofta (Apricot Stuffed Koftas)

Melts in mouth, amazingly thought of and well put together with a blend of spices and innovation!

MAIN COURSE (NON-VEG)

Turai Gosht (Ridge Gourd + Mutton)

Succulent enough to pop your taste buds and delight for the fans of fusion dishes!

Lagan Dum Ka Murgh

Completely swayed by the juicy chicken and Awadhi flavored gravy. A complete gourmet delight!

Awadhi breads are very significant. A few varieties are of the raised breads and improvisations are of different types and made in various ways that include the rumaali roti, tandoori roti, naan, kulcha, warqi paratha, lachha paratha, sheermaal and baqarkhani. We preferred tasting Plain naan and one of our favorite breads at Sepia, the Warqi Paratha. I'm not too sure, but if you remember in my previous post for Sepia during the Kakori food fest, I did mention how luscious this bread was, and still is indeed!

I am a vegetarian survivor, but my friends keep forcing me to try non vegetarian food too. Well, its just not my cup of tea and I am glad that vegetarian food combinations are innumerable for people like me to taste some real good food without compromising on taste. Well, Azman says the same for non vegetarian food served to him!

PS : I had a wonderful time during the Awadhi dinner and it was an helluva experience rediscovering flavors from the times of my great grand parents (or even earlier I'm not sure) but the twists added by the chef at Sepia restaurant truly won my heart! I personally and highly recommend all of you to at least visit SEPIA once, also because the ambience is so authentic and soulful, and like I say you can always thank me later! ;)

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I can never really dress up to impress, but dressing up for a theme could be in my 'I-Like-To-Do-Stuff' list! This time I wore a long indo-western kurta from Saatchi Fashion with a pair of maroon churidaar pajama from Jabong, and styled it with a crystal necklace from Accessorize, a brass handcuff from Myntra and beige-gold heels from Steve Madden. Suited well I guess! 

If you liked reading this post, don't forget to share it across! Until next time, lots of love and virtual hugs.

Photographed by : Azman Khan

~xoxo~