The Baisakhi Food fest at Nawab Saheb, Renaissance - Powai, Mumbai

Today be an important day. Whether more pages will be added to me journal or not will be decided by the outcome of this battle. The Rogues were after things that I had worked hard for. Me men were preparing for a battle and I thought that I would use this little time to write an entry about a memory. Not really a memory but it goes back to when we were given a coin by Nina's friends. We did not immediately board our ship, we instead decided to celebrate our victory by smuggling into a food festival and eat even more.

The Renaissance has been very active in recent times with food festivals making it a hot spot for connoisseurs. This would be my third run to The Renaissance for exotic food and festivals. The occasion this time was Baisakhi or the harvest festival of the Indian state of Punjab. Baisakhi celebrations are known for fun, frolic and good food. Nawab Saheb captured the essence of this celebration in its culinary form. I guess they integrated a bit of frolic too as visible from the pictures. Nawab Saheb retained its original royal court decor but had a bit of Baisakhi decorations at the entrance.

How can one start a Punjabi meal without a Lassi in a Kullhad(Earthen Cup)? The lassi was a little thin for my liking but passed well with the theme.

Multan Punjab Di Pasliyan : Multanese Punjab Ribs in English. I apologize for the bad imagery but Nawab Saheb's dim lighting makes it a hard job for a wannabe food photographer with a Samsung Phone. These were charcoal grilled Lamb ribs marinated in Indian spices. A bit dry as the meat was too well done but  tasted great as an appetizer. The smoky flavor lingered around in my mouth for a while.

Captain : Eating this Punjabi food makes me want to put on a Punjabi accent.

First mate:  Leave it mate, you don't want to sound like Irrfan Khan doing Baloo's voice in Jungle Book.

Bhatti Da Murgh - This was a thigh cut from a chicken with the bone. The meat was juicy and full of flavors. This was more ethnically Punjabi in origin than some other treats served in the night.

Amritsari Macchi Taliyan was Batter fried sole fish rubbed with chili and spices. The crust preserved the heat inside. The interior was quite spicy and combined with the heat from the cooking, it felt quite hot. The preparation though did feel a bit pedestrian as opposed to the first two appetizers.

Jalandhar De Tikke was an average Chicken Tikka if one goes by flavor alone. The preparation did not feel very Punjabi in flavor. It felt closer to Lucknowi cuisine. The crust was overdone and the flavor of the interior felt uninspired. Apart from the solitary sample piece that you see in the picture, I did not have more of this.

Keeme Di Seekh - These Lamb skewers made out of minced meat were perhaps the biggest disappointment of the day. These tasted bland, dry and the crumbly. I had just taken one piece and I found myself unable to finish that. It was easily passable.

Moving to the mains, one has to admit that the mains trumped the appetizers in the orders of magnitude.

Khaasam Murgh (White colored gravy) was the weaker of the main options. However the opinion was divided on this one with several folks across the table enjoying it. For me, the gravy tasted different from what it its appearance suggested. I am not too fond of curries where tomato feels dominant.

Dal Makhani(Next To Khaasam) was a good old Urad Lentil dish that was perfect in its preparation. Just the right amount of butter, spices with a lovable thick consistency - this Dal found everyone's support on the table.

Makhni Kukkad De Tikke was undoubtedly the dish of the night. It was so good that I helped myself to three servings of the same and sincerely hoped that this dish would be a permanent resident on Nawab Saheb's menu. It combined two of the most celebrated North Indian dishes into one mouth watering concoction. It used the typical Butter chicken curry made of tomatoes, cream and cashews and combined it with Chicken Tikka.

So it was a Butter Chicken with a Tikka flavor. Its amazing how well these two flavors coexisted in a single dish. This dish alone was a good enough reason to dine at Nawab Saheb.

Naabe Waala meat(Dark Red dish on the plate) was another star of the night. This lamb dish was tangy and spicy with juicy chunks of mutton thrown into the curry. Though the gravy was thinner than the other mains, the dish was quite enjoyable and was more about the meat and less about the liquids.

Memna Pulao was made of tender young Lamb and infused with aromatic spices. I am told that it had a bit of Kevda essence in it as well. The Pulao was absolutely one of the best I have had. The restaurant was very professional to call it a Pulao and not pass it as a Biryani like many other places. But even for a well versed eater like myself, this could have easily been mistaken as a Mutton Biryani. A little known fact is that Pulao is Punjabi while Biryani is not.

Captain : This has to be the best Pulao I have ever eaten. Its so good, I can already feel the protein healing me wounds.

First mate : Aye, its better to stab at food rather than some dumb thieves.

Once again, Renaissance's old issue with thematic desserts repeated itself. The desserts were a classical mix of generic North Indian desserts. All good and sumptuous but still not Punjabi.

The service could have been better. There was a long gap between the appetizers and the main. There again was an issue with water as the servers did not sweep to check for empty water glasses. Much of these problems being similar to those encountered at Lake view last week in The Renaissance.

The Pricing varies from INR 2000 to 3000 depending on the set chosen. For INR 2500 The non vegetarian set was well worth the moolah.

Renaissance has frequently been hosting exotic food fests. Each comes with its own theme and has that feel that makes you want to visit em all. The core of the fest - the food had more ups. The downs would be the service and the lack of thematic desserts. But the food was good and the generic desserts worked too. All in all, another reason to dine at Nawab Saheb.

The Captain's Score : 7/10

"
First Mate : Ya know, the leader of the attackers looked familiar. 

Captain : Who would he be?

First Mate : A brute mercenary named Rocky.

Captain : Is he the Captain of the black sailed ship?

First mate : I doubt. He is too dense to be a crew leader.
"


Map Co-Ordinates
Nawab Saheb
The Renaissance Hotel, 2-3B,
Near Chinmayanand Ashram,
Powai, Mumbai


 -I was part of a Blogger Meetup organized by the Restaurant's PR. My review however is objective.-

Nawab Saheb at the Renaissance Hotel - Powai, Mumbai

I remember these parts of the sea. This is where we first met the Kraken many moons ago. Maybe our battle with the Kraken a few days back was a hint towards our return to these waters. It all began with a call on me radio. It talked about Persian food and what not. Eager to try Iranian food, I charted my course to a remote island away from civilization. 

A magnificent palace stood on this desolate island in the midst of trees. We docked near the beach and embarked on a mission towards the palace. The Royal court and Persian food awaited us.

Nawab Saheb at Powai is well known for its Mughlai food. But surely Iranian food is a different sphere? Right? Not quite.

The evolution of the Northern Indian Mughlai cuisine is an interesting tale. Iranian food along with Turkic food has been a part of the colorful Mughlai culinary tapestry. In short, Persia is the place where much of Mughlai food predecessors were actually born. Nawab Saheb at the Renaissance brings a festival of Iranian food which lasts till the end of February, 2016. It is an event that takes one along the silk road to Iran itself.

I was invited to the restaurant as part of a FBAI Blogger's delegation to sample this exotic grub.

Nawab Saheb has an ambiance that mimics the royal Mughal courts or Darbars. The environment is rich. The exquisite Kaleens(Carpet) on the floor, the vermilion hues, Mughal themed chairs and the intricate wooden frames - All of it turns time momentarily back to a forgotten Golden age. One almost feels like they are royalty of some kind. 

And what good is a court without classical musicians, right?

The event is curated by Chef Haleem and Chef Mona Poordaryaeizadeh(Who has specially flown in from Iran). This is my first time with mainstream Iranian food so I will have to trust Chef Mona for the authenticity of the food.

The food is served in special set menus. A patron may choose the set they prefer the most. A Vegetarian set, a Meat set, a Seafood set and a mixed bag set are offered by the restaurant. The prices range from INR 2000 to INR 3500.

Though not part of the Persian sets, this Zafrani chicken salad caught my fancy. The tandoor roasted chicken chunks and the greens provided a perfect appetizer before the main courses. And it was quite visibly pleasing as well.

Joojeh Kebab is a popular Iranian dish. Made with Fresh and tender saffronized young chicken, this dish excelled on all fronts. The appearance was appetizing, the aroma divine and the flavor was amazing. These juicy chunks literally send the taste buds on a high.

Captain : These Royal Kebabs are truly meant for a Captain.  

Crewmate : Crew too right?

Captain : (Ignores) Nom Nom Nom

Crewmate : Right? Cappy?

Kabab e Barg - These juicy Lamb fillets were made out of lamb shanks. A rather simple construction, it was the Kabab's sumac and saffron seasoning that ultimately created its unique flavor. Though these taste very close to Indian Lamb kababs, the subtle differences were perceivable. Sumac for instance is rarely used in Indian cooking.

Kabab Hosseni had a tantalizing aroma with high piquancy. These juicy lamb nuggets were seasoned with a mixture made out of Tomatoes, saffron and a green pepper paste. These were quite addicting and second only to the Joojeh Kababs.

The Koobideh Morgh Kababs differed a lot on visuals from what I saw on Google. These skewered Kababs were made out of minced chicken cooked with an onion-garlic paste. The aroma was not as captivating as the other kababs and I felt that these tasted a bit dry. It was difficult to eat these without the green mint chutney.

Maho Sorkh Kardeh was Pan fried Basa rubbed with fenugreek seeds, pepper and dry lime. The admirable thing about these kababs was the fact that the flavor had sunk in properly into the Basa. The disappointing thing was the usage of Basa in the first place. Any other fish fillet would have tasted better than Basa.

Abadan Falafel is a Persian version of Middles east's favorite Chick pea patties. While the appearance was very refined, the flavor was a bit rough. To me, a good falafel is one that tastes remarkably different from an Indian Moong dal vadi, despite using the same chickpea base. This variant could not make that distinction.

The main course felt a little disappointing as opposed to the Kababs. This could be due to many reasons. Maybe my palate could not perceive the subtleties of the Persian mains or perhaps it was the common issue that happens with most Kebab serving restaurants - People dislike anything outside the Kababosphere.

Khoresht E Khalal Badam - I actually had to Google this before writing about it. Every single image that Google threw up made it appear rather visually pleasing. The variant here in comparison appeared like a damp squib. The billed Almond(Badam) slivers were too few and had become too soggy to stand out. The dish was also missing its trademark tangy flavor and tasted too close to an Indian lamb curry.

Khoresht Fesenjan appeared a little lighter than I expected. This is usually a dark(almost brown) colored stew. The flavor however worked well for me. It was made out of chicken, pomegranate sauce and walnuts.The flavor was a fusion of savory and sweet. The spices also created a unique aftertaste in the mouth. This was a flavor, I had never tried before. The dish thus gave a thrill of discovery.
I would like to try this dish with duck(The traditional recipe uses duck) instead of Chicken someday.

Captain : This stew has some nice sensations on me tongue.

Crewmate : We discovered something new. A Stew.

Captain : That be true lad, lets plant our flag on it now and give it a name.

Khoresht Aloo Mosama is a chicken stew made with carrots and prunes. The flavor was acceptable but was a little too sweet for my liking. Pardon me for the horrible image, the dish blended in with the scarlet lighting.

The desserts were fun but sadly these were all Indian. I did expect Persian desserts and had to ask twice to confirm whether these were indeed the correct desserts. I was looking forward to things such as Masghati.

The service was excellent, as was expected of a restaurant inside the Renaissance's premises. The serving crew was professional, routinely changed cutlery and ensured that empty water glasses were filled as soon as possible. At no point of time did I ever require to instruct them anything.


The pricing for the Persian food ranges from INR 2000 to 3500 depending on the set chosen. It feels high but how often does one find Iranian food in India. Coupled with the rich ambiance of Nawab Saheb and the professional service - the pricing feels worthy.

The food had its ups and downs but the experience certainly was unique. Even as a slightly above mediocre food traveler, I rarely come across events such as this. In normal circumstances, for a genuine Irani experience - I would either have to go Iran or at least Dubai. But an event like this brings it all to my own city and reduces air fare to cab fare.

The Persian Festival ends on February 27 ,2016. If you are in Mumbai, visit The Renaissance and be Royalty for a dinner at Nawab Saheb.


The Captain's Score : 7/10

"Shame, we have to leave this island. There is so much left to explore. Mark it on the map lads. We will be back, soon."

Map Co-Ordinates
Nawab Saheb
Renaissance Hotel, 2-3B,
Near Chinmayanand Ashram,
Powai, Mumbai

 -I was part of a Food Bloggers Association of India Meet up organized by the Restaurant's PR. My review however is objective.-

K&K at ITC Grand Central -Parel, Mumbai

We were sailin' through familiar seas and I had me looking glass glued to me eye. I was looking for a place that I had visited many moons ago. Soon enough, I spotted it on the horizon. An island with a lone grand palace on it. Unlike last time, the ship was in good health and I was just on the look out for fine grub.

As we approached the island, the radio buzzed. The message told something about a restaurant in the palace celebrating its birthday. Eh! people celebrate birthdays, how does a restaurant do it? Intrigued, I chose that restaurant for my excursion. There be something special about it, I could feel it in me bones.

The erstwhile Kebabs and Kurries renamed itself to K & K. It is an award winning restaurant that is primarily known for North Indian grub especial Kebabs. (Psst, The name was a giveaway.) The establishment is celebrating its tenth Budday...err anniversary in a grandiose fashion. ITC Hotels had summoned eight of its finest Chefs from across India to Mumbai in a celebration fit for a king or at least a greedy Kebab lover like yours truly.

The Ala-carte menu for this event offers forty (yes you read that right) different Kebabs covering eight different cities and local cuisines. Sadly, the event lasts only till 13th September which means you can read this later and head to K&K right now. Its truly a celebration of Kebabs or Jashn-e-Kebab.

I had been invited to a Blogger's table event in which one could sample sixteen of these forty kebabs. I was thankful that it was not forty. It would have been too much to eat and write about. But sixteen is not a small number either. I wonder if I made it into some kind of record books for the most number of different gourmet kebabs eaten in a day. Oi Guinness! are ye listening?

The restaurant has a typical North Indian-Mughalai appearance. The golden lights and decor work well. Although, I found the ceiling work to be a tad bit of a mismatch. One is greeted with an open kitchen where one can see the grub being made. The restaurant defines itself into three regions - The Maidan(Open Ground), The Kheema and Qila(Fort). Maidan is meant for small groups as visible on the lower floor of the above picture, Qila is slightly elevated giving people a view over the entire restaurant and the Kheema is more for community folks on a large communal table.

This is where we sat.

The evening opened with a glass of sparkling champagne and soon enough each of the eight chefs presented two Kebab dishes each. Each Chef brought their signature style of cooking and regional influences on the table. North, South, East, West and Center - Most of India was covered in their collective work.

Gulnaar Kali
A Chef who has been working for twenty eight long years in the ITC Grand Central Kitchens, Chef Haji Mohammad Farooqui has certainly mastered his craft. These tender, succulent Lamb Kebabs were so good, that I compared everything after this with it. It was the paradigm of a good kebab. This had a very North Indian and homely feel to it. Its a cuisine one would rarely come across outside Lucknow. These Kebabs were cooked overnight in malt vinegar and a collection of fine spices. It is said that these Kebabs were once served in royal courts of Mughal emperors and somehow the recipes have survived though a few chefs.

Captain : Oi, as Captain I ask you to give me your Gulnaar Kali.

Crewmate : Mighty nice of you to come straight Captain. But sadly I cannot give you my Kebabs.

Captain : You are disobeying your Captain mate?

Crewmaten : Heavens No Boss. Just that I already ate em'. :D

Peekaboo its Guftaguu - ITC respects its Vegetarian customers and as a result each chef had at least one vegetarian craft on offering. Chef Haji's kebabs are made of minced Cabbage mixed with saffron and cardamom. Although I am not a big fan of either cabbage or vegetarian grub, the melt in your mouth trait of these Kebabs was certainly appealing. These would dissolve right away leaving the spicy mixture as an after taste.

Chef Sundar from ITC Grand Chola presented the Kovalam Vathu Ulartyathu Kebabs. Lets call em KVUs for now. These tender morsels were made of Kerala style pot cooked duck. All right, this was my first time eating a duck so excuse me if I am incorrect - The meat didn't taste that different from chicken but the spice mixture in which it was cooked was quite potent. It was spicy and strangely the addictive kind of spicy. The flavors seemed to permeate deep into the meat making the entire bite a flavorsome experience.

Captain : Duck tastes much like Chicken.

Crewmate : For a lover of fine food, that sounded very naive Captain.

Captain : Who cares? I enjoyed the duck and the spice mix was lip smackin' good.

Vazahapoo Pertati
Chef Sundar's banana blossom and spiced potato Kebabs had a new flavor for me. Though I did not find myself liking this newly experienced flavor of banana blossoms.

Chef Surat Singh from ITC Mughal brought forward the Sarsonka Machi Kebabs. These were made of Fresh water sole. The kebabs were cooked in a mustard marinade, stuffed with chilies-spices and charcoal grilled. The chef wrapped them with a thin slice of eggplant as a finishing touch. These were juicy, soft and almost perfectly cooked. Mustard and fish go very well together.

Kache Kele Ke Kebab had a lot of K in it but apart from that, these were made of minced raw banana wrapped in mace and green cardamom. Though I am not originally fond of Raw Bananas in Indian cooking, Chef Surat had really worked the spices well in this chargrilled banana kebab. The Kebabs tasted much like potato kebabs and they easily got lost in the mouth. These were not the melt in mouth kind but somewhere quite close. It was a unique experience.

Chef Gunjan Goela presented her vegetarian only Kebabs made with a lot of old world knowledge.
Vrantikam Kebabs were well plated. It resembled Tacos in some sense. These were made of thick slices of eggplant stuffed with onion and hungcurd. I however could not get over my dislike for eggplants to enjoy the dish. The thick slices of eggplant did not appeal to my palate at all.

Shabarkand was again well plated and this one synced well with me. These were made of sweet potatoes  cooked in charcoal. These were served with sweet and tangy chutneys and topped with pomegranate and sev. This had a mix of sweet, salty and tangy sensations. It felt very close to the popular Mumbai street food of Ragda pattice.

Its important to note that Chef Gunjan invented both these Kebabs so it would be impossible to find it elsewhere.

Chef Zaki Kazmi from ITC Gardenia brought a wonderful creation in form of Pathar Ka Gosht.
These lamb escalopes were grilled on stones in a technique only used in Hyderabad. These thin slices of meat tasted great. The yogurt and the mild spices made the flavor creamy and savory. These ended up being one of my many favorites at this event.

Captain : These thin sheets of meat be me favorite.

Crewmate : These get over too fast.

Captain : Your shoe laces are untied mate.

Crewmate : Oh let me check. (Bends) I don't have shoelaces on my sandals... HEY where did my Kebabs go?

Captain : You just said that these get over too fast, right?

Chef Zaki's Gulezar Dhungari Kebab resembled Cigars to be honest. These were tasty juicy vegetarian kebabs and I instantly found a liking to them. These were made of minced Garden vegetables, dry fruits and wrapped in aromatic spices. The Kebabs were cooked on skewers in a tandoor and felt soft with a calming flavor. I am no chef but somehow felt that the flavor could have been enhanced further with the addition of Cheese in the core.

Chef Srinevasu of ITC Windsor brought this succulent shishkebab called as Bijapur Mutton Roast. This kebab was made of roasted and yet juicy chunks of lamb cooked in a style popular in the district of Bijapur. The spice mix was unique and I found the flavor of Star Anise to be a new addition to Kebabs. The kebabs were roasted with curd, almonds and coconut and as a result their flavor had married the meat perfectly. The aroma was quite appetizing as well. If I had to judge on aroma alone then these morsels had the best among the dinner platter.

Chef Srinevasu's Tofai-e-Zameen looked like brown ice hockey pucks. The shape was almost perfect and these had a powdery appearance on the top. These were yam kebabs stuffed with cheese and pomegranate. The flavor was a bit strange with sweetness of yam and pomegranate slightly clashing with the saltiness of cheese. It felt very much like a lentil Kebab due to the chickpea it was wrapped with. Can't say I liked this one.

Chef Akshraj Jodha served us with Achari Maans Ka Shola. These were again Lamb Escalopes with an unique addition of Figs and Rum. But somehow I did not feel Figs and rum anywhere and the flavor felt very Rajasthani. The coriander was strong on this one. Chef Akshraj had fused the Royal desert state's spice mix perfectly with the meat. Its surprising how the same Lamb Kebabs can differ so greatly from chef to chef.

Sangriki Shami by Chef Akshraj did not feel Rajasthani. It strangely felt a bit Kashmiri to me atleast. It was made using a Rajasthani recipe involving cluster beans and Chana dal known as 'khersangri'.

Chef JP Singh of ITC Maurya served great meat and vegetarian kebabs. Jhinga Firdaus Shahi was as good as Gulnaar Kali. These were my two favorite meaty kebabs of the evening. These tender freshwater Shrimp kebabs had a crunchy batter coating and a flavorsome core. These were marinated with Firdaus E Mauj spice mix which I apparently have no idea about. All I knew was that these were crunchy and tasty. Just the way I like them' shrimps. These could make great bar nibbles as well.

Captain : I always love me a crunchy shrimpy Kebab.

Crewmate : What is Firdaus E Mauj?

Captain : Uhh..Why don't you google that while I finish eating...err wait for you to find out :D? 

Crewmate : Wait for me? Yeah right Cappy. >_>

Chef JP Singh's Guchhi Paneer Ke kebab was made of Morel mushrooms filled with cheese. These had a little spice and were a perfect combination of spicy and savory. I don't think there was a person on the table that did not enjoy this kebab. I have eaten many mushroom and cheese combinations but this one definitely has been the best duo in my experience so far. Again this would make a great bar nibble. The flavor felt very Punjabi.

ITC's vegetarian Pulao and Mutton Biryani are quite famous in Mumbai. ITC Grand Maratha is said to have the best Mutton Biryani in all of Mumbai but sibling ITC Grand Central isn't too far behind. The mutton Biryani was less oily and definitely one of the best I have had. In fact, there was only one other place which offered better Biryani.

Gulab Jamun Panna Cotta was brought in by smiling Chef Avani Mudbodri who had created this dessert. The Panna Cotta had perfect consistency and would make the best of Masterchef contestants fume with envy. It was properly fused with the essence of Rose and once could savor the flavor deep within. It was paired with Gulab Jamun and both seemed to go well together. This goes on to say that Indian and Western foods work very well together. If only they stop talking about who is better and start working together (wink). The grainy yellow mixture surrounding the dessert seemed to resemble the flavor of Almonds and Sohan Papdi.

The prices are on the higher side as is the case in any super five star establishment. But how often does one get to experience eight experienced chefs from all over India making forty different Kebabs with many signature recipes that no one else can concoct? KnK seems to enjoy good patronage as there were many patrons seated on other tables. The restaurant appeared crowded.

The servers were professional, very well versed with the grub themselves.

I thank you, if you managed to reach this point. I felt that it was necessary to cover all sixteen Kebabs, each was an unique experience after all. That still leaves twenty four so there is a lot left to explore ha. This is once in a lifetime kind of thing. Sadly it only lasts till the 13th of September so if you love Kebabs, you better head out fast.

The Captain's Score : 9/10

"The Banquet is over, stop being greed lads. SIXTEEN Kebabs should keep ya happy for a week. Time to leave this island...for now."

Map Co-Ordinates
K & K

ITC Grand Central,
287, Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Road,
Parel, Mumbai

-I was invited by ITC Grand Central as part of a Bloggers and Influencers bunch. The meal was thus on the house.-