Sheraton Hyderabad is raising a toast to the art of roast! Yes! they are promoting their event 'Roasts and Reds' showcasing a range of roast varieties and dishes starting from South-East Asia and travelling all the way through to the Mediterranean region, combined with some good red wine. It was exciting for me to be invited for getting a feel of the various 'roast' dishes they have on their menu as part of the promotion.
It was weekday lunch, so we stuck to non-alcoholic drinks and I must say I was completely blown away by the jazzy flavors of Mirch Mumtaz! A sweet tangy concoction of citric juices and Rooh-Afza, topped with an enticing(for me it was!) slit green chilly. One word for the drink - awesome. So much that I asked for more chilly to spice it up further!
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| Desserts on display - Feast restaurant |
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| Mirch Mumtaz |
It wasn't long before Executive Chef Kapil Dubey lined up the starters and it felt like an ensemble dancing on the 'Roasts' tune! The first to reach the table was a tandoori veg platter containing stuffed mushroom, magaji broccoli, and mutter ki shammi. The broccoli had a crunchy tandoori feel, but I felt it could have done better with a little more sauce.
The stuffed mushroom was simply delish! I must say it was the star dish of the day among the vegetarian dishes. A great taste, absolutely well roasted and yet firm enough to hold it shape as well as the stuff, I relished it to the core. Now here comes my inability to exact describe its taste! Yes, I was so engrossed in enjoying every bite, I didn't really care to discern the ingredients and flavors in it. The mutter ki shammi was next in line after the mushroom on my delish-meter. A melt in mouth, equivalent of galouti kebab, it had some nice cumin and coriander feel to it.
I would definitely recommend these to anybody, be it a vegetarian or a non-vegetarian!
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| Tandoori veg platter |
And it were the non-veg delicacies that made a bee-line to our table after those beautiful tandoor veg flavors. The shish touk is an Arabic preparation where the chicken marinated in a typical mediterranean combination of tahini, garlic, yoghurt, paprika and grilled. The marination was beautfiul with the garlic and paprika flavour being easily distinguishable, but many of us did feel that the chicken was dry on the inside and the grilled pita served alongside was chewy.
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| Chicken shish taouk |
The next was a bit more of Mediterranean cuisine, when a combo plate of Turkish chicken and lamb koftas(also called kefta) were served. We were told that the chicken was prepared with pistachio, lemon rind and oregano while the lamb keftas had grated onion, tomato, garlic and chili paste in them. I could relate to the taste of lamb keftas at once, having had them before at other places. But yes, the preparation here was kind of pitch perfect, with the meat(both chicken and mutton) being succulent and having the acquired taste of the spice ingredients. Thumbs up for these definitely!
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| Turkish chicken keftas & Lamb keftas |
Since I abstain from having pork, I didn't taste the pork chops that were served, but the picture looks enticing!
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| Pork chop with burnt pineapple glazed |
I am not fond of quail either. I tasted one, but I wouldn't be the correct person to opine on its taste, texture, flavor etc.
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| Rajasthani Quail & Dohara seek kebab |
The dohora sheek kebabs on the other hand was quite decent enough. A combination of chicken and Lamb mince meat combined with cheese and cooked with Indian spices. A definite tandoori item with the twist of mutton mince and chicken mince in one bite.
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Rajasthani Quail & Dohara seek kebab
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The duck roast wasn't upto mark. A bit uncooked from the inside, the chef and his team were quite open to feedback on the table.
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| Indonesian roast duck |
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| Indonesian roast duck |
All this while, I was waiting for that one non-veg dish which I could compare with the stuffed mushrooms and say - this is the star of non-veg section. Then arrives the prawn on the sticks and we are told that they have been marinated with fresh basil, garlic, lime wrapped with sour bread and deep fried. An absolutely delicious crispy, mildly spicy coating that breaks away to reveal the best cooked prawns. And indeed, I had the feel that the prawns had actually acquired a bit of the marinade flavor as well! I can blindly recommend this/ask for this whenever I visit back and I am sure it won't disappoint me!
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| Sour dough wrapped prawn with paprika aioli |
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| Sour dough wrapped prawn with paprika aioli |
The lemongrass grilled chicken was probably the simplest one with the flavor of lemon grass dominating it. This was indeed a nice deviation from other varieties of chicken starters that we had.
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| Lemongrass grilled chicken |
I am kind of aware of the monotony in my write-up with the repeated usage of the word 'delicious'. Yet, I cannot help but repeat it for one more time when it comes to bbq wings. I had some very authentic wings during my stay in the US and the wings that were served took me back to those places, pondering over the flavors! Need I say anything more about it?! Yum is the word!
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| Barbequed blanket chicken |
As I said earlier, chef Kapil had an ensemble of starters after a long queue of dishes came the dish for which I was waiting eagerly. The galouti kebab were so awadhi, I couldn't help but admire the chef and his team's skills on it. They were to the point soft exactly like how the folklore goes about their origin. I made a mistake of picking them up using forks. The best way to have them is to use your hands and relish the taste after each bite. To add, the ulte tawe ka roti was a great companion to it.
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| Mutton galauti kebab & ulte tawe ki roti |
We had some great main course dishes as well. the one that impressed me quite a lot was the kashmiri gosht and kesari pulao. The kashmiri gosht, looks more red than spicy. That is because Kashimiri cuisines use red chilli with less heat. It tends to give a more distinct color rather than spicienss. The mutton was, if I were to use words like 'tender', 'succulent' etc etc. In short, well cooked mutton in a rich red gravy. The pulao had a distinct saffron flavor true to its name and both of them were like brothers in arms!
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| Kashmiri gosht with kesari pulao |
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| Kashmiri gosht with kesari pulao |
The roasted lamb chops, although cooked well, were a bit chewy to my liking. I understand that they are roasted, but I would preferred a little softer meat.
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| Roasted Lamb chops |
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| banana and green apple fritters |
I must applaud the chef and his team for curating such a wide range of dishes to showcase under the Roasts and Reds promotion. Its difficult to find a balance among the myriad cuisines while collecting one from each to group and showcase on a single table and they have definitely done well!
Would definitely recommend the Roasts and Reds promotion going on right now at the Sheraton Hyderabad.
~By Invite
