IT’S not hard to spot Kebab-Istaan — a vibrant little restaurant opened recently at CIT Nagar East in Anna Salai. The colourful board that resembles the bright Rajasthani truck art, not just makes the place easily visible to the passerby, but also gives a hint of the North Indian theme that is followed by the one-week-old restaurant.
Step inside the well-lit 20-seater and the first thing to strike you is the bright yellow walls filled with framed pictures of the kebab varieties offered there along with various kebab facts and puns. A huge white board even explains, with illustrations, how kebabs made its way to India.
We are greeted with cold Lassi to beat the heat as we occupy a table.“We wanted to create a brand that offers a lot of meat. With paleo and keto diets picking up, there is a lot of demand for meat. Since kebabs are a favourite for people around here, we decided to present it with authentic Indian spices,” says Amarnath B, CEO of Kebab-Istaan, who has also curated the menu here.
The first starter to arrive was a platter of Chicken Tikka Kebab, served with mint chutney and garlic mayo. The classic chicken kebab marinated in yogurt and garlic had the right amount of spice and was perfectly grilled. Up next, came Murgh Malai Kebab, a melt-in-the-mouth creamy kebab with flavours of yogurt, cheese and sour cream, followed by Murgh Kali Mirchi kebab, a chicken kebab cooked with perfect a combination of fiery spice and tangy lime — the best dish so far.
A pretty looking plate with Paleo Grilled Butterfly Chicken (grilled full spring chicken) arrives next. The slow grilled full chicken was tender and juicy but was a tad bland for our palate. We also try Malai Phool, a kebab made of broccoli flowerettes coated with groundnuts and cheese sauce. Soft and flavourful, the vegetarian appetiser is a must try.
For the main course, we go for Talwar Chicken Biryani — regular biryani but served with kebabs instead of just chicken — worth a try if you can’t go without rice. For desserts, we settle for a few spoonfuls of Rabadi, thick and creamy condensed milk blended with nuts, and some Matka Kulfi straight from the freezer.
Average price for two: `600
— Fathima Ashraf
fathima@newindianexpress.com
@fathiimashraf