There are places where you go and order the most expensive dishes from the menu and then there are places that set a culinary journey for you to indulge in — where you go to sit back and enjoy a royal meal. Qafila, the Indian gourmet dinner menu at the all-day dining restaurant Kava (in Fairfield by Marriott Bengaluru Outer Ring Road), promises to be of the latter category.
Initially launched in December 2019, shut down during the pandemic and now relaunched this month, Qafila primarily features age-old delicacies from the cuisines of North India and South India. Excited to get a first look, we dropped by at Kava on a Saturday evening. As we sat down and marvelled at the muted teal and crimson upholstery, we were handed an aesthetic menu. The menu had eight categories: Shorba (soup), Ratan Kosh (appetisers), Nutan (dishes brought in from other countries), Riwaz (age-old dishes), Korma and Salan (curries), Sangat (accompaniments), Birinj (rice/breads) and Madhur (desserts). Unable to decide from the extensive menu, we trusted our hosts to surprise us.
Soon after, we were served an amuse bouche, which had sheermal bread (saffron water-infused flour bread) served with a vegetarian haleem on the top (made of five types of lentils and barley). The strong note of saffron and mild flavour of the chewy, bite-sized treat was a definite treat.
Next, we were served Murgh Badami Shorba – a nutty chicken broth. The herby notes of coriander, the creaminess of almond milk, the comforting flavour of pulses and the mild tang of lemon blended seamlessly and made it a light, flavourful drink that rejuvenated us. For appetisers, we sampled Gilawat Ke Kebab Aur Sheermal (minced tender lamb on saffron bread) Kesari Jhinga (prawn kebab in saf-
fron-marinade) and Murgh Mirch Tikka (boneless chicken yoghurt-red chilies marinade). While the spicy Murgh Mirch Tikka and savoury Kesari Jhinga were palatable, the Gilawat Ke Kebab Aur Sheermal was a favourite. The popular Awadhi delicacy is now available at most restaurants, but the quality that this ren- dition poses is hard to match. The melt-in-mouth kebab was complemented well by the crispy saffron bread and was scrumptious.
We then shifted to main course and were served Paneer Begumati (cottage cheese in spinach curry) and Alu Bukhara Ke Kofte (potato globes with dried plums and nuts stuffing), Shahi Nalli Nihari (slow-cooked stew with lamb shanks) and Kundan Kaliya (chicken morsels in almond-paste gravy) and Subz Zaffrani Pulao (saffron-flavoured Basmati rice pulao) and Butter Naan. While the Kundan Kaliya did not impress us as much as the other dishes, the Alu Bukhara Ke Kofte won our hearts. The mushy potato, the chewy dried plums, and the crunchy nuts made for a sweet and surprising delicacy. Most of the dishes tasted better with the naan but the Subz Zaffrani Pulao, with an overpowering aroma of ghee, made for a wholesome meal in itself.
Ending our meal on a sweet note, we tasted their Mithai Royale (Shahi Tukda, Rajbhog and Makhan Phirni) and Kulfi Falooda (with basil seed boba and rose syrup) and it was quite a perfect ending.
Meal for two: INR 1,800. At Outer Ring Road.
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Twitter: @MallikPrattusa