This renowned restaurant is back in a new avatar serving some of the best oudhi dishes in Bengaluru!

Dum Pukht, the legendary restaurant by ITC Hotels, has been serving mouth-watering Awadhi cuisine for the past 25 years. Here in Bengaluru, it was called Dum Pukht Jolly Nabobs, specialising in Anglo-Indian and colonial-era dishes. But now, the restaurant has dropped ‘Jolly Nabobs’ from its name and has decided to focus solely on Awadhi cuisine. We recently paid a visit to the revamped restaurant and checked out their offerings which were curated by chef Gulam M Qureshi and we were absolutely mind blown!

We began our dinner with three of their kebabs — Murgh Chandi Tikka, Kakori and Jhinga Dum Nisha. The murgh tikka was as tender as it could get, marinated in cumin and grilled in a tandoor. The kakori (finely minced lamb) was so delicate that one could iterally feel it melting in your mouth. The flavours of cloves, cinnamon and saffron added that extra bit of taste to this delicacy. The jhinga, on the other hand, was marinated in cheese and hung yoghurt and we could feel the freshness of these elements in every succulent bite.

Moving on, we eagerly waited for the star of the show — Dum Pukht Biryani. This was basmati rice simmered with mutton stock served alongside the traditional burrani raita — the biryani had won our hearts with the first bite itself. Flavourful and easy on the palate, we thought this was the showstopper, until the Shahi Nehari made an appearance. Succulent, the meat was soft and was probably one of the best lamb delicacies we have ever had. We loved it so much that we asked for another serving and this time, tried it with the Warqi Paratha. As we broke a piece from the paratha and scooped it with the nehari, the lamb pieces fell off effortlessly and that was testament enough to how well it was cooked.

Still drooling over what we just had, a couple of desserts made their way onto our table as the finale — Kulfi Badshah Pasand and Shahi Tukra — and even though both the desserts were too rich, they didn’t seem out of place in this setting.

Meal for two: INR 6,000 onwards. At ITC Windsor, Golf Course Road.

Email: alwin@newindianexpress.com

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