When your regular kebabs arrive on a wooden charpoy or a miniature, metal horse carriage - you know your meal is going to be more than just a gastronomic experience. Pop-up Punjab, the recently launched winter special menu at the four-star property Kenilworth Hotel has such surprises and more. Available at the plush property’s sprawling lawn diner, Gardenia, the set menu curated by executive chef Khemraj Bhatt, boasts of the best kebabs and rotis (flat breads) that are an integral part of Punjabi cuisine. “The menu has been deliberately kept short and we have used fresh winter veggies including a load of carrots, sweet potatoes, shalgam and fresh meat alongside freshly ground spices,” informs Chef Bhatt, who is with Kenilworth for the past four years.
Sipping on a Pistewalli Lassi, (a yoghurt smoothie made with pistachio available in the streets of Amritsar), we got back to the two-page special menu that has an eclectic offering of 30 items including desserts. There are exotic dishes, such as Chatpati Tandoori Arbi (boiled Taro roots marinated and roasted to perfection), Chapli Kebab (Pashtun style minced meat kebabs marinated in exotic spices) apart from the usual suspects like Sarson da Saag (made with mustard greens and spices), Chaamp Tazdar, a delectable classic dish of mutton ribs marinated in yoghurt and char grilled or Tandoor ka Jheenga consisting of scrumptious jumbo prawns cooked in clay oven.
The cold breeze only helped whet our appetite as our attention was drawn to the live tandoor counter replete with lip smacking veg and non-veg options being grilled to perfection by in-house chefs. Tawe ka Parati Mawa, Kali Meerch Paneer, a creamy cottage cheese dish drenched in mawa or khoa (made of milk) and served with strawberry chutney, was soft and balanced in taste. The strawberry sauce went surprisingly well with the black pepper dominating the dish.
There is also a very Punjabi platter of rotis and chapatis to go with the kebabs.We nibbled on some Makke di roti (breads made with corn flour) and Missi di roti (gram flour flat breads), which went well with the kebabs.
But what impressed us the most was the toothsome sweet dish Desi Gajjaran Da Halwa, a typical Punjabi winter dessert made with carrots, dry fruits and clarified butter. Honestly, we didn’t mind all the calories gained.
The Pop Up Punjab menu will be available till February 13
Price for two: Rs, 1,000 ++
@sharmidas
sharmishtha.g@newindianexpress.com