As we sipped on a Snacks & Naps, the tone was set perfectly for the evening at Voila . Inspired by the party snack — pineapples and cheese, the cocktail was an interesting concoction of cheese-washed rum, cheese syrup, and clarified pineapple — the fruity and cheesy flavours offered an innovative twist. Located in one of the upscale areas of Jubilee Hills, the three-storey space, which is two months old, has luxury written all over it. A rotating roof, a cocktail laboratory, and interiors resplendent in shades of teal blue and gold — the menu here is already popular for Indian and European fusion fare. What else? Voila happens to be the city’s first lifestyle restaurant where one can buy anything that they can see or touch. From alcohol bottles to cutlery and lights, everything is for sale. We visited the outlet on a rather busy weekday and here is what you can expect.
Shall we chaat?
The first dish to arrive at our table was the Chaat: The Voila Way! At a glance, it is a regular papdi chaat made with onions, tomatoes, cucumbers, and sev. But, here is the twist. Instead of using dahi, the chef whips up aerated yogurt right in front of us using a siphon and liquid nitrogen. This technique made the street food top-notch as the texture of the curd got creamier.
Another street food favourite that Voila experimented with, was their Keema Golgappa paired with an Avocado Mash. The puris were stuffed with spicy keema, curd, and avocado guacamole. The combination of these flavours worked brilliantly and we helped ourselves to a few more of these golgappas. Mushroom Galawat with Porcini Dust was the next to arrive. The galouti kebabs, made with ground mushrooms, garam masala and green chillies were impressive. Also, the porcini dust, prepared with porcini mushrooms gave it a nutty and earthy taste.
So many pastabilities!
For the main course, we picked their highly recommended Chicken Chettinad Pasta with Gunpowder Cream, which has already grabbed attention of pasta lovers. The ravioli pasta was generously stuffed with chunks of Chettinad chicken. While the chef kept the flavours authentic using coconut and dried-red chillies, it was the addition of the gunpowder cream, which gave the ravioli a twist. This cream gave the pasta an added hit of heat.
Next up was the White Chicken Tikka Masala with Garlic Naan. The chicken cubes were seasoned well and the creamy gravy was a pleasant twist to a regular chicken tikka curry. We ended the meal with their signature Tiramisu topped with Kahlua Glaze. The classic Italian dessert that came with mascarpone cream and Kahlua liqueur was decadent and heavenly.
Rs 2,400 for two. At Jubilee Hills.
— bsuchitra@newindianexpress.com