A cosy and calming atmosphere was appreciable at Hotel Green Park’s specialty moder n Indian restaurant. As our amuse bouche was brought in, we chose Indian Epics and Green Fables — vegetarian and meat based three-course meals for our dinner. A portion of the Palak Anardana Tikki Chaat arrived first. Served on a bed of crackling spinach, the crunchy bitesized chaat was a melange of sweet, spicy and pung ent flavours in every bite. The star of the Green Fables menu — a Crispy Sweet Corn Custard was brought in next. Charred roasted corn served atop a spicy Telugu style tomato thokku (chutney) with lasooni (garlic) tadka earned full points from Telugu folk at the table, owing to the perfect use of thokku alongsidethe crispy corn parcel.
In the meantime, a portion of steaming hot Parsi Steamed Fish was brought in, with fish marinated in a coriander, mint and chilli slaw. A palate cleanser — the Orange and Lassi Sorbet did a fantastic job of calming down the spices between courses. The mains arrived soon after — a Varqi Saag Paneer from the vegetarian menu and Lamb Shank Rassa from the meat based menu. The Saag Paneer was a revelation, the melting butter atop the saag made every bite ooze with creamy, buttery goodness that left a distinct after taste. The Lamb Shank Rassa stood its own ground. A heady mix of creamy gravy and supremely succulent meat that fell off the bone, the soft steamed Tingmo made slipping into a food coma inevitable for us.
“As the name of the restaurant suggests, the soul of every dish is kept the same as how it used to be once upon a time. We use modern cooking and presentation techniques to bring in a progressive touch to the dishes,” says Vignesh Ramachandran, chef partner at Once Upon a Time. We were recommended to try some of the best dishes at the restaurant that didn’t feature on the set menu. The Gosht Safediya Pulao — a lamb based subtly flavoured yet rich rice based dish gar nished with birista made us polish it off within minutes. As we were gushing over the mains, a portion of the Tender Coconut Nimish was brought in. The Jaggery Ice Cream and toasted almonds served atop a whipped coconut cream base was a tropical dessert at its best. We then tried the Samosa aur Chai, a khova samosa with Masala Chai Ice Cream garnished with peanut chikki. The Masala Chai Ice Cream was a stand-out amongst desserts, with the right blend of spices.
Rs 3,500++ for two. At Begumpet.