Florentine

On one of those evenings when in the mood for a fancy dinner, we can turn to the fine dining options we have in the city, one of the newest restaurants being Florentine. It is located in Hotel Gateway Grandeur at Christian Basti. Florentine has got exquisite interiors with wood finish and the ambience is enticing.

I dined with the Executive Chef of the hotel, Mr. Mauktik Chakraborty, who whipped up a few delicacies especially for me. I tried to pick up a tip or two about good cooking as well! He prepared cheesy herb chicken which comprised of grilled chicken leg coated with mozzarella cheese sauce and gratinated, served with dry red chilli pilaf. The thick creamy texture, infused with herbs made it absolutely sumptuous. The Indian dishes came next, with the Afghani Tangri Kabab. It comprised of chicken leg stuffed with minced chicken and special spices cooked in a clay oven. It was excellent, so tender that it melts in the mouth and the distinct smoked flavour invigorates the senses. Another dish I had was Mutton Amritsari accompanied with freshly baked naan. Boneless mutton pieces were served with two masala gravies; one was onion based brown gravy and on the periphery of the platter was yellow gravy. The chef revealed the secret of the delicious yellow gravy, it was made with turmeric and magaj, and that is all I can unearth lest I give away too much of his secret.

This multi-cuisine restaurant offers Indian, Oriental and Continental delicacies, Florentine dishes being the specialty. Their menu even has Florentine recipes on the last page for cooking enthusiasts. Some of the continental fish dishes on offer are Beer Battered Fish with Saffron Garlic, Sautéed Prawns with Mushroom and Spinach and Chowder Sauce. Poultry on offer includes Chicken Chasseur, Chicken Florentine, Mustard Roasted Chicken, Chicken with Spaghetti and Pesto. In lamb they have Roasted Leg of Lamb with Rosemary Garlic and Cajun Lamb served with spicy black beans. Vegetarian dishes include Cottage Cheese Brochettes with Tomato Provencal sauce, Cheese and Basil Ball Mornay, American Corn and Spinach Parcels.

They have a range of Indian dishes starting with kababs like Seena Malai, Baghdadi and Shikhanpuri to main course delectables like Prawn Turushi, Fish Malabari, Murg Zafrani, Chettinad, Mutton Rogan Josh and Mutton Dhansak which is cooked in Daal and spices. Accompaniments include Nawabi Biryani and Yakhni Biryani along with an assortment of Naans and Rotis including Keema Naan. The Oriental exotic menu offers Teriyaki Chicken, Thai Green and Red Curries as well as Indonesian Lamb curry, Peking Lamb, Prawn Sui Mui, Lat Mai Kai and Kung Bah Paneer to name a few. A good meal for two may be approximately Rs 800 plus taxes. Florentine is surely worth a visit for its multi-cuisine extravaganza, plush decor, a snazzy mezzanine floor, courteous staff and culinary delights conjured by the chef. Truly, a fine place to dine.

(published in The Eclectic, July 2010)

Go gaga in Naga kitchen!

Being and avid eater of all things porcine, in whatever form it is served, it would be hardly illogical for me to love Naga food. One must acknowledge the people of Nagaland for conjuring such simple but fabulous dishes of pork and a variety of meats ranging from Dogs, spiders, beef, crabs, cats, chicken and even elephants. Not exactly a vegetarian’s haven in Nagaland.

What makes their food unique is the stark simplicity in cooking, less use of oil and use of really hot chilies and the employment of a variety of cooking methods like fermenting, drying and smoking. Bamboo shoot is used extensively, dried, fermented or fresh.

My quest for an authentic Naga experience in the city finds adequate satisfaction in Naga Kitchen, in the tiny lane right opposite A.I.D.C. I remember my earliest associations with the restaurant back in my school days, when it was hardly a restaurant. It was just a tiny room in the building with two tables, a sofa and a coffee table run by the owner, pretty much a one man army. From those humble beginnings, it is now a nicely done up eating joint. The restaurant is of a cozy size, with a homely feel partly because of its non commercial looking settings at the ground floor of a house. The interiors are quite unique with hand crafted bamboo work which is really hard not to notice and appreciate. Everything is hand crafted with bamboo or wood starting with the menu card to the lamp shades and curtains. The plates and serving dishes used to be of wood.  They have recently expanded the space in the restaurant with a neo-ethnic style of interiors.

Now comes the best part, not surprisingly, the food. Traditional cuisines of the North East need some acquiring of taste especially with certain recipes and ingredients. As the case with Naga food, one must be able to eat chilli and the more daring can deal with the pungent taste of certain ingredients like akhuni (fermented beans). The proprietor of the restaurant tells me that they import traditional ingredients from Nagaland.

The Naga curry, consisting of crushed potatoes and tomatoes , which comes with either smoked or fresh pork shall be usually found on any table I am eating. So will be the Smoked Pork with Dry Bamboo Shoot, my personal favourite. It comes with shredded dry bamboo shoot which is usually not available elsewhere. One can also go for the non dried bamboo shoot.  Another dish worth trying for the adventurous is the smoked /fresh pork in Akhuni or fermented beans. It is quite pungent but I loved the flavour. There is pork in Anishi which is cooked in fermented yam leaves and has a smokey taste. Other pork dishes like with yam, Lai saag leaves or pumpkin is also available.  Servings of rice are slightly small.

For non-pork eaters, chicken and fish dishes are also available. Chicken comes in the same bamboo shoot variations as pork. I tried fish in bamboo shoot and vegetables which was very hot. A thali is also available that comes at a great value of Rs 75/-. The fried pork, usually had as snacks is also popular.

All in all, if you crave for Naga cuisine but don’t have the time or the resources to travel all the way to Nagaland just for a bite, try Naga Kitchen. You’ll be happy you did!

(published in The Eclectic, August 2010)