If you thought Dwarkanagar First Lane was all about chaotic traffic and potholes, now there is a place called ‘Kokoroko’ to sweeten your experience. No, this is not a magic potion that realigns your vertebrae, but a new multi-cuisine restaurant that has opened near the Ravindra Bharathi School.
One of the first things that strike you about ‘Kokoroko’ is its elaborate menu. It can at best be described as a small booklet, divided into different cuisines with starters, main course and desserts. While the Indian section, expectedly, had all the specials like Tandoori items, north Indian dishes and Andhra delights, its Chinese menu is equally exhaustive.
An initiative by three friends, ‘Kokoroko’ was an idea that the founders nurtured from the past three years till it finally materialised a few months ago. “Before starting the restaurant, we did a market study to understand the trends in the food segment, what clicks for the local palette and also worked on designing the interiors,” says S. Sudhir, one of the partners. The dimly-lit soothing interiors create an ideal ambience for a family get-together. The tables are set well apart and there are sections catering to a larger group as well.
The starters list is massive. You can opt from a list of soups to start with as well. You have a choice of tandoor starters or Chinese. The tikkas and kebabs are succulent and delicious. And more importantly, they don’t have any artificial colours. The chefs use saffron and beetroot to add natural colour to the dishes. Make sure you try the lamb and corn seekh kebab (minced lamb and minced American corn marinated with Indian spice grilled in tandoor), mutton boti kebab (mutton cvubes marinated in curd and Indian spices), noorani tangdi (chicken legs stuffed with minced mutton) and tandoori shahi paneer. The fish kebabs include the chandini fish and harb fish (cubes of boneless fish marinated with spring onion paste, green chilli, coriander and yoghurt). One of the specials in the kebab section is the tandoori quails (quail birds marinated with Indian spices and grilled in tandoor).
The main course of the Indian section has a variety of dishes. A personal favourite is the nathu kodi curry (country chicken cooked in Indian spices). While the flavourful Hyderabadi dum biryani is a safe bet to choose from, we strongly recommend the restaurant’s pot biryani. The city has very few restaurants serving this style of biryani. It is a traditional way of slow cooking the biryani in a mud pot. The spices blend well into the rice and give it a distinct flavour.
Chinese cuisine lovers can look forward to some authentic dishes from the restaurant’s Nepali chef. You can try the wang chicken (sliced chicken coated in corn flour and maida and tossed with tomato, mushroom, babycorn in garlic flavour). The oyster chicken is equally delicious. The menu is peppered with a few Thai dishes as well. In the sea food segment, there is fish with salt and pepper, ginger fish and fish appolo. There is a vast option for crabs and prawn preparations.
If you want to enjoy the feast, take your time and order. The menu is massive and there is a lot of new stuff to taste. It might not be possible to try everything but starve yourself before you come to this restaurant.
Location: Dwarkanagar First Lane, beside Ravindra Bharathi School
Timings: Lunch and Dinner
Wallet factor: Rs 300 to Rs 500 ( per head)
