We dined al fresco at the spanking new Afghan Grill in The Residency.
Thrown open after more than a year in renovation, the place looks worth all the effort. It appears to be much larger, though Chef Ashok assures us that the area is the same. A green-tiled kitchen is a bevy of activity with chefs moving around purposefully behind a sheet of glass, marinating, basting, skewering and grilling vegetables and various meats and sea food that make up the entirely new menu of the restaurant.
“The sea food is the special attraction. It is laid out in all its splendour and diners can choose what they want. It is the catch of the day,” explains Chef Ashok. As we are vegetarians, we make appropriate appreciative noises and get back to our bowls of creamy broccoli almond soup. It is so comforting. Then a spectacular bowl of salad is served.
Without any disrespect to the other things we eat that evening, the salad is the dish of the day! Grilled vegetables, fresh herbs, feta cheese, olives… it is a burst of freshness in the mouth.
I want another one, but face vociferous protests from the family.
So, we order a platter of mushrooms stuffed with cheese, a green pea tikka, big fat chunks of marinated and grilled paneer. Delicious.
Sometimes, more than the food, it is the accompaniments that linger longer in your mind. The yoghurt based dip, a little sweet, a little tart is just perfect, as is the pineapple pickle.
There is something nice about eating grilled food. Well, for one, because it is grilled (and a lot of us like to believe that it is low cal) and also because it is a change from the dal, roti, chawal routine (though that is also available at Afghan). And, one comes away with the head teeming with ideas for the next party at home.
The food at Afghan Grill looks pretty, tastes so nice and leaves one contented – just what a dining experience is meant to be.
(The Afghan Grill functions only in the evenings.)
