Perched eight floors above, on the rooftop of Hotel South Park is the new place in town for all things grilled and barbecued – ‘Skyye Grill’. The highlight is the unlimited amount of tandoor and barbecue starters served with a buffet.
We reach the hotel by 8 p.m. and the elevator takes us straight to the rooftop. Stepping into the restaurant, the change in ambience is pretty overwhelming. The rooftop has been transformed into a pleasant tropical space with an earthy décor. A live kitchen is at work at one end of the indoor restaurant space while on the other end you have the open-sky space with a stunning view of bustling Palayam.
Food and beverages manager Anuf Khan arrives as we sit down at the table. He briefs us about the new venture. “Starters are our highlight. There are many who prefer dining on starters alone instead of an extravagant buffet. So we decided to go heavy on the starters,” says Anuf.
Non-vegetarian starter platter of Skyye Grill rooftop restaurant, Hotel South Park
Four vegetarian and four non-vegetarian starters are served every day. Executive Chef Joginder Pal Singh chips in between with his expertise on kebabs and tandoors. “We have a different menu for each day of the week. The dishes range from North Indian tandoors to popular Arabic kebabs and Thai grills. The main-course menu also changes every day,” he says. listening to the Chef’s description for a while, we could no longer wait and decide to kick-start the feast.
Vegetarian starter platter at Skyye Grill rooftop restaurant, Hotel South Park
Non-veg platter comes first. Murgh Bada kebab, Mutton Hariyali kebab, Fish Irani kebab and Arabic grilled fish with veggies and mint chutney arrive on a shiny steel plate. Spicy brown chicken, cooked to perfection, sets my taste buds on fire as soon as I take a bite and the Arabic grilled fish with juicy soft fish cubes with a coriander-lemon coat melts in the mouth. But the clear winner is the Mutton Hariyali kebab with exquisitely cooked mutton in a green sauce made of palak and a variety of spices, while the mildly spicy Irani fish kebab stands out for its exotic taste.
The vegetarian starters are equally impressive with the delicious Bharwan tandoori aloo, a special dish which involves a thick soft potato rings filled with shredded paneer, leading the platter. Veg seekh kebab and Arabic subzi tikki are the spiced-up bites on the platter while cubes of paneer cooked in Satay peanut sauce adds a sweet touch.
Though stuffed with the smoking starters, we decide to try out the main-course as well, starting with a Vegetable pulao, Methi gosht, which is mutton cooked in thick cashew-fenugreek based gravy, and scrumptious gobi in black pepper sauce. Next up is Indian breads. Roti and butter naan, though a little too crispy for my comfort, go extremely well with the moderately spicy red curry and the rich sweet n sour gravy of paneer butter masala.
We sign off the evening with a bowl of warm gulab jamun, chocolate pastry with fresh fruits and two big scoops of mango ice cream.
‘Skyye Grill’ is open from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. on all days of the week. The buffet is priced at Rs. 888 including the taxes. For reservations, call 0471-2333333, 9847030003.
