denise fletcher
Rated 4.0/5.0 3 months ago
Dinner for 3 with drinks came to about $78 which is reasonable for what we got:
1.Paradise lamb shank dum biryani which was the best dish of the evening. Rice was tender, fragrant, fluffy and the right level of grainy but not dry, in fact it was a little too oily, but not enough to be a deal breaker. It was perfectly seasoned and the lamb was almost fall-off-the-bone tender but was a tad dry on top though the rest of the shank was quite moist. They were generous with the fried onions which I LOVE, but I would have liked some coriander leaves to give it some herbal freshness. I did not need any additional curry, gravy or achar to enjoy it. Portion was generous. Enough for two average eaters. 8.5/10
2. Malabar chicken bamboo biryani. This is cooked with short-grain kaima rice instead of basmati, inside a bamboo tube. It felt special because of the spectacle when it was poured out of the bamboo mould by the waiter, with a flourish, but the actual flavour and aroma did not match up to the enjoyable drama, or to the regular basmati biryani we had. It tasted more like a very decent meat pulao, but lacked the wonderful fragrance and flavour of a basmati biryani. It was tasty, moist but not mushy, the chicken was tender and it was nicely seasoned but overall tasted relatively muted, almost bland, or perhaps...delicate. 6.3/10
3. Butter naan was too thin and was more like a pita or Maldivian roshi than a soft, fluffy naan. It was flat and chewy with a pocket inside. 3.9/10
4. Egg korma was a hard boiled egg, cut into two, in a mildly spiced, thick, very coconutty and moderately sweet gravy. My husband enjoyed it. My son and I, did not. 5/10
5. Plain thosai (dosa) was underwhelming. Coconut chutney was bland. Sambar was a tad salty and too thick. Thosai itself was under fermented, spongy and lacked browning and crispness. 4.9/10
6.Kerala chai was okay. Thick, milky and tannic with sufficient character but lacking in fragrance. 6/10
I requested ginger chai which was not on the menu, but they graciously accommodated me, though it sadly lacked the gingery aroma and bite I was hoping for.
The green chutney they serve as a complimentary condiment with achar was out of this world! I wish they had given more! 10/10
Papadums were fresh, crisp and not oversalted.
The complimentary shot glasses of mint and lime cooler were delicious, refreshing and very appreciated.
Overall it was a truly lovely experience with very attentive and gracious service. Our server happily gave recommendations when we were unsure what to order, and even patiently waited for me to get my camera ready before serving the bamboo biryani. He even ran out the restaurant after us, when he realised I had left after the meal, without taking my phone ♥️♥️
I will be back for the excellent lamb shank biryani, the warm service, and to try the lesser-known Keralan dishes.