I totally agree with this quote – “Good food is a celebration of life” by Sophia
Lauren. April is the month of harvest festivals like Vishu, Bihu, Puthandu,
Baisakhi etc and regardless religion people celebrate these festivals in full
swing. This Baisakhi, celebrate the harvest festival in a special way as
Baluchi, the Pan Indian restaurant at The Lalit Ashok has come up with a
festival menu (from 12th - 22nd April, 2018). This award-winning restaurant creates some authentic Punjabi
flavors on the occasion of Baisakhi. April 14th is marked as the
harvest festival or New Year for most of the Indian states and being in
Bangalore; the cultural hub, you get to see many festivals celebrated. I am so glad
that I could try this exclusive festival menu at Baluchi, The Lalit Ashok Hotel
recently.
The restaurant is near the pool area and
what wins your heart may not be the size of this place but definitely the décor
and the polite service by the staffs. This time I met Chef Wahid who is from
Jharkhand and has got more than 10+ years of experience with famous five-star hotels. He is a person who doesn’t
speak much but creates a storm in the kitchen. Under the guidance of Chef
Ashish, each dish was carefully created by Chef Wahid and it was well
presented. It was a treat for all senses.
What I savored –
Drinks
I started with a glass of ‘Chatti Di Lassi’
which was thick sweet yoghurt drink; the way it should be and had flavors of rose essence and cardamom. This was a
perfect start to my meal after a long journey.
Soup
Bhuney Makai Te Dhaniye Da Shorba - A light and flavorful soup made of charred
corn, coriander leaves, and spices.
Unlike other restaurants which serve very grainy sweet corn soup, Baluchi had a
better version of this soup. I really enjoyed it.
Appetizers
Bhutte de Kebab (Kebab made of corn and spices)
Rajma Di Tikki (Tikki made of mashed rajma
with spices and grilled to perfection)
Tandoori Achari Macchi ( Tandoori – Achari flavored
grilled fish cubes with smoking flavors)
Bhune Champs (Grilled Lamb Shanks with
handpicked spices)
Bhatti Da Kukad ( Perfectly grilled Chicken
pieces with hot spices)
OMG! The appetizers served were all
amazing; it created a burst of flavors in my mouth especially the Bhutte De Kebab, melt-in-mouth Rajma Di Tikki, spicy
Bhatti Da Kukad and Tandoori Achari Macchi. Bhune Champs was tasty too but
compare to other exceptional starters; this failed to impress my palate.
Main Course
After a very long time, I had a great North
West Frontier meal. Though this was my first time at Baluchi, I am a fan now. You
will have a foodcoma for sure. For the
main course, I had Amritsari Chole, Punjabi Rajma, Nalli wala meat, Dal Baluchi, served with Roti and Kheema
Naan. The main highlight of the meal was Dal Baluchi and Nalli wala meat. Dal Baluchi is their signature dish
which is slow-cooked for more than 36
hours. Its thick consistency with a slight
topping of cream will work wonders; a piece of Naan and a portion of this gravy
is like a match made in heaven. Similarly,
Nalli Nihari is another slow-cooked star
dish according to me. The rich gravy and
the perfectly cooked Shank complimented each other well. I have tried Nalli Nihari
in few restaurants in Bangalore and so far Baluchi is the best place for Nalli Nihari.
Desserts
Gulab Ki Kheer and Kulfi – Gulab Ki Kheer
was a bit disappointing as it was very
thin and lacked flavors. They politely took my feedback and replaced this
dessert with another signature dish of theirs – Kulfi. The savior was the
Kulfi. I polished off this dessert in few seconds. The creamiest Kulfi I had
ever tried in Bangalore with rose flavors, rose petals and falooda. If you want to impress your girl then
take her to Baluchi for this dessert. Heavenly will be an understatement. All
the desserts are made at the restaurant.
Overall I thoroughly enjoyed the Baisakhi
Special meal at The Lalit Ashok. Good things won’t stay for long, so go grab
your meal before the fest gets over. I couldn’t thank enough Chef Wahid for
creating this amazing meal for me, so I took his interview and guys… stay tuned
for more details on my blog soon. The recipes are created using fresh local
produce from their gardens and the menu is on ‘a la carte’.
Address:
Baluchi -The Lalit Ashok
Kumara Krupa High Grounds,
Bengaluru
For reservations, contact - 080 30527777
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