’’Kebab Well done hona chahiye, and Juicy hona chahiye’’, said the middle aged businessman sitting on the adjoining table in the famed, much hyped Bukhara Restaurant at the ITC Maurya Sheraton.
The restaurant boasts to be ’’The Best Indian Restaurant in the World’’ and has branches in Singpore and other cities.
I have been to the restaurant in Singapore a few times (official commitments) and did’nt take it so seriously. Did not go to Bukhara again by choice...
Until last night in Delhi when my visiting-from-foren colleagues wanted to eat there, so I took them ...
Well, today I’m a party pooper and say, Bukhara is no big deal. I don’t just get what’s so great about this restaurant. Maybe everyone’s ridiculing me as they read this. It seems even Bill Clinton ate here.
Here are some accolades that are trying to prove me wrong:
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BUKHARA: Known the world over for its delectable North-West Frontier
cuisine, the restaurant is set amidst a charming ambience. A rugged style, where you tie on checked aprons and are encouraged to eat with your fingers! Acclaimed by the food critic of Newsweek and winner of the Golden Fork Award.
There’s nothing new about Bukhara, the award-winning restaurant in New
Delhi’s Maurya Sheraton Hotel, which has been operating for decades.
But Bukhara was the first-restaurant to take an Indian specially item-foods cooked in a a tandoor oven and transform it into gourmet cuisine. The restaurant’s look is pure Flintstones: walls of boulders, solid-wood tables and menus printed on laminated sections of three. There’s no cutlery either: you rip at great hunks of meat and swab it up with nan the size of a trash can lid. But don’t let this modish coarseness foot you: there’s nothing back-to-basics about the cooking. The tandoori jhinga-four colossal marinated prawns flavored with yogurt, red chilies, turmeric and garam masala-is sensational.
And the sikandari raan, a whole leg of spring lamb soaked in vinegar, cinnamon and cumin and cooked in the tandoor, is irresistibly succulent. Prices are steep for India: a meal for two will cost at least $80. But in a land of conformity, there’s little to beat Bukhara’s oasis of the extraordinary.
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Coming back to my experience at the Bukhara,
Luckily I was able to get priority seating (inspite of a long waitlist) (we’d walked away the previous night because of the wait) within 10 minutes.
I liked the open kitchen concept - giving an opportunity to the diners to watch the Chefs at work, stare at them, make them nervous ;-)
The seating is comfortable with a low sofa on one side and low stools with cushions.
Tables close together make the atmosphere a little informal and lively. Nice. and no cutlery, so everyone’s eating with their hands, the way Indian food should be eaten.
The crowd is ok- what you’d expect in a 5 star, mostly business travelers or rich families. Hardly any young yuppy types. (anyway it’s a fine dining speciality restaurant, not a pub to expect happening crowd). Some sho-sha public..
We tried some recommended dishes and left out some. We tried the Kasturi Kebab (which was marinated boneless chicken, wrapped in egg, and skewered - it had a strong smell of egg, much like eating an egg roll), famed Tandoori Chicken (which was NOT tender, and light colored). In fact, it did’nt even look like Tandoori Chicken.
The Onion Kulcha was ok, nothing great, i’d give it 4/10. The Naans and Rotis were however, quite good.
I have had much better dal makhani at many other places. The Tandoori Phool was quite decent.
nice touch at the end - they give you an assortment of paans.
Food Prices are of course steep, keeping in tradition with the other restaurants at the Maurya Sheraton:
KF Beer Rs. 300
Nan/Roti Rs. 95 each
Tandoori Chicken 4 pc Rs.675
Kasturi Kebab 4pc Rs. 750
Dal Makhani Rs. 450
Tandoori Phool Rs. 460
pfffft.
with drinks, a meal for 3 came to about 5K rupees. (ouch)
Why do people make such a big deal about Bukhara? And I’m not only talking about value for money.
I’m talking about taste.
Bukhara - 4 out of 10. Just Pass.