This was my 2 visit to RK after almost a year and also as RK was under renovation. the a/c hall has become even more roomy & the hotel itself merges into the premises of golden chariot. RK is precise 2 kms from parle(E) & coming down the s.v.rd at night isnt quite a prob, as also the parking space is quite ample at RK(even at peak hrs). as the festive season is still on, large families were on the waiting list , but we had no hassles as we got a seat for 4. THE FIRST THING THAT STRIKES TO U, ONCE U ENTER THE AC ROOM IS THE AMBIENCE & SUDDENLY U R IN TOTAL COMFORT.
TO ADD TO THIS COMFORT IS A SHOW OF GOOD UPHOLSTERY INCLUDING NICE CHAIRS, SOFAS & ALSO THE APPEARANCE OF THE ENTIRE HALL AT A STRETCH, STUDDED WITH INDIAN PAINTINGS & MELLOW LIGHT. it had been a long time since v had gone out for dinner & as the cold days r on, we were really damn very hungry.
The staff is very prompt, as immediately v occupied the table, there was the person taking the order plus the waiter b4 us. the menu is PURE VEG for anyones kind information & is truly very EXHAUSTIVE. RK also boasts of a continental section, eg u get succulent veg. shashliks. its unlike any other restaurants menu card menu card, but the pricing is a BIT HIGH but the variety’s there & IF U DONT MIND SPENDING A FEW MORE BUCKS, THEN ITS TRULY WORTH IT.believe me.
So, for starters we had HARABHARA KEBABS, PANEER TIKKA, CRUNCHY VEGETABLES ALONGWITH VEG.CLEAR & MUSHROOM SOUPS. its an unusual sight tht we have to find some timepass as starters themselves take 20 mins or even more to arrive. but....i just finished washing my hands & lo!!! the food started arriving. I MUST SAY... THE SERVICE IS REAL FAST & MY WAITER WAS A GOOD LISTENER SO I HAD NO PROBS IN COMMUNICATING WITH HIM.
The paneer tikka was an absolute delite as it was a lot different from other tandoori items at other restaurants, as they seem a bit over roasted.. this dish was was nice coz the paneer remained SILKY SOFT , WAS AMAZINGLY DROOLING & JUST MELTED IN MY MOUTH.YUMMMMM!!! the soup was also gr88 as the mushrooms were well boiled & hence soft. the crunchy veggies were TRULY CCCCCRRRRUNCHY , gave a scrumptous chinese aroma & just bout enuf water in the mouth to eat’ em fast. the kebabs were a bit disappointment as they were too rigid, but the starters werent either heavy & there was room left for the main course. otherwise the starters r always so heavy at restaurants tht the main course remains unfulfilled. IT WAS NICE TO C THE AMOUNT OF OIL & SALT USED IN THESE AS IT WAS QUITE LOW & I RELISHED IT, AS OTHERWISE U GET A SALTY TONGUE.
the items for the main course were pretty interesting as the names go... VEG.AFGHANI, BALTI PANEER, HANDI DIWANI!!! & WT NOT... as theres always a fear of ’new’ items going waste, I ordered my fav. veg makhanwala & rest of my order included a veg afghani, garlic nans, kulchas & rotis. IT WAS NOT A MATTER OF TIME AS I WAS HALFWAY THRU MY SNAKE 2 ON MY NOKIA, THT THE PLATES STARTED TO ARRIVE & SO DID THE FOOD...THE AROMA OF THE AFGHANI WAS SO GR888 THT I JUST PUT MY HANDS ON IT & TOOK THE CREAM & CHERRY B4 NEONE ELSE DID. THE MAKHANWALA WAS ALSO VERY YUMMY, & AGAIN THE BEST THING I NOTICED ABT THE FOOD WAS ITS LESS OILYNESS, LESS SALTY & LEVELLED SUGAR MIXTURE. THE GARLIC NANS WERE A REAL DELITE( RECOMMENDED FOR READERS) AS MY MOM & I TRIED EM FOR THE 1ST TIME & INSTANTLY GOT BOWLED OVER BY EM. FOR ROTI LOVERS, I MUST SUGGEST , INSTEAD OF THE NANS & KULCHAS, U BETTER OPT FOR (AS I DID LATER) THE PLAIN TANDOORI ROTIS AS THEY R MADE OUT OF WHEAT & MY OPINION- IT WERE THE ROTIS THT TASTED GR888 INSTEAD OF THE REFINED FLOUR NANS. HEALTH CONSCIOUS PEOPLE CHK OUT
the afghani & the makhanwala made a real JODI NO.1 as the family besides us wtched us eat the meal heartily( COZ THEIRS HADNT YET ARRIVED EVEN THOUGH WE SAT AT THE SAME TIME!!!) NOW ...... IT WAS TIME FOR SOME RICE & WE WERE STILL HUNGRY....SO TO FULFILL THAT, , , V WENT FOR SOME TANDOORI ALOOS & EVEN THOUGH THE WAITER SAID IT WUD TAKE 20 MINS, IT ARRIVED IN 10 MINS FLAT & SO DID MY VEG .BIRYANI. THE BEST THING I NOTICED ABT THE BIRYANI WAS THT IT WASNT OVER PAMPERED WITH EXTRA LOAD OF SPICES & NUTMEGS ETC, WHICH SUMTIMES GET STUCK IN THE MOUTH & NOR TOO MUCH A DASH OF FRUITS IN IT, OTHERWISE SUCH BIRYANIS BECOME ’FRUIT SALAD BIRYANIS’!!!... THE ALOO THING V ORDERED, THOUGH UNTIMELY FILLED A GOOD STARTERS SLOT AS I TERMED IT AS A, ’PUNJAB MEETS GUJARAT’ DISH.
the biryani I wud recommend for taste buds will be best enjoyed with either veg.afghani or a veg.makhanwala , but not any curry plzz.
Now it was time for desserts & the menu has a decent outfit for tht including heavily priced ’handmade icecreams’ to our local brands like a cornetto or mango dolly etc. but even the malai kulfi was a bit toooooo pricey at 45 bucks!!! DO TRY THE HOT FUDGE SUNDAE WORTH 70 BUKS...ITS REALLY GOOD AS THE XPERIENCE OF HAVING HOT-N-COLD IS REALLY VERY DIFFERENT. but instead of goin for all this, go 4 a plain fruit salad or a falooda, which r not too sweet & well balanced in terms of flavor & content. on avg. any item(excluding the roti section) wud cost around 60-70 bucks wich is not 2 bad at all for a suburban resto taking the quik service, ambience & food quality in mind. so its a good outing 4 ppl who wana spend a li’l xtra for good food. rest apart, the hotels around 5-10 mins by auto from andheri stn & easily connected thru s.v.rd. so theres nothing really tht kicked me to write a con abt this. ONLY THIN IS THEY DONT ACCEPT CREDIT CARDS...SO ALWAYS REMEMBER TO CARRY ONLY CASH, AS THIS ’MITE’ BE A PROB FOR A FEW OF U. BUT FOR ENJOYING LAVISH FOOD AT GOOD PRICES... GO 4 RK. THE HOTEL IS IDEAL FOR EVERY TYPE OF A CROWD BE IT FAMILY, FRIENDS, ROMANTICS & WTEVER THERE IS IN MIND...
THIS IS NOT AN AVG. PERSONS HOTEL, BUT ONLY 4 PASSIONATE FOOD LOVERS EVEN THOUGH FOR WHOM, ’ FOOD IS FOOD, ULTIMATELY WHETHER ITS SERVED AT RK OR ELSEWHERE..’
THE ONLY THING U MITE MIND IS UR PROB OF CHOICE IN SELECTING A ’FEW GOOD DISHES’ OUT OF THE ALREADY MAGNIFICIENT MENU.
HAPPY EATING,
myg.
© Mehul2003