Khasa Dastarkhwan at Kanak, Trident Hyderabad

A Mughlai Culinary Experience was what we got at Kanak, Trident Hyderabad, where myself and my friend, Arundati of Escapades fame had the opportunity to dine. We were there to taste the fare the restaurant presented for Khasa Dastarkhwan, which ended on Jan 28, 2015.

Worry not, am told most of the dishes that were made especially for this food festival are going to be on the menu, so there is hope for all of us to taste this awesome food again!

To start the dinner, we were served Kanak’s own signature masala papad, made with Rumali Roti, topped with onions, tomatoes and cheese, making it a very yummy, masala papad experience. This and Seekh Nilofari, a minced exotic vegetable based kebab, paired with an array of chutneys set stage for a delicious meal.

As we were dining, I happened to take a deeper look into the copy of the menu, and my eye caught a very interesting name – Amrood ki Sabzi, and I couldn’t wait to taste how it would be. Not a fan of the fruit, Guava, I was interested how could someone make this fruit into a Mughlai dish. As this dish arrived at the table, I was greeted with a sweetish-yet-spicy aroma of the sabzi. This was paired with a Tandoori roti, generously topped with butter.

And as expected, the dish tasted as good as it smelt. The guava pieces retained their seedy and hard texture, yet had impaired their flavor to the gravy, which in spite of the spices used tasted distinctly of the fruit. Saffron imparted its color and flavor, so did the rose water used, maing it in all, a medley of flavors. Yeah, I loved this sabzi so much that I ate it as an accompaniment for the rest of the dinner. Mahar Paneer was a cottage-cheese based dish, another item on the main course, with the paneer stuffed with toasted nuts. This was non-spicy dish, in a true Mughlai style, rich with the butter and nuts.

The Tarkari Biryani served for the main course followed suit in being a flavor bomb, I loved that it wasn’t extremely spicy. The spices were tender, and the Biryani , paired with Lucknowi Dal was a perfect course.

We were fully stuffed by then, and had requested smaller portions of the desserts planned for the evening. We were served Kesar Phirni and Rampuri Gulathi , both milk based rich dishes cooked to fit a king’s meal, literally! :)

The dinner ended with some good conversation with the head chef Mr.Manik, and his plans for the restaurant for the next few months. There are a few good food festivals on the cards at this restaurant, which I am determined to not miss. :)

Notes

1. An 3 course meal for two would cost approximately Rs. 4000/- excluding wine. This is an estimation.
2. Khasa Dastarkhwan was priced at 1975/- + Taxes.
3. I was invited to do a food review, so I did not have to pay for my meal. This did not influence my review in any way. The experience and opinions are entirely mine.
4. Owing to my dietary preferences, I was served only vegetarian food, which I thoroughly enjoyed. All the items I reviewed here are vegetarian.

Tips

1. The restaurant has a brilliant soft, yellow light, making it the perfect location for some Facebook profile pictures. This also means, the restaurant is perfect if you are having a celebration of any sort.
2. Do try some of the great Desi cocktails here at Kanak

For reservations, call: +91-40-6623-2323 OR e-mail: trident.hyderabad@tridenthotels.com