Creative
vegetarian dishes using only the freshest ingredients while retaining their
natural flavour
While
being a vegetarian isn’t for everyone (including me), I meet lots of people
every day who tell me they are vegetarians or would like to become one! But
when I got an invite from my friend Simarjeet, General Manager at the Radisson
Blu, Ghaziabad for the Hotel’s vegetarian restaurant ‘Kama’ I made many excuses
not to go as driving all the way to sample vegetarian fare was simply not me!
Simarjeet then mailed me the menu and sure enough I got tempted to try and
foodie that I am went all the way from Gurgaon for a ‘dekho’!
The
grandeur of the restaurant caught my attention the moment I entered and I found
‘Kama’ to be a delicious mix of contemporary ambience echoed in the rich interiors
replete with peacock murals and plush wood. On offer are also two private
dining areas at the side of the restaurant, for those who mean business.
Banish
the thought of boring fare, for Vegetarian cuisine is brought to a new high
here. To start with you can order from an I-pad menu and the best part is with
a picture display you actually know what is in store for you to taste. As for
my daughter and me, we spent some time just ogling at the dishes before we
finally ordered. Regional Indian cuisine, which carries the delicate whiff of
Gujarat and the earthy, spicy, ‘fiery’ feel of the Marwari province and many more
unique flavours define the space. On offer is also a chef tasting menu (can be
paired with wine) that offers excellent value and an opportunity to sample a
wide variety of dishes, which offer a gamut of traditional, ethnic Indian
vegetarian cuisine. While one waits for the culinary journey to begin an amuse
bouche (a free one bite food sampler) is served at the start of a meal as an
appetite tickler, which changes every day. We got to sample a pineapple panna
with a sweet and sour corn mix, which was presented so well that I didn’t have
the heart to disturb it but my greed took over and I bit into the heavenly
morsel. I would surely recommend starting your meal with the Kandhari
shorba a chickpea soup spiked with homemade lemon butter served with a
mini kulcha.
 |
| Kandhari Shorba |
From the starters don’t miss the Kama kebab made with
Kerela yam and gherkins served on an ulte tawe ka parantha. Another good bet is
the spinach
roomali chaat roll tangy, healthy and wholesome with a stuffing of
tandoori fruits, Greek Olives and spiced yogurt. The mains are more tempting
than the starters and the star items being kerela stew ensemble with appams , Mewar
paneer masala with Mirchi parantha,
Annam’s adai which is a
spiced lentil pancake served with avail, jaggery, onion vathakozambu and tomato
pappu.
 |
| Appams with stew |
 |
| Mewar paneer with Mirchi Parantha |
 |
| Ferrari ki sawari |
The Ferrari ki sawari is a very interesting creation and I simply
loved the idea of the Italian potato Gnocchi with spinach, a sheer delight and
absolutely delicious.
And yes worth trying is also
kadhi muthia, bharwan bhindi,
green peas poori, masala poori and fruit raita from the Devilal Maharaj ka khazana section.
 |
| Gujrati Thaal |
The
Jackfruit
Biryani that we tried was nice and flavorful though I would have
 |
| Jackfruit Biryani |
personally liked the jackfruit to be cooked with the rice in the same way as we
make chicken biryani; here it was jackfruit pakoras instead. By the end of all
this I was too full to try any dessert, but had a Thandai shot which made for a nice sweet refreshing end.
 |
| Apple Triology |
Truly,
the restaurant offers the choicest vegetarian fare, simmered to perfection in
the most exotic spices. The food is unpretentious and clearly freshly made and
more importantly is delicious to boot! The menu also offers a good selection of
alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages to compliment the food. Those who are
vegetarians by choice or for religious reasons have nothing to worry while with
us, and for those who enjoy only non-vegetarian food it is probably a
worthwhile experience to have a glimpse of the variation that is possible in
the vegetarian cuisines, definitely worth a visit!
FAST FACTS
Kama
@Radisson Blu Hotel, H-3, Kaushambi, Sector 14, Ghaziabad
For Reservations:
8744050670/0120 473620
Meal for two:
INR 2,000 plus
taxes without alcohol.
Timings:
Open for dinner only.
