Desi Delight

With everything else taking a backseat due to the heat,restaurants around town are going all out to spice up things. Leading the way is Moti Mahal in Sector 17 followed up by Hotel Aroma’s Cascade. And it’s a desi delight all the way with both the food festivals playing up traditional treats. Here’s what you can make the most of.

PUNJABI BY NATURE: If you can’t drive down to Amritsar or make a trip to Lahore or Rawalpindi to sample their sumptuous menus,don’t fret. Taking you on a gastronomical tour of once-upon-a-time Greater Punjab is Moti Mahal with its food festival that makes the most of a Punjabi menu. “The aim is to offer not just regular Punjabi cuisine but bring in authentic dishes from the region,” explains restaurateur Sanjay Ahuja as he adds,“Apart from favourites from Amritsar and Lahore we have even brought back old recipes dating to pre-partition days.” Interestingly,the festival throws up surprises with dishes from places like Rawalpindi,Peshawar and even Sargodha. For those who relish non-vegetarian fare,you can choose from the likes of ‘Lawrence Road De Tawa De Tikkey’ that promises to get you all nostalgic about Amritsar. Then there’s ‘Bhathi Da Murga Pindiwala’,a specialty from the streets of Rawalpindi as well as ‘Seekh Lahori’ from Lahore. For those opting for veggies,the ‘Multani Tikka’ comes highly recommended. The main course is equally plump with dishes like ‘Mardaan Murg Malaaiwala’ from North West Frontier Province (NWFP) to ‘Keema Kaleji Te Andey’,‘Magaz Masala’,‘Tariwala Meat’ and more. Down it all with traditional drinks like ‘Kanjee’,‘Shikanjvi’ and ‘Matha’ that will be served during the festival. “The food festival is a tribute to spirit of Punjabiyat,” Ahuja smiles to say. It’s on till July 5.

GREEN GRANDEUR: Now this is special and thoughtful too! Hotel Aroma’s Cascade restaurant is inviting everyone for its all-vegetarian food festival. “We have been organising umpteen food festivals in the past,be it Indian or Continental and we always try to balance the vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes,” mentions Man Mohan Singh Kohli of Aroma as he adds,“According to our survey,we have an almost 70 per cent vegetarian clientele which relishes vegetarian fare.” While it’s easy to appease non-veg palates,it requires a fair amount of creativity to woo the vegetarians! Keeping that thought in mind,Cascade offers ‘Subz Bagh’ delicacies. On offer is an array of pulaos,mushroom dishes,a bevy of daals,paneer specialties as well as seasonal veggies clubbed with salads and curd. “We want to prove that vegetarian food is as lip-smacking as its non-veg counterpart,” assures Kohli.