When Tastebuds Go Globetrotting

The idea behind it is simple – get the Indian tongue acclimatised to the tastes of the world. Done up in a bright and cheery duality of mauve and acid green,the restaurant boasts of dishes from four continents,yet is vegetarian. “More and more countries around the world are embracing vegetarianism,so it felt natural to start off green,” says Arvind Ketkar,director of the establishment.

We visited the Law College Road branch of the chain,which has indoor and outdoor seating in roughly equal proportions. To start off with,we ordered the strawberry milkshake and the iced limau lumputeh to drink. The strawberry milk shake was a thick concoction,topped with nuts and a hard-to-achieve froth. Creamy and delicious,the only botheration we faced,as far as it was concerned,was its thickness – after a while,the milkshake refused to come up the straw. The iced limau lumputeh was a Malaysian iced tea,and served with a lemon wedge,it was a perfect cool and refreshing drink for a hot day.

On to the main course. We started with the Mexican tacos to work up an appetite. A corn tortilla was folded around a filling of tomatoes and kidney beans which,whenmixed together,formed a thick paste,on which cheese was sprinkled. Served with salsa,it is delicious but while eating it one needs to be quick with their hands – the tortillas are slightly brittle. Next we had the heavier Italian enchilada. A cheese bonanza,it comprises of tortillas wrapped around a tomato-based stuffing; however the presence of cheese and oregano makes it undoubtedly Mediterranean rather than Latin American. Last,we had the Khusrhi,an Egyptian dish that was a mixture of rice,noodles and pasta in a bowl of a tangy,watery sauce. However,after the brilliance of the first two dishes,this was a disappointment,and was rather like having noodle soup.

For dessert,we first tried a sample of the rose-flavoured ice cream,a recipe by Hemrajani himself,though he was rather secretive about its ingredients. Next we had the sizzling chocolate walnut cake ice cream,which came to us spewing steam,not unlike a sizzler. The combination of the bubbling liquid chocolate,dry walnut cake and melting vanilla ice cream was excellent – a great way to end a meal.

To conclude,Maskaamaria is a great place for European and South American dishes. But the Middle-Eastern dishes should be treated with a bit of caution.