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Journalism of Courage
Despite its wishy-washy name,this Noida eatery dishes out substantial fare.
Nestled away in Noidas Mosaic Hotel,Flluid seems worlds away from the crowded,bustling Sector 18 market outside. Wooden floors,dim lamps resembling gigantic bulbs,a shape much in vogue in restaurants these days and huge enfolding couch seats all ensure that the décor is classy yet understated. The music,which is a pastiche of pop music,is loud but doesnt really interfere with conversation across the table. The restaurant,which opened its doors in July,is nothing like its namesake that used to serve as a bar earlier.
The Oriental platter,comprising Chicken Satay,Fish Satay,Five Spice Chicken and Thai-inspired Fish Cakes,is the first to appear and makes a congenial start to the meal. Despite being served with the usual accoutrement of dipping sauces including the indispensible peanut sauce,which is so necessary for any kind of satay,we find,somewhat to our amazement that theyre really not required. The meats are extremely well balanced,without needing any additional enhancer. Particularly noteworthy are the piscine portions of the platter. Both the Fish Cakes and the Fish Satay made using fresh Basa are marinated and cooked with a deft hand,resulting in a crisp cover,flaky texture and sublime taste.
Up next is the Indian platter which contains Seekh Kebab,various kinds of Chicken Tikka spicy,pudina and malai and Amritsari Fish Tikka. Though well made,theres nothing extraordinary about this course,though the Seekh Kebab resembling a rather stubby stick of dynamite is particularly succulent.
Pretty stuffed by this point,we soldier on in the interest of journalistic fact-finding. For our main course,we order a Lamb Massaman curry,which is served in its own bowl,complete with Pad Thai. The curry is an excellent rendition of the Thai original,though we found the noodles a tad chewier than usual. Because of the superlative taste,this minor point can be largely ignored.
For dessert,we are served a Peanut Butter and Macaroon Tart,which makes for an unusual but toothsome dessert. The creamy peanut butter,the crunchy crushed macaroons and the crumbly tart shell all combine to make a kids and sweet-obsessed adults like us dream dessert.
Meal for two: Rs. 2,000 including taxes,excluding alcohol Address: Mosaic Hotel,Sector 18,Noida Contact: 0120-4025000
