I’d been eager to visit Atul Kochhar’s Rang Mahal at the JW Marriott Marquis since a colleague returned from the restaurant’s opening last November, raving about the roasted eggplant starter she’d had. But for one reason or the other it never happened until now.
And as luck would have it the amuse bouche on the menu was the roasted aubergine and burrata. So I sat there waiting to dig in as our server Feroz explained what the dish was all about. Now, being an Indian means a roasted eggplant dish has to be a bharta, a spicy and tangy dish. So when you put roasted eggplant and burrata (an Italian cheese made from mozzarella and cream) it will give your Indian palate a surprise burst of flavours that would be difficult to comprehend initially. What I felt was missing was a drop or two of lemon juice. However, it came in the right portion, keeping the cheese from becoming overwhelming.
What followed was something you’d expect from a Michelin-star chef. The light garlicky Scottish “lasooni” scallops was a lovely Indian take on European mollusc but Murgh chandi tikka and Hyderabadi gosht ki galouti (shredded lamb patties) were simple melt-in-the-mouth renditions of the traditional with the blend of spices coming through in each bite.
Feroz then gave us some time to enjoy the accompanying drinks with each course (at the time I had four glasses of different beverages in front of me) and the ambience before serving us the main course. Looking around you’ll find most of the space in the hall is taken up by enormous floor-to-ceiling carved wooden pillars, reminiscent of the darbars (meeting halls) of ancient Indian palaces. Even the muted shadows falling from the backlit red stained glass panels in the corrider and booths leading to the bar and restaurant, create a boudoir-like ambience that will make you feel you are entering the private quarters of an Indian royal.
The dining area is enclosed in a three-sided glass wall that give you different views of the Business Bay (not particularly nice at the moment with the construction going on in the area) and has a glassed-in kitchen where you can watch chefs putting together dishes and making traditional Indian bread. On the walls are giant handmade paintings (probably representing courtesans, in keeping with the “rang mahal” or the palace of pleasure theme).
Wait over. We turn to the meen moiley, murgh makhani and gosht khada masala that Feroz places before us. Once again he explains what went into each dish before bringing a basket of crispy naan. Now, I’ve never been a big fan of fish but the tabloid! team is in love with the fish moiley of a local restaurant (which I like too). If I said there were tears in my eyes (of joy, people, not disappointment) it would be an overstatement. But... Usually I use the dal prepared by a chef to as my parameter for judging his or her capability but in this case I can only say it was this dish.
The creamy coconut milk, the tinge of kari patta and the perfectly cooked fish (which didn’t smell fishy at all) scored full points for Kochhar (this must have been what got him the two Michelin stars). I cannot say the tangy butter chicken or the stewed mutton paled before it, but it was the only dish I’d have asked for a second helping, if it was possible.
With all those lovely flavours on the palate, the dessert (chocolate delice and house-made ice cream) was but a formality and nothing that’ll actually grab your attention.
After the dinner, a friend commented on my Blackberry status “tell the chef I really enjoyed his over-priced food”.
Well friend, if you can pay thousands for a designer bag or shoes to boost that ego of yours, you can always a spend bit of the same for a “designer” meal.
