Rose petals strewn across the table and a sherbat greet you at the Tiger Trail restaurant in the Royal Orchid Harsha. The restaurant is hosting a 10-day Biryani and Kebab food festival. The restaurant has made a few changes in decor and music to recreate the Mughal era. The menu that has been created for the festival is primarily non-vegetarian.

The pick of the lot for the kebabs is the Zafrani Jhinga which has prawns marinated with saffron and spices skewered in the tandoor which is not too spicy and has great flavour. Other options include the Fish Anarkali, the Mahi Achari Tikka, Murgh Shahi Kebab and Tangdi Lajawab. There are also mutton kebabs on the platter like the Gosht Shahi Sikampuri Kebab and the Talwi Boti Kebab.

The kebab platter basically is very ‘Indian’ with spices and other ingredients that have very intense flavours.
Vegetarians don’t have such a huge choice but the options are fairly good. The Veg Gulati Kebab has vegetables mixed with spices which has been grilled on the tawa and the Dahi Ki Tikki are highlights of the veggie section.
Past the kebabs is the biryani platter which also has a wide selection. Here the vegetarians also have enough choice with the Malmalai Subz Biriyani and the Dakshin Kai Kari Biriyani, which is a South Indian biriyani.

The Rampuri Aloo Subz ki Biryani with potatoes and vegetables dum biryani is a different choice on the veg menu. Other biryanis include the Kache Gosht ki Biryani and the Gosht Moghlai biryani for non-vegetarians.

There are great raithas to balance the taste of the spicy biryanis. To end the meal are some simple desserts. For a variation from the usual Kheer and Jamoon, try the Shahi Tukda which basically has fried pieces of bread covered in rabri.

A meal for two would cost between Rs 500 and Rs 600. So on the whole, the food festival is a good option for those who wish to eat a lot and yet not burn a hole in their pocket!

The food festival is on only for dinner from 7 pm to 11.30 pm, till October 15.
BVP