JOIN USUnusual names, even more unusual dishes!
In the movie Munna Bhai M.B.B.S., Sanjay Dutt advises a female caller to judge the boy she is going to meet, by the manner in which he calls out to the waiter. If you remember the scene, you would know that the appro-priate way to call a waiter is – ‘Excuse Me...’
Probably taking a cue from the same, the restaurant Excuse Me Boss in middle lane of Connaught Place lets foodies eat and chill at their own pace.Although it is an all-day
dining place, if you enter the premises during the day, you are sure to fall flat on your face in the absence of sufficient light!
Once seated firmly, you realise that the service is good and food arrives quite promptly once the order is placed from a menu that is not at all difficult to comprehend. You must begin your meal with Lamb Kibbeh that can be easily mistaken for a vegetarian kebab for the meat is nicely minced and filled inside a covering of burghul (cracked wheat from the Middle East) to taste dry, yet delicious.
This is served with Beetroot Tzatziki – a tantalising combination of hung curd, garlic juice, salt, pepper, parsley and beetroot – that stays on the table till the dessert arrives. We actually choose Pancakes & Cointreau Syrup (from the breakfast menu) for the dessert that the chef cooks to a near perfect taste.
The other Hors d’oeuvre that Metrolife samples are – Jalapeno & Cheese Bytez, Bhutte ke Kebab and Jaitooni Fish Tikka. All taste quite regular with controlled flavours that don’t impress much. The boiled chicken in the spring roll, however, stands out in the Spring Roll Platter as the lamb spring roll brings down our expectations.
On a lighter side, the order placed for Penne Veg Salad turns out to be much heavy since the pasta remains undercooked and overloadedtoppings in vegetarian Country Feast Pizza go against a pleasurable experience. So veggie-lovers need to opt for The Excuse Me Boss Hotdog or Tomato Basil Pesto Penne sandwich to lift their spirits. The latter, especially, is a very good choice even though there is a simple pesto dressing, sun dried tomatoes and normal fried tomatoes placed carefully in the panini bread, grilled and served hot for a lasting taste.
The flavour of the smooth pesto is replaced by the boneless mutton in an onion and tomato sauce prepared for the Parsi dish Sali Ghost. It is a task to enjoy the fibrous meat that is prepared in traditional style and doesn’t tickle the palate. But the best is saved for
the last as a sizzling bowl full of oil is placed on the table and one is informed that the dish Water Fish is a Chinese preparation.
“Traditionally, the Chinese use small coloured fishes in this, but they are not affordable in India, so we use sole fillet,” informs Chef Anand. The oodles of oil weakens courage but a spoonfull of the same poured on steamed rice changes the impression. Chef Anand explains that the blanched fish is placed on a bed of bok choy (Chinese cabbage) and piping hot oil tempered with schezwan pepper and dry red chilli is poured over it. Not that difficult to prepare, yet the elusive flavours makes it the star dish!