Majestically beautiful with its wonderful architecture, The Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, Mumbai has an enchanting, old world charm to it.
As you enter the hotel you’re taken in by the small of fresh roses, the grandeur of the lobby and the beauty of the Arabian Sea located right opposite where the Gateway of India stands in all its glory.
With the tinkle of conversation around, the polite staff guide you to one of their many iconic restaurants.
As you enter Masala Kraft, you’re enchanted by the rustic, old and beautiful ambience. Soft, folk music playing in the background, smell of fresh food drifting though the kitchen, as you sit on one of their comfortable sofas, you know you’re going to be having a wonderful meal.
The learned chef Apurva Panchal wanted us to try a bit of everything and boy we did have a hearty meal.
We started with some basic sugarcane juice. I loved how refreshing and cool it was with a slight tinge of ginger it had to it. We all have childhood memories of chewing on fresh sugarcane or sipping on some juice in the summers to beat the heat. Very ingeniously made!
This was accompanied with their Papad Platter. A nice variety of fried and colourful khichiya papads served with a tangy chilli garlic sauce has us devouring the very last bite of them with joy. The chilli garlic sauce added a delicious twist to the usual pickles we are used to having the papads with.
We then tried the Bhune Makai ki Cappuchino. When you think of soup you think of a nice creamy broth in a large bowl but my whole thinking of soup was changed with this lip smacking soup. Corn, well roasted in butter and made into a delicious broth with a slight tinge of cinnamon, served in a cute little coffee mug made for a healthy start to our meal.
We then has the Crispy Kabuli Chana Chaat. Now when you usually have chana chaat it’s soft and boiled chana with some onions and chutney but the Chef has made the humble chana chaat with a wonderful twist by deep frying the Kabuli chana instead of boiling it. The crisp and golden brown chana with loads of fresh curd and tamarind chutney drizzled over it created a lovely burst of tangy flavours in my palette.
Next we had the Dilli Ki Chhalli. Corn on the cob,roasted to perfection over hot coals,topped with spicy red chilli powder, onions and chaat masala made for a scrumptious appetizer. It can take you back to those monsoon days where we all enjoy having a cob of hot, spicy corn to tingle our tastebuds.
This was accompanied by Kumbhi Haleem ke kebab and Tandoori Brocolli.
These Mushroom kebabs were so deliciously soft,I couldn’t handle one on a fork, without it breaking. I popped one into my mouth with some fresh mint chutney and relished the taste for a good minute. It had the power to make me speechless!
The Tandoori Broccoli was a delicious way of having some good old Brocolli. Marinated with masalas and cooked to a perfect bite in the tandoor, this appetizer didn’t fail to impress.
We paired our meal with some tangy Kala Khatta Margherita which was quite refreshing!
For the mains we tried a good variety of dishes from the kitchens of India.
Their Baingan Bharta was ironically served inside a baingan! Tomatoes, boiled baingan and onions cooked inside a aubergine and baked to perfection is by far the best bharta I’ve ever had!
The Paneer Khatta Pyaz was a delicious concoction of fresh and soft cottage cheese with pickled onions, served in a rich tomato gravy which was well spiced.
The best sabzi was the Haldi Malai ki Sabji. A never before heard of dish, this rich sabzi made of turmeric and fresh cream with mild elaichi and squash was a dish fit for royalty. Each bite of this delicious preparation when has with fresh phulkas or naan can transport you to food heaven.
The Aloo Katliyan, from the kitchens of Marwar was a spicy combination of sliced potatoes, onions and crisp vadis cooked in a delicious tomato broth.
The Langar Wali Daal from Amritsar, which is a mixture of Split Bengal gram and chana daal topped with lots of desi ghee was exactly like the one made in the pure Kitchens of Amritsari Gurudwaras. So delicious we we had it till the very last drop.
We paired our meal with some fresh nachni phulkas, olive naan and pudina Kulchas.
We tried the Lucknowi Subz Biryani. Long grained basmati rice, well cooked with flavourful veggies and saffron along with mace served with raita made for a fitting end to a delicious main course.
They say desserts are the best part of a meal and I couldn’t agree more! We tried their famous, chocolate kulfi bomb which was absolutely stunning.
A chocolate ball stuffed with cool malai kulfi with hot rabdi poured over it melting the kulfi had my sweet tooth in a very happy place. Kulfi and rabdi being a traditional combination was given a modern touch with a chocolate ball that enhanced its flavours.
I had a delightful experience at The Taj. Masala Kraft is a perfect place to have a delicious meal with your family with its enchanting ambience and traditional yet modern food.
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