Nawabi Delicacies to relish, with some thumri in the background, comfortable ambience and company of great foodie friends is what comprised my day at Pride Plaza Hotel recently. Hosted by Pride Plaza and my dear friend Vickrham from Foodmaniacs, this was surely a day to remember.

Amouse Bouche, which had watermelon and some cream on top of a refreshing drink, was not just great to look and good to taste, but also was done in a personalized way making it way too special. My name was written with chocolate and it made one of the warmest welcomes I have received.

This was followed by yet another welcome drink and also champagne was opened marking the beginning of a great culinary experience.

For starters we were served a Vegetarian Kebab Platter first. The kebab platter included Rajma Ke Galouti, Kele Ke Gular Kebab, Makai Moti Ki Seekh, Mawa Mawe Ke Kebab and Hara Dalcha Kabab. I Loved the succulent Rajma Ke Galouti, they almost tasted like the non-vegetarian galouti kebabs and very very flavorsome. The second best were the Mawa Kebabs, really soft and mouth melting with mild flavors. The Kele Ke Gular Kebab and Hara Dalcha Kebab were good too, I didn’t like the Makai Moti Ki Seekh as much, but all in all it was a wonderful platter considering the fact I am a hardcore non-vegetarian.

The next up was Non Veg Kebab Platter, this included Galouti Kebab, Nukhti Kebab, Murg Ke Parchey, Murg Shami Kebab and Mahi Gilafi Seekh. Out of this platter I loved Nukhti Kebab and Murg Ke Parchey the most. The Nukhti Kebabs were pieces of mutton roasted to perfection and spiced with a thick masala. I could really be satisfied with one complete dish of nukhti kebabs with some roomali roti, aah bliss! I am craving for them as I write. The Murg Ke Parchey was also just amazing. Surprisingly the Rajma Ke Galouti tasted better than the original galouti, though I don’t mean that they were bad. They were good, but still the vegetarian version was softer and more tasteful. Murg Shami didn’t go too well with me; they weren’t as soft and tasty as I expected them to be. Mahi Gilafi Seekh was just about OK.

Coming to main course, it was an elaborate spread and comprised of some beautifully selected and curated dishes by Chef Sartaj Quereshi along with Exceutive Chef Shailendra Singh especially for this Nawabi Andaaz Food Festival. There was Moong Ghosht, Keema Kaleji, Murg Bemisal, Murg Koh-E-Awadh, Paneer Lavanglata, Bagiche Ki Sabziyan, Guncha-E-Keema Mutter, Moong Mughlai, Kofti Dum Biryani and Narangi Pulao. The entire spread was as awesome as their names and once again the surprise part was the vegetarian dishes being so great. Normally in Lucknawi Cuisines or Hyderabadi Cuisines we don’t expect the vegetarian to be so good, but commendable job but Chef Sartaj, that his vegetarian rocked as much as his non veg dishes. I will try and get the Chef to share one of his recipes for all my readers out there, soon.

The star dish was however the Moong Gosht. The moong dal itself never tasted so rich and creamy to me, we always associate creaminess and richness to Dal Makhani, but what a wonderful way to present this dal in this rich avatar and tender pieces of spiced mutton added another layer to the whole experience. This dish is definitely a must try and one should not miss it at any cost. Keema Kaleji and Murg Bemisal too were outstanding. A special mention for Bagiche Ki Sabziyan and Paneer Lavanglata, these are not to be missed as well, whether you are a vegetarian or a non-vegetarian, you will simply love them.

Coming to the dessert, I can really challenge that you would have never eaten such a lethal combination of some many desserts in one go. This mother of a dessert had Kesari Gulab Ki Phirni, topped by Palak Ka Halwa, yet again topped by Gulukand aur Cheney Ki Jugalbandi (a sort of rasmalai), topped by Ilaichi Gulab Jamun and Dhudhi Ka Halwa. Just one word to describe it- Mindblowing! Somehow mine looked also very cute and resembled a small Ganesha.

I had a tremendous foodie experience and I really urge my readers to give it a shot, this place is definitely worth a visit. We also took a complete round of the property and its amazing, I am so wanting to visit their other restaurants and also may be a comfortable stay in one of their rooms.I thank Foodmaniacs and Pride Plaza Hotel for inviting me for this culinary delight, look forward to visit them again sometime soon. Fond memories with friends and great foodie experience is what I got after visiting this place!