29 September,2010 06:47 AM IST | | Priyanjali Ghose
At Elements Eatery in Frazer town, feel like the foursome from the chic flick Sex and the City 2 who gallivant in the luxuries of Abu Dhabi at a Sheikh's invitation
Every dish is a full meal at this brand new eatery and the ambience is no less than that at a neighbourhood wedding.
Standing tall on Mosque Road, Elements can well be touted as a mini palace in some faraway land. The name Elements Eatery doesn't give away any hint of the kind of cuisine it serves. Clueless about what we were in for, we decided to step in and find out.
A well-manicured garden bordering the walkway of this sand coloured restaurant is dimly lit with soft red and yellow lamps. The restaurant was fully occupied, which was quite surprising, as it had opened doors a mere three days before we stopped by.
Though welcomed with warm smiles, we had to wait a little till the staff managed to find us a place. The glass mosaic on the walls with the roof reflecting light and brocade-cushioned benches was a tad over the top and made us feel like we have landed straight in a Sheikh's oversized drawing room.
The cuisine here is from the North West Frontier Province with a hint of Malabar. We turned down the option of a buffet at the live counter, which we were told serves a full meal, right from the starters to the paan at Rs 550 at the mirror tinted floor above. The a la carte menu that offers everything from Peshawari Murg to Malabar fish curry might be any non-vegetarian's delight.
We started with a Coconut Cooler (Rs 80), which comprises coconut water with a hint of lime and shredded coconut chunks, which true to its name was very cooling. Our next pick Khumb Janasheen (Rs 140), a mushroom starter also proved to be the right choice.
The tangy and mildly spiced char grilled mushrooms tossed in yogurt and Indian spices were quite a teaser to the tongue, served in a metal plate with naan and pudina chutney on the side. Next in line was the Murgh Shafiya Tikka (Rs 230), which were like regular reshmi kebabs and nothing to write home about.
Kufte Ki Biryani (Rs 280) followed next with the Murgh Lababdar (Rs 250). Not being warned that each of them is a complete meal accompanied by naan and rice, we realized that we had overplayed our appetites.
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All the dishes were served on gilded bulky plates that could make anyone feel royal. The hot biryani with meatballs was cooked Awadhi style and served with raita. The Murgh Lababdar turned out to be very average chicken gravy heavily doused with garam masala.
Drawing our elaborate meal to an end with a sweet note we called in for the The halwa of the day, which turned out to be the carrot halwa. What came was a cold khoya laden blob of carrot halwa with vanilla ice cream (Rs 100).
At Elements Eatery, # 55 Mosque Road, Frazer Town
Call 4144 4146/4148
Meal for two Rs 1,000
Elements Eatery didn't know we were there. The Guide reviews anonymously and pays for meals.