Mezze - A Middle Eastern Marvel!

Mezze is another new restaurant that has cropped up. But wait, it's not your usual run off the mill place. This place serves delightful cuisine from the Middle Eastern region. I have always been intrigued by exquisite delicacies from the regions of Lebanon, Turkey, Greece etc and this one is a great addition as they serve such exotic stuff not usually available.

The place as such is small and shrouded in a quiet street off R A Puram. Parking space is ample though there isn't valet facility available. It's not a full fledged fine dining kind of space hence you wouldn't really expect it. It's like a boutique restaurant with the wall arts presenting a kaleidoscope of creations. These regions are known to infuse different colours and you could find a bit of kitschiness in the surrounding. It ain't too obtrusive and is well played within the space constraints.

Staying just a road away and being hearing all the things about this place, I couldn't hold back for long and hence decided to give this outlet a visit. The menu is simple with not too many items stacked but just about right with options. I went for a hot Mezze in the form of a Harissa Sambusa and a cold Mezze was an obvious choice of hummus with pita bread.

A Sambussa is the Middle Eastern equivalent of the Indian samosa and is semi circular in shape as opposed to triangular with the similarity being both are stuffed and loaded. This Sambussa was filled with potatoes and entangled with a string of cheese. And for touch up was a Harissa dip which is an orangish chilli paste which it went along very well with. It was absolute melt in the mouth stuff and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Now, Hummus is a thing which I love very much. There is an enticing taste to it and i don't know what it's about but that subterfuge should be handled really well to get the desired taste. It's subtle yet creamy and this version of it was top notch. I have a thing for Hummus and this is one dish which i love getting down and dirty with. Dump it in the pita bread and eat or else just get whacky by pruning with a fork or even hand and shove it inside the mouth. I totally digged this one which satisfied every bit of my taste buds.

Being a single diner, I didn't go for desserts. There are quite a few items which i have zeroed on in the menu which I am craving to try on my next visits. The service was of high order and very helpful in enabling me to choose what I wanted. Also patient enough to clear all doubts. Mezze's usually are small plates but I found the quantity to be a bit too exiguous. That was my only grinch as it just got over so soon.

Overall a nice little place in this neck of the woods. In and around this locality is known for pretty good North Indian and South Indian food not to forget even a choice of lovely dessert places but nothing as distinctive and arousing as something like this which has transcended from the Ottoman empire to being popular in the kitchens of the Middle east and Mediterranean region. Welcoming this venture with open arms and surely this place can expect my visit more often.

Sunset Grill - A surreal sky lit roof top dining encounter!

There is no better dining setup than a rooftop terrace with shrubs of palm trees placed evenly along with dim lit lights suffusing the oh so pleasant feel and to boot the zephyr from outside gently caressing the mind and soul. The sunset grills absolutely nails it on the ambiance front and this is one place where you will truly enjoy your dinner sojourn with peace and quietude surrounding the atmosphere. The mild music adds to the feel good factor and the passage passing across the swimming pool to get to the restaurant space of Sunset Grills makes it look all so exquisite.

Another rarity here is this is one restaurant in a star enclave specialising exclusively in middle eastern and Arabic based cuisine which places it in a different league from the rest. We were here as part of the celebrations of 'Mezze and Grill' festival where a sample few items from the Ala carte menu have been specially handpicked and re-designed as a set piece menu. The night lit ambient is just perfect to gorge barbeques and with drinks added to the fray, this becomes a superlative wine&dine option.

First up was the mezze side of things. We got inklings of fried pita bread with Maskatare - a yoghurt based dip and pickled vegetables. This was just an initial feeler as what arrived next included a platter of breads consisting of Zhatar, Iranian and soft pita breads and for able company were a delightful bunch of dips in the form of hummus, baba ganoush and burani spinach. I make no bones in saying that the hummus was one of the best I've ever had and it just made you thwack your bread with gregarious coating of it and it was quite a wonderful feeling slathering the dip jocularly over the breads. The Baba ganoush had a slight sweet tinge to it and the spinach one having hung curd was pleasantly good too but have to say it was the Hummus which stole the show on this front. We also got some very nice well made soft focaccia bread with olives inscribed on them.

And in the grill section was the main course comprising of veggie skewers and cottage cheese subzi kabab along with flavoured saffron rice and a pomegranate based veg dish. I found the skewers to be pretty routine stuff and they didn't really appease. The panneer pieces though were super succulent and melt in the mouth kinds. The rice though flavoured lacked the zing and the gravy didn't do much to help. There was romesco sauce spread out in the plate which was absolute wow stuff. We ordered a separate plate of cottage cheese and the repeat was even better than the first in terms of taste and presentation.

It would be a crime if I don't mention the intermediate and finishing stuff amidst the Mezze and Grills. The lentil soup was totally enticing with an esculent aroma of green vegetables and cumin. I was just bewitched by the soup. For drinks I was pretty content with my big glass of Hoegarrden which was quite a refresher in between consuming flavoured middle eastern cuisine. The AG47 wine from Argentina also played able foil. The little sip of the mock tails which I got to drink seemed pretty good as well. And in the dessert draw the Baklava and Omali both blew us away. The former is a specialty and they did great justice on it. The latter was an absolute revelation with the twang of sweetness prevailing long after the tongue being smacked with this delight. The service was really hospitable and it was a pleasure to enjoy a lovely dinner here. The rates don't come into equation as it was over an invite. It may seem a tad pricy but the experience will bowl you over.

On a holistic picture, Sunset Grills have pulled off this 'Mezze and Grill' festival with elan by showcasing their repertoire and playing to the gallery by bringing out a well suited set course menu going perfectly in sync with the wondrous ambiance.

Arab Street - A mediterranean surprise!

Being a vegetarian and visiting a restaurant serving Arab cuisine, I really didn't have too many expectations but at the end of the meal, I have to concede that Arab Street well and truly exceeded expectations. There were many items taking into account the vegetarian population but more importantly they really hit the mark on the taste front.

Arab Street is perched in a lane in Ashok Nagar and it is in a 2 storey complex with the restaurant occupying the top floor. The color palette has been done in such a way to give a middle eastern feel and was truly well played. The dim tone, lighting, chandeliers, design patterns, maps inscribed on the wall etc were all lovely add-on's within the surrounding space and in it's own way depicted in bringing out an Arabian feel which was praiseworthy.

The food was pretty enticing to say the least with majority of the items marching it's way to glory. The soups whether it be the cream of Mushroom or the Lentil soup was nothing short of remarkable. The former was frothy, creamy with an esculent essence whereas the latter was smoky and flavored with spices and a perfect foil to the tongue. The Mix Mezze Platter was again top notch and it was a delight to have those fluffed up round pita breads with 4 varieties of dips viz Hummus, Baba Ganoush, Mutabal and the garlic paste. All of them went so well with the breads that it was really hard to choose the best. Another dish which was rivetting on the day was the Cheese Arayes which were grilled thin crust stuffed bread containing cheese and olives and went jocularly well with the salsa sauce. The Milano Pizza was not to be left behind in the awesome category being thin crust and stuffed with the ideal amount of toppings giving it a lovely crunchy taste. The Biryani was nice being colorful and infused with the requisite veggies. The Tabouleh salad with an abundance of parsley and shredded veggies seemed pretty flavorful. The shawarma didn't really impress much and the Falafel was the usual expected self and the Garlic bread with a slathering of cheese was decent enough. We ended our sojourn with a dessert titled 'Muhalabiya' which was soft and mellowy and possessing an exotic taste.

The service was quick with the dishes coming to our table in a jiffy. They were also patient in explaining each and every dish right from pronouncing the name to the uniqueness and specialty of the same. The prices seem nominal especially considering the spectacular taste on offer.

Overall, it was a fantastic experience dining at Arab Street and I must add a pleasant surprise too. You don't need to regret being a vegetarian walking here as they have enough and more to satisfy your palette.