THE BOLD N BEAUTIFUL
new menu trials
kanak, trident hyderabad
How can you improvise and innovate a fine dining experience a notch above and still give your patrons a whole new flavors they don't relish much ? Well if you put your core values and expertise into action, u just can outdo yourself. Trident Hyderabad has exactly tried this with their new revamped menu @ KANAK, Indian fine dine restaurant. Make way for heritage rich and one of a kind Indian delicacies and bid adieu to cliched favorites that you might as well be bored of gorging again and again. Its not just a simple move but its BOLD and after relishing those amazing flavors, i can define their new menu as "THE BOLD & THE BEAUTIFUL".
As Executive Chef Dharmender Lamba rightly puts, you want your patrons to dine at Kanak and savor something unique and exclusive. Each dish (few retained from the brilliant food fest curated by Chef Parvinder Singh Bali in Rivaayat-E-Patiala fest) served in our new menu trials, speak uniqueness in terms of finesse and symphony of simple ingredients. With mastery using minimalistic ingredients, Chef Vijay Shahi has let the flavors speak for itself. Each dish has got a note and a twist to it and I think they indeed delivered spot on !!!
Most of their existing menu is revamped to showcase more of rare and unique signature dishes. This has been a cautious decision by Executive Chef , Dharmendar Lamba. This is a novel idea to bid adieu to the typical and omnipresent dishes like butter chicken , dal makhni, tandoori chicken and many more. Not to disrespect but they want their patrons to visit Kanak not just for regular but then something special, something so unique to dine at Kanak. A special curated set menu was in order for the night and the whole selection of dishes were brilliant and they are offering at 4000 ++ .
"There is no sincere love than love for food" - rightly put by Bernand Shaw
A rain showdown in Hyderabad ensured none of us were in time for the food festival preview but then I guess after the dinner, we all felt, the hectic travel time was worth every minute of travel. We started off with an array of vegetarian starters which carried aroma and flavors across the board and we couldn't have been excited. First dish from the kitchen was Dahi Ke Kebab which looked so crunchy and appealing. The vermicelli coating gave the crunch factor visually as well and flavors were spot on. The next dish was Paneer Tikka Aam Chunda was indeed different from your regular tikkas but had a twist with filled with raw mango relish. The mango relish was spot on gave a feeling of a paneer tikka you have ever had. The show stopper from veg array was Anjeer Till Palak Ki Tikki was something different yet so flavorful. That fusion of figs and spinach with the layering of sesame seeds is a creation indeed by itself.
Midway through the starters came some unusual items in this course of dinner in the form of amuse bouche and soup. Paya Shorba though typical dish to Hyderabadi was served in a completely elegant style with broth served in soup plate over a bubble of flavored yogurt. The flavors did justice and as well a different feel for it. Dahi Bhalla papdi chaat - the amuse bouche had a twist indeed in the form of being presented as an ice cream and had all the traditional ingredients but yet conceived differently.
With veg dishes showcasing Chef's vision to keep ingredients simple yet but not ordinary, the non-veg did had to setup the same standards.
Dhungar Murgh Tikka - with a tandoor typical preparation even this was a different flavor profile all together. Adraki Chaapein was another brilliant dish from Chef Bali's Rivayaat-E-Patiala food festival which had tandoori mutton chops cooked to perfection. Of course there had to be something different in the menu and I got that experience via Tali Machhi which was typical king fish fish fry tossed with Andhra spices and generous seasoning with green chilli and curry leaves.
Just when we thought, we are done with appetizers, in came the monstreous Martaban Ki Bateyr where Quail tossed in onions, sun dried tomatoes and tempered with home made spices. The juicy texture made it another dish to relish.
While the menu boosts more starters, our set menu ensured we weren't stuffed during appetizers itself and we moved into the aromatic entrees. From the curries, Chironjee aur Gobi ke Kofte was apt and the kofte balls were so soft and curry carried some real nice flavors. Peeli Mirch Ka Kukad looked like another simple chicken curry but the super soft chicken marinated in bell pepper sauce was something different and the contrast it gave was commendable. Sikandar Raan with its just sheer size bedazzled us and the whole lamb leg slow cooked in almond and cashew paste was super rich and the almost buttery texture on meat ensured it can be gulped with scrumptious naans alongside.
Dalcha which actually should be labelled as DAL GOSHT failed to impress as it was from just mutton chunks instead of made using more of bone pieces and lacked the richness you get from the traditional variant. They might need to revisit this. Aloo Gadda Vepudu gave me the south Indian participant and made me happy with its scrumptious aloo fry feel you expect. Kali Mirch served also its on flavor appeal . Many more such elegant dishes are in the menu but I think Chef was smart to limit it this count as we were able to relish all and didn't feel too bloated.
Why ?
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Devoid of your regular-affair-dishes
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Each dish has a unique twist
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Adequate but not overdone choices
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Set menu option to make it easier
Gastro Verdict
BOLD AND BEAUTIFUL
3 desserts as a dessert combo was served which I would say was satisfying and suitable as well. From the lot, I loved the Gulabi Phirni which was smooth and aptly sweet. Paan ice cream and lord chum chum were also adequate and as a wrapper of the night came in the form of filter kappi ice cream and was quite flavorful.
As an overall treat, new menu of Kanak ensures you get dishes that you don't get usual and ensure their loyal patrons' dining experience to a whole new level. Dishes are simple yet flavorful and avoid run-around-the-mill menu items and that's quite a bold move from the brand and indeed I can vouch for the revamped menu. If you think its spoilt for choices, apt for their set menu which makes it much easier for you and focus on just relishing on those delicacies per Chef's recommendations.
Disclaimer : This review and experience is based on invite by restaurant