A Royal Awadhi Dinner Experience At JW Marriott Mumbai

The wafting aroma of the Galouti Kebabs at the live counter and the freshly tossed tandoori rotis tempted us to wait for nothing and delve straight into the feast. Such was the grandeur of the royal Awadhi feast prepared at JW Marriott with recipes that did justice to the food from the city of Nawabs – Lucknow.

Fables Of Lucknow

Lucknow is a land where respect is given to every person one meets and the same respect is reflected in their food. The chefs at JW Marriott truly did justice to the Awadhi cuisine, be it the scrumptious kebabs inspired from the streets of the city or the slow cooking techniques that extends the touch of royalty.

The Food

We started off with a heart-warming Wajid-E-Gosht Shorba which is a delicious soup and a perfect appetizer to prepare you for a grand meal ahead. Delving into the non-vegetarian delicacies first we tried the famous Galouti Kebab and indeed holding true to its name, it did melt in the mouth. It was spiced just right and the aroma at the live counter was luring us to go for seconds.

Lucknow is well known for its street food and the delicacies cooked in the royal kitchens, most of which are non-vegetarian. We dipped a crisp tandoori roti into the Murgh Rogani Handi and the oohs and aahs weren’t stopping and nor could we. The meat was tender, full of flavour and the rich red gravy kept pulling us back to the mesmerising dish. Gosht Ki Pasliyan or simply put Awadhi Lamb Chops were a discovery. Too used to the lamb chops with sticky barbecue sauce till date, these were slow cooked in a flavourful gravy and the meat falling off the bone. The dish was startling, exciting and downright delicious.

Though it was dinner time, we couldn’t help but savour some Nalli Nihari. Don’t go by the oil but go by how healthy the dish is. Made using only the bone marrow or the nalli, this dish was lip smacking good. We finished off with a delicious and irresistible Raan Biryani and saved a little room for the equally appetizing vegetarian dishes.

The vegetarian fair was delectable too as we started off with Chowk Ki Vegetable Shami which was on par with lamb shami kababs with roasted masala coating and the delicately cooked vegetables. The Paneer Tikka was made Awadhi-style and none like you’ve ever had before. The paneer was soft and succulent and the spices were on point.

We then moved on to the vegetarian mains and tried the Lagan Ka Paneer, Aloo Aur Makhane Ka Saalan along with Khati Arbi and freshly made Butter Tandoori Rotis. The paneer was spicy and zesty, the potato gravy, rich and flavourful with the makhana (fox nuts) giving it a royal touch. The Khati Arbi was an absolute winner in the vegetarian section as the flavours in this vegetable preparation were unmatched and tied the whole thali together. Dipping the tandoori roti into the Malabar Curry was absolutely blissful. The buttery bread straight out of the tandoor was a perfect match with the sweet, vibrant and tangy curry.

Finishing off this delicious meal with the Zartooni Subz Pulao was heavenly. We relished the pulao with sour olives in it, a first for us. And the taste? It was mopped up clean, need we say more? The Awadhi feast at the JW Café was one that’ll stay with us for a long, long time. You can experience The Fables Of Lucknow too as the dinner buffet is here to stay till the 20^th of September, 2017 and if you do, let us know your experience too.