Exquisite tastes at SEVEN

At seven, I was at the SEVEN – the popular pan Indian cuisine restaurant at The Suryaa. Those who know the place had already started streaming in. Live ‘ghazals’ by a singer couple made the atmosphere cosy. I could see the Chef in the kitchen hastily prepare for the first orders that were being placed. A small group of about 14 foreign nationals sat at a nearby table sipping away the steaming soup they had ordered a few minutes ago.

They chatted in low tones. The Captain attracted my attention as he placed a bottle of wine on my table and placed the menu before me. Cuisine from all corners of the country. “Spicy,” I asked. “No, the spice can be as per your taste-- mild, medium or burning hot,” came the reply. Thupa I opted for – a clear chicken soup with momos and noodles. A clear soup is always tasty when it has good chunks of chicken, not spicy at all and the momos that came along were more than welcome. Thupa, a specialty of Sikkim, is a healthy appetizer as it has hardly has any strong spices and oil. As I finished my soup, I could gauge the popularity of SEVEN with a good number of guests walking in, many of them foreign nationals. The next on menu was the best of lamb – a lamb kebab platter which had the best of ‘kakori’ and ‘galoti’ kebabs.

The kakori melted in mouth like butter, of course a little spicy. Kebabs, I have always maintained, should be spicy enough and these were definitely medium spicy. I had seen some foreign guests too enjoying the spicy kebabs. For my main course I opted for ‘Khad Murg’ and ‘Meat Beli Ram’, the former being a preparation of chicken without gravy, but with whole spices. The recipe is said to have come down from the time of Raja Man Singh. While Khad Murg may not be suited to be eaten in combination with Indian breads, Meat Beli Ram makes a good one with its gravy. The dish served at SEVEN is named after Master Beli Ram of Lahore who was supposed to be a master chef. This is boneless meat preparation with coriander and whole spices. Meat Beli Ram makes a good combination with Kandhari or Khurmi naan, preferably the latter. SEVEN specializes in unique preparations from allover India. Khad Murg goes well with a glass of red wine.

Like the starters and the main dishes, SEVEN can also spring surprises in dessert. When the Captain suggested that I try ‘Khajur Gud Tehri’, I was a little hesitant having never heard of this name, still I decided to go by the suggestion. This turned out to be another unique preparation from apricot, roasted butter scotch and ‘rabri’. While the name of the dessert sounded so ordinary, the taste was exquisite.

I have been talking about non- vegetarian dishes all along does not mean that there are no vegetarian ones. The vegetarians must go for the cottage cheese recipes.

Ask me what for a mouth freshner – this turned out to be unimaginable --- rose petals dipped partly in white chocolate, indeed something unheard of. Next time you decided to have real exquisite Indian preparations, just walk into SEVEN. Be there at seven or else you may have to wait for your turn to treated to exclusive recipes.

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