And I'm Going to Make you Droooooooooooool!!!!!
Research done on the restaurant , I always do extensive research on every restaurant i go to review - Chef Aruns baby , Lite bites flagship chain , none had a bad word to say - Chef Arun the adventurer - Journalist to a documentary maker , to a chef Wow now thats whats called following a passion is all about . Infact i have done a study during my MBA days about what alternate carriers preferred by professionals, to elaborate alternate carriers they would like to take if they were not doing what they are doing today and trust me the findings were amazing - Lawyers wanted to become Chefs, CA's wanted to be DJ's , Engineers wanted to be artist etc etc .. So i firmly believe that there is a hidden profession in each one of us and it is Passion led . So Chef Arun you have proved my finding right . Thank you . What he enjoys at Lite bites and specifically at zambar is the liberty to experiment - every chefs dream to be given the freedom of experimenting with the menu, his way ... very few get this opportunity . Kudos that you made full use of it and are living your passion .
Chef Arun - you are a genius or a magician .... your simplicity , your research and humbleness spells beautifully in Zambar .. was a wonderful experience in total.
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| The Gorgeous Interiors |
This is called adaptability they open in Cyber hub the most swankiest place to be in, all corporate honchos floating around , expats , call center executives , high heeled kitty party ladies , professionals like me fixing meetings there - Zambar launches a all day menu , quick thaali concept , a dosa on the move ... in a chic yet traditional atmosphere , to get the people in . Zambar Cyber hub is done up like houses of the rich society from the chettinad areas of Tamilnadu hence called Chettiyar Houses of Tamilnadu ,design on the lines of Karaikudi heritage town declared by tamilnadu government - houses are built with limestone . Beautiful colorful posters on the walls ,open kitchen , alfresco seating also available to please your eyes while you eat . Very comforting yet zing ambiance .
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| The Accompaniments |
Tomato Chutney , Coriander Mint Chutney , gun Powder with Gingelly oil (Sesame Oil ) gawd why was i always under the misconception that they served Desi Ghee with Gun Powder - Thanks Chef for correcting me . The Gingelly Oil is used in almost Chinese, Mid Eastern cuisine as a taste enhancer. The gun Powder is a proprietary recipe but the basic is lentil , dry chilies and spices also know as Podi . Freshness , Flavors the essential component of the chutneys , gun powder enhances almost every dish .
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| Fresh Coconut Chutney |
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| T Rasam and Butter Milk |
Hot n Cold Shots of Zambar ... the Tomato rasam though tasted very original and authentic would have been even better if it had a few pieces of tomato floating in it for the crunch... the butter milk was ok ok .... a bit thick . I normally skip this to do justice to the main course .
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Kerala Chai Kada (Tea Shop) Chilli Chicken
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| Batata Malige |
Simble - South Indias answer to Fries - potato wedges sauteed in spices as simple as that . Instead of the regular chinese crispy potatoes try this for a good change .... good starter. A perfect crowd pleaser. Would go amazingly well with a beer.
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| Squid Rings with Sea food filling |
This was a drool - The size of the squid impressive the filling even more impressive - together a chewy squid with amazing flavors of the sea . Im guessing here now - fish , prawn and more squids were the main fillers tossed in dry masala . The masala essentially had a mix of khada masala - finely chopped coconut , tomato onions . for a minute thought oh god these are spring rolls until i attacked one of them . Just delicious and innovative . Was quite fed up of fried squids . A very ambitious dish .
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| Andhra Kosta Salan- Chillies |
Flash Fried Large chillies with Seasame , Peanut and coconut served on a bed of the same gravy .. i have a strong feeling that the chillies were soaked in vinegar before being cooked .. they had a sour taste to them ... like the bottled Jalpenos . Loved it .. not much chilly so easy on the tongue . A very hyderabadi salan. Would love to go back for more.
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| Achamma’s Lamb Curry |
Very Very simple Lamb Curry - ACHAMMA’S LAMB CURRY: grandmother’s
recipe of a simple, yet tasty, lamb curry. Lamb Simmered in coconut milk with spices.... with the idyappam its a perfect mix -Now this dish is chef Arun Grand mas secret - how did he get the recipe - wonder how many months it took him to master the same .. point to ponder . Well getting back to the dish lovely spices simple for sure but enjoyable , the palate never got confused .. the lamb soft and succulent . A true homey .
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| Simble Veg Stew |
Who doesn't love appam and stew - i actually prefer the vegetarian one ... becos i love coconut . Smooth as silk , fresh and pure . The appam perfectly cooked , even on all fronts .. i don't like the one which is thick in the centre . Its a technique to get an appam right. Stew to me means brewed slowly cooked with perfect timing ... yes thats what a good stew shud be .rich coconut flavors drove me mad .
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| Coastal Prawn Biryani |
The Pefect Moplah or Mappila Biryani - Prawns my lord prawns - A biryani from the Muslim Community of Kottayam Kerala .... whats different about it .. huh well the original is called Neychoru and with the influences of the Arabs the moguls it got extended to be called a biryani ... the prawns were succulent , the grains very distinguished , the masala in which they cooked the biryani were very Kerala which made the biryani just perfect in the sens it was not totally dry , slightly wet , spicy and the spices made it very interesting .. this too is served with the raita like back home . Each grain of rice was sperate , the masalas well blended in the dish - the praws absorbed the falvors well and cooked just right.
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| Mangalorean Chicken |
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| The Parontta |
Chef Arun and Chef Vijay hated me for this one - the closest south india can get to the North Indian Palate . hahahhaah the closest they get to the Punjabi Butter chicken Flavor but yet not there. Thick rich tomato gravy , grilled julienne of chicken floating in butter awesome with the paronta . Just remember when ever we go out to eat we always have tha one friend who cant look beyond Butter chicken and daal makhni - dont know about the daal but just quietly order this chicken and kep them happy , silent while you enjoy and cherish your fab South Indian Coastal Meal . The paronta was nice and flaky ... thats the way I love it . BTw this chicken dish does not have coconut ... very gassi style .
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| The Desert Sampler |
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| Coconut Jaggery Pudding with Hot jaggery |
The Coconut Jaggery Pudding is now my favorite for sure in South Indian deserts as it is I love Coconut and mixed with jaggery topped with hot molten Jaggery sauce was DIVINE . The Pudding was well set like a good souffle .. the topping of the sauce gave it the very international feeling LOL
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| Chef Vijay amd Rajeev |
The men who i praise a lot .. Chef Vijai, Chef Aruns right hand man as im told has learnt all his tricks from the master chef who was not well that day , good in a way , i got a chance to meet vijay who is equally passionate and knowledgeable about the food . Thank You Chef Vijai . Ah yes Rajeev the man who was attending to us ... very courteous friendly like all south Indians .. helped decide what to eat . He was well informed about the cuisine on the menu and explained all dishes perfectly .
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| Host Sonali and Of course Tiger |
Sonali the head of Marcomm for Lite bites the gracious host ... must compliment her for the choice of bloggers she makes ....she chooses simply the best to taste and write the best ,hahahahahaha doesn't it say a lot about me does it ? Sonali has been with the food industry and has great knowledge about food , very impressive .....hahahahahaha good choice sonali and thanks for having me over . A perfect Host.
Sonali thanks for the Mist Affect hahahahahaha well the story behind this is tat we were eating int he open and suddenly the DLF guys at Cyber Hub have this Mist spray all over the place - though it felt like Simla but they shud realise that the water may spoil the fun of the food .... luckily for us the mains was over and we were enjoying the filter Kafi .
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| Beautifully Designed Menu |
Now this is what a drool menu is all about ... visual treat , beautifully designed ... you see exactly what you are going to get .. actually i did compare the two and they matched , very seldom does this happen . This is how a good menu should be made ... big pictures to make the foodie drool .
Did Ya Droool Ya ya .. that was the Idea .
Tigers Overall Experience:
I have done Zambar before with a foodie group , ate a thaali there liked it but was not really impressed , but this time when i ordered ala carte i was blown over .
Ambiance : Chic and traditional - comfortable seating , Indoors and outdoors available
Food - Full compliments to the Menu for its design , its collection of dishes to cover the coastal regions of India, Great mix of home recipes ,Perfectly spiced , Innovative , Authentic , Traditional and Fresh
Service - Super Duper
I came back home told family about zambar and its food , and challenged them to find anything better than this in delhi . Incidentally we covered 6 restaurants down south last month to get a feel of authentic south indian cuisnie and trust me Chef Arun you have nailed it.
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