let me start with a line that is enough to describe the peshawari - the best north indian restaurant in chennai. it was my b'day. and having stayed away from home for quite sometime, i wanted to eat good north indian food. and this place was suggested to me a couple of months ago. also i wanted to see the magnificent itc grand chola from inside. so i went there.
first of all let me start with the grandeur of this magnificent hotel. it is clearly notable on the chennai skyline. its huge, its beautiful, its amazing, its spectacular. right from the entrance gate to the other end, it is so beautifully laid out. the inside interiors are amazing, its like watching the most beautiful walls and ceilings in the world. the ambience, the pathways all of it together looks like a palace. as soon as we entered, we were warmly greeted and on enquiring where peshawari was, we were escorted to the place.
the interiors of the restaurant were amazing.
1. the restaurant offers a sophisticated as well as an ethnic experience. it was visible to us
2. the interiors were decorated with ancient artifacts kind of things like a alladdin lamp (i think i saw it somewhere), hanging carpets, huge plates etc.
3. the music went well with the ambience.
4. the crockery looks earthen from its look and complemented the whole decor
5. only thing that was a little out of place was the seats that faced the walls. with no back support, a sense of partiality crept up as the person sitting opposite to me had back support. good for health, you learn to sit straight :)
in one word it is "royal"
the menu is short. you can actually memorize it in sometime if you want. made on a piece of wood, it gives a classy touch to the whole setup. the plates and glasses really remind you of how the maharajas used to eat food on such plates in their palaces. the service was just amazing. the person guided us from the door, asked us for our choice of seat. very courteous. loved it. papad and chutney were kept as soon as sat down, so that we can go ahead and activate our tastebuds and get ready for a amazing food-fiesta
we ordered a couple of beers and "murgh tandoori" to start with. in 15 min, the appetizers were on our table. beautifully laid out in a plate, the chicken was so perfectly cooked to perfection. the inside were clean and soft. the outside as so perfectly cooked that even the color were clearly visible and in sync. that's perfection. it was juicy and went so well with the green chutneys. the most amazing thing that happened: the person attending to us served us the chicken and as soon as we were about to indulge ourself, he said, "indian food is best enjoyed if you eat with your hands". that was amazing. i must appreciate the training given by the management. these kind of incidents make you remember a palce more and more. coming back to chicken, i mean what do i say, no amount of appreciation and words can describe the feeling when you get to eat the most amazing tandoori chicken, specially after quite a lot of time gap.
after having feasted on the this god of a dish, we decide to order the main course. we went ahead with the murgh makhani". for choice of rotis, we took butter naan and pudina paratha (again, suggested to us). the chicken was amazing cooked. you will actually feel the flavours in the gravy. the chicken pieces are tender and light and mix so well in the curry and an amazing taste comes up. the naan and paratha were soft, served hot and went well with the chicken gravy. we made it a point to eat them only with our hands. and as aptly suggested to us, you actually enjoy the food more.
i will definitely recommend this place. yes its expensive, but common guys, its itc afterall. you should definitely definitely go here if you want to enjoy good and i mean the best north indian food. you will not be disappointed one little bit.
thank you itc.
cheers !! and hats off !!