was not planning to write an account of this chance experience so didn't click any pics but just thought i would describe the experience..
bill: not paid by me. obviously. :d :(
yesternight, got invited out of the blue by a friend of my friend to have dinner at itc grand chola. who would refuse?
firstly one has to speak about the ambiance of the place. it took us a full minute by car to drive around the hotel and reach the entrance! and this is in the city's prime area! it's difficult to comprehend the scale of this monolithic structure. but if you ask a history/architecture buff to guess they would easily say that this amazing building was inspired by the majestic architecture in the form of temples of the chola dynasty. that historical period that gave us the great temples of tanjavur like the brihadisvara. i didn't understand what all the space is being used for then but doing some research now, it seems they have 600 rooms and houses the largest convention center in the country with a 30,000 space feet ballroom. everything just seems larger than life and grand here. exquisite paintings line the corridors, marble artifacts adorn the restrooms which themselves cost an average months salary. the understated but perfect lighting highlights the building's exterior in the most elegant way imaginable. while inside, the distant music is serene and ethereal.
ambiance
the place's interior is legitimately as opulent as that of a palace. only, in this palace, the king and queen are you. you feel it as soon as you enter with immediate attention, warm namaskars all round. do we have to return them? i just bowed a bit, nodded and smiled. we were directed to peshawri, the restaurant for north indian and mughlai cuisine where reservations for four were made. the lighting inside was a comfortable shade of sunset with tables all round and the kitchen was the center piece with chefs vigorously taming the meat and marinade for the patrons in full view. it was a surprisingly raw, action packed scene but in very clean surrounding unlike the usual dhabba setup. there were many tandoors used to create the primarily tandoor based menu here.
once introductions were made, the host who wasn't indian but well versed with indian food ordered a round of "lemon drop martinis" (not in the menu) starting off a pleasant buzz that couldn't be shaken nor stirred off until the end of dinner. of course, we kept topping it off with other drinks to keep it going. ;) next, we decided to opt for the set menu dinner that has a range of tandoori based items,daland desi breads to accompany them. the dessert was kulfi and gulab jamun. there was an a la carte menu, a beverages menu, a wine menu and a wooden menu (yes, you read that right, wooden) detailing the items in the set menu meal. this set menu costs rs 3500 /- here per person. not sure if taxes are included.
the best part about this restaurant is just before serving they announce "this cuisine and food is best enjoyed with your bare hands so avoid cutlery if you can" or something similar. being in a five star, one tends to use fork and spoon sometimes to blend in but this set us at ease and we could be ourselves and feel at home. great, brave move which shows they are serious about being true to the roots.
appetizers
the items in the menu are quite limited but you can expect some quality and authentic taste from each dish. we were wondering if the chef inside was middle eastern he did look iranian. i felt there was a middle eastern touch in the mild yet fragrant spicing of some dishes. wasn't weak spiced by any means. the appetizers consisted of minced chicken seekh kebabs, mutton raan (without bone), a tandoori prawn starter and tandoori chicken.
the raan meat was heaped on to a plate in a homely way and we used our hands to dig in. cooked to perfection and spiced just right. since this is the first time i am eating raan, i can't comment comparatively but it was really good.
the minced chicken seekh kebab was very impressive. a seekh kebab with melting cheese in the hole where the skewer was and then fried (i think) so it had a crispy outer coating! amazing side for some fine drinks i tell you. the tandoori prawn made of jumbo prawns were probably the best item for me. since it was lightly spiced one could get the innate salty flavor of the prawn. not sure whether the prawn itself had a salty profile or the marinade did it. either way, it was as big as my fist and very juicy. eat of dozen of these and anyone would be full! we asked for mayo but they were a bit reluctant to bring it immediately probably for the sake of authenticity they suggested a yoghurt dip but we insisted on mayo which was brought.
main course
the mains consisted of naans and rotis with gravies. the pudhina naan looked great. with the apt combination of murgh makhani (butter chicken), daal bukhara and a rich paneer masala curry, the main course was expertly done. a great balance of dishes for both veggies and the rest. daal bukhara was the star of the show being slow cooked for hours it seems on charcoals, the result showed. or could be tasted rather. it had a rustic, smokey taste since black gram was used. since we were pretty filled up by the starters i only had a few bites of the rotis with the gravy. murgh makhani was creamy but not in the full creamy way moti mahal makes it. there was additional spicy or some flavor in it that i couldn't quite place. personally i prefer it the full buttery way without too much other spices. however, other reviews speak glowingly of this dish here so it definitely appeals to a lot of people. the paneer masala curry (not sure of the exact name) was my favorite of the lot. there was no surprises just a yummy paneer dish with super soft cuboids of paneer amidst a perfect gravy. divine with some buttered rotis.
desserts
desserts was yummy with the kulfis being served up with semolina on the side and a hint of rose syrup. wait for it to melt so it's more delicious. the gulab jamun was large and with a badam n saffron at the center. pretty standard and delicious items from the north. would have loved some more desserts obviously. i think they have phirni and something else but maybe these items are rotated.
pricing
coming to the bill, the amount was *extremely large* just for four people because we had also ordered quite a few drinks including a full wine bottle which itself came to 10k! the set menu was priced at 3500 per head not sure if taxes were included.
the 58% luxury tax on the imported drinks drove up prices ruthlessly. so you can imagine the final damage! and our generous host gave an amazing tip as well which made the rest of us want to change careers. i had a malibu and a bailey's irish cream (amazing) as well while my friend had the jack daniel's honey which he loves. it seems jd wasn't available in their bar until recently. the drinks were billed to "the cheroot malt and cigar lounge" which is one of their cafes and from the reviews an amazing place as well.
service
great service. there was a head waiter who communicated better than the others and he was there to take care of every request we had. the others although not so sure made up with friendly service with a smile. the bill mentions they don't charge service charge! :) classy of them to not force it but they still get great tips from the customers i'm sure.
so that's all about this grand, grand experience. definitely an experience to have at least once if you can save up for it. regarding the claims of it being a 7 star hotel, i'm not too sure about that. since there doesn't seem to be any rating system giving out 7 stars anywhere. but the building itself has a 7 star griha rating - the highest national rating for green buildings and has other sustainable building awards. it is also the world's largest leed certified green hotel. good to see that they live up to their tagline "responsible luxury" much needed in these times.