the brewmaster - arista hotel

i had ordered chicken sticks and murg tandooritikkafrom zomato. in murgh tandooritikkai was delivered small 6tikkapieces( rs.399). resto management shall clearly write number of pieces in dish if they are going to give so less. taste was also not so great. overall food was mood spoiler.

horrible food and even horrible service and staff. the manager on the floor was rude and misbehaved very badly.

the chicken they served was stale and smelled and we had to return it back. then came the manchurian which was dry and microwaved and not fresh at all.

then came the broccoli malaitikkaand dal tadka. there was no broccoli in the broccoli malaitikkaand upon asking the manager he says that broccoli has been ground and is thus not visible. that would have been the stupidest thing i have heard. the dal was also nothing special.

an evening well spoilt by bad food and bad staff.

not a good experience at all. fishtikkaand chickentikkaweren’t good at all, didn’t taste good, and seemed under cooked. only okay thing in their platter was seekh kebab. too much smell of smoke everywhere and too many flies and insects everywhere. the live band was very good but people kept coming and talking to the singer for requests which looks very unprofessional, and had big pauses.

arista hotel is like a lotus flower in dul lake; just don’t underrate the hotel knowing its in the suburbs. located just few meters away from the highway is easy to locate and has ample parking place. 

the roof top lounge and bar jashan (punjabi word meaning celebration) the place lives up to its name it’s lively, vibrant and inviting. the colorful use of flowers, white furniture gives u a perfect lounge feel in the morning; bold use of led’s transforms it to a bar cum open club in the night. huge terrace area best fit for large gatherings. they even host live band performances and special festival events which are a must to look into to plan a visit. it’s a good place for small celebrations and kitty parties. 

now, let’s dig in:-

malai broccolitikka- the broccoli was perfectly blanched then grilled the cheese nicely coats the dish. creamy and crispy.

stuffed tangri kebab – just wow, the presentation is top on, tangri chicken with minced meat inside.

funky fish – perfect cooked crispy fish, filled deep fried served with tartar sauce.

chicken jackson- highly recommended, probably name after the famous mickle jackson. crispy chicken from inside with minced chicken inside mildly spiced, with some sauce on it.

sikandari raan – or may be sharabi raan  , mutton cooked with a bunch of spices , finished with 2 pegs of alcohol served on a sizzler platter with flames over it , perfect showmanship to turn eyes towards u.

veg salt and pepper – crispy assorted veggies, best with drinks for veggies.
 

dahi ke kabab- deep fried bread coating and filled with dahi and panner , mildly spiced .

mushroom duplex – bite sized mushroom deep fried with a toothpick and cheese, soft and cheesy.
 

tandoori meetha aloo – getting the street fav food shakarkandi , cooking in a tandoor , perfect balance of sweet and tangy .
 

soup:–

born garlic soup – flavorsome soup with balls of chicken perfectly cooked

main course:–

murg lajawab , gost beli ram , paneer lababdar , sabnam palak , subz e bahar , dal makhani , dum murg biryani , lemon butter rice .

the main course was outstanding, creamy gravy, well cooked meat, fresh veggies, loved it to the core.

desserts: – pan kulfi , baked gulab jamun , mirchi ka halwa , lasooni kheer . desserts are decent but still room for improvement.

report card:–

ambiance 5 stars

service 5 stars

food – starters 5 stars, drinks 4 stars, main course 5 stars, desserts 3 stars.
jimmy makkar ankit mahajan amit nagpal

this is a roof top restaurant and bar with an amazing ambiance. absolutely loving... they have live music however it starts from 9pm. in case you want to hear live music go around 9 pm.
the waiters are lovely people being very polite and courteous.
coming to the main part food.. their service is quite fast and the food was lip smacking. paneertikkalababdar was rich in gravy and quantity was also decent enough.
the restaurant is absolute value for money in terms of food, service as well as ambiance.

one thing i absolutely loved about this place is the ambience. with a rooftop setup, some fancy lighting, nice music and funky furniture all adds to a perfect ambience and creates a nice environment. now comes to the food which is equally good also, we ordered malai broccoli kofta and paneertikkalababdar along with butter naan. both the dishes were very good in taste and quantity is more than sufficient.

update-- not a family dinning place anymore, environment is more suitable for bachelors who drink.

didn't like chicken much but liked mushroomtikkaand drums of heaven, they were awesome.
infrastructure and interior was quite impressive...

a new player in town, opened just a month back with loads of buzz around. i was unlucky to attend an event with my friends at first but made a plan to try it with my family later on.

as soon we entered the place, the manager warmly welcomed us and escorted us till the lift. we chose to go to roof top restaurant. fyi they have one café and one buffet restaurant at the ground floor.

the rooftop restaurant named jashan was beautifully decorated with multi colored lights. there are two kinds of seating which you can choose based on your comfort i.e. dining table & chair or cane wood furniture. the restaurant had a very mesmerizing bar as well where you can enjoy your drinks sitting on the high chairs. you can just get lost in the beauty of the town by staring the highway and enjoy the cool blow of wind. you can take your kids to kid’s section located at first floor and let them enjoy for a while or take selfies/photographs at the very beautiful rooftop itself.

as soon we got a seat, the guy presented a menu and requested us to order. we ordered we things and told them we are waiting for few other people to join. our order arrived in few minutes and the review goes as:

virgin pina colada: the very first thing i noticed was the glasses were too big and the quantity of the mocktail was so less. coming to the taste it was more like lychee juice, not at all closer to pina colada.

masti guava: this is one of the favorite drink of my other partner and i asked him to try it. the drink was a disaster, full of red pepper and it really gave me a burning sensation down the stomach. this have to be avoided.

veg manchow soup: the manchow soup was the best among the three. the taste was just perfect as it is supposed to be.

american corn salt and pepper: a different way of preparing crispy corns, this was an amalgamation of salt and pepper with american corns. the taste was ok, loads of black peppers which i didn’t like much, else the dish was fine.

crispy fried spring rolls: some restaurants add noodles to their spring rolls and few add veggies. this one had shredded veggies with some chili sauce and chinese spices inside it. the spring rolls were crisp and bit spicy and tasted different from the regular ones.

nachos: just like a packed portion of nachos served with sour cream and salsa dip. the nachos were just normal, but i liked the sour cream and the tray it was served in.

chili paneer: the paneer was fresh and soft, the gravy in which the paneer was tossed was just perfect.

veg platter: the veg platter had a wide array of indian snacks such as paneertikkaof two types viz. traditional and malai, seekh kebabs, tandoori mushrooms, dahi ke kebabs. i tried dahi ke kebabs and mushrooms and found dahi ke kebabs very yummy and the mushrooms were too spicy and dry.

once we were done with the starters, we ordered main course which arrived soon, we shifted from the sofas to dining table as there was a space constraint at the other side. for the dinner we ordered:

dal makhani: the dal makhani was very rich, laoded with cream and very tasty. after a while i had dal makhani and its worth trying.

soyatikkalababdar: the soyatikkawas just average, a bit on sweeter side. me and my family didn’t like it much.

veg manchurian: the manchurian balls were medium sized and soft; the gravy went well with noodles.

hakka noodles: very light on spices, the noodles had loads of veggies and very less oil.

pasta: ordered pink sauce pasta and the taste was quite boring, very dull and bland.

hari mirch parantha: normal roti with just small pieces of green chillis and red pepper sprinkled over the top. this must be avoided.

breads: i tried butter nan and it was fine.

shimla mirch ka halwa: we tried one out of the box created dish and we were wondering how would it taste before ordering. the taste was ok, could be tried once.

in a nutshell, the dishes tasted fine; nothing to complain about. you would get the same taste elsewhere also. the mocktails could be avoided for sure, they were pathetic. the cutlery is just beautiful. the service was the one section they need to work very hard, the very beautiful place and the untrained staff didn’t match. we had to tell them again and again what to do and how to do.

as the name goes 'jashan' is indeed the best place to celebrate. amazing rooftop view, coupled with a live band or dj and plush and comfortable seating, this gets full marks on the ambience. there is even an indoor seating for private parties and we opted for this.

we were a large group and began our evening with veg starters: masala pappad (cone shaped pappad with the masala filling inside), mushroom dolma, hot pineapple chat, veg platter, cottage cheese in chili plum sauce, crispy corn, honey chilli potato. this is one place where the veg starters were as good as the non veg dishes, all compliments to the highly versatile and experienced chef. 

each dish stood out and had unique flavors. mushroom dolma had mushroom capers with a strong saffron flavor, hot pineapple chat was warmly sweet, veg platter was an assortment of various veg kebabs grilled to perfection, cottage cheese chili is a must try with the soft cheese steak grilled in a chili viscous sweet plum sauce. the explosion of flavors in the mouth is so delectable, it is a must try and highly recommended. crispy corn was good while honey chili potato again stood out as it was crispy and sweet and no drooling honey to make the potato wedges soggy, but the sweetness was still intact as the potatoes weren't smeared in honey but tossed in honey. again a must try from the vegetarian fare. lastly, we had the soya lollipop (fresh soya chunks stuffed with cheese, crunchy fried served with hot garlic sauce, highly recommended, must try). 

coming to non veg starters we had fish in hot bean sauce (crispy battered sole fish served with a distinct freshly made bittersweet bean sauce, this was nourishing, healthy and yet so tasty, a clear winner and a must try at jashan), fish ajwaini tikka, murgh kali mirch tikka, clay roasted fish, murgh afghanitikka(succulent chicken pieces garnished with cream). each non veg starter was good in its own way with good quantity in each serving.

to go along the lavish food we ordered a few mocktails: italian smooch (too good), mix fruit punch, three layered barman special, true blues, masti guava (perfect summer cooler), virgin mojito.

all in all jashan - arista is the perfect place for office parties, birthday/anniversary parties. for what is life without a little celebration. cheers!

during good weather i always filter my search on zomato to find outdoor restaurants in the tri-city and now i know which place is going to be my first choice and recommendation.

hotel arista in mohali is a new boutique hotel which offers tastefully done plush interiors and a fine dining experience at a relatively fraction of the cost. jashan is their rooftop restaurant and lounge and it immediately attracts the eye with its comfortable lounge chairs, peppy music and led lighting that gives it a great look and feel.

the food is masterfully cooked and presented. starting with the mocktails i suggest you go for the italian smooch (the drink, not the real thing) and mast guava. they were delicious.

in food, vegetarians are in for a pleasant surprise because the chef at jashan knows how to do it right. try the mushroom dolma, cottage cheese in chili plum sauce, honey chili potato and the veg platter with various kebabs. these dishes were well cooked and everything had a unique taste which stood out individually. the mushrooms were delicious without being overly spicy and the cottage cheese with plum sauce was an inspired dish that vegetarians can appreciate for its inventiveness and a much needed break from the usual paneer tikka.

now for people who like their dishes that were alive at some point; i would recommend ordering fish in hot bean sauce, murg kali mirch katikkaand fish ajwaini tikka. the fish in hot bean sauce is fried and it comes with a dressing of hot bean sauce that has a strong flavor and it was my favorite dish of the evening. the fish and murgtikkaare staple north indian dishes and they were perfectly cooked and are a safe bet to order in appetizers.

now a dish that both vegetarians and non vegetarians can equally enjoy is jashan's stuffed soya chaap. this dish was perfect in every way and should not be missed. the flavor and dressing aside, it was served beautifully and tasted even better.

arista is a greek word that translates to "the best" in english and after checking it out, i can safely say that they are living up to that name.

do check it out.

jashan is the roof top lounge bar and restaurant at the newly opened arista in kharar. we figured the best way to get a glimpse into their kitchen and its prowess, was to sample their starters and drinks. and boy we were pleasantly surprised. arista has been beautifully done and looks plush and upmarket. it won’t be an exaggeration to say that this is hotel sports the best ambience in that area.

and the rooftop lounge is no exception. beautifully done and decked up with psychedelic leds that animate, it provides a grand view of the international airport road. since it was drizzling outside, we decided to sit in their indoor lounge area for our meal. the menu offers a host of cuisines as you would expect from a multi-cuisine restaurant. 

we started with the stuffed mushroom dolma tikka. now mushrooms is something that generally has the least amount of takers. people will claim they love it, but they would never order it in a restaurant. however, what surprised me, was that this particular dish was outstanding. it had mushroom crowns stuffed with pepper, marinated and cooked in tandoor and yet the flavour was not over powering at all, like how you find in most places. it was a hit with everyone in our group.

another interesting dish was the cottage cheese in chilli plum sauce. the paneer fillets were crisp and they were neither too sweet as one would expect of plum sauce, nor too salty or fiery. everything was balanced well. 

i also loved the crackling spinach and crispy corn. usually, crispy corn is my go to thing amongst starters and i even cook it at home. the difference here was that it was served along with crackling spinach. this was indeed smart on the chef’s part because by themselves, either dishes may not work well for most people. club them together, and you have a winner. full marks for this one.

we also tried their vegetarian platter featuring an assortment of tikkas and kebabs. the good thing at jashan is that the chef, who comes with years of experience working at prestigious restaurants, understand the fact that you cannot entire non vegetarians by overloading paneer and veggies with spices and marinade. you have to strike a balance and keep everything mild and flavourful. 

i also cannot forget the honey chilli potato. this was probably the best one i've ever had. nowhere have i had this dish where every piece stays super crispy till the end. not only was it flavoured right, it didn't lose its crispiness. superb.

there were a couple of other vegetarian starters that we randomly ordered like dahi ke kebab, vegetable tempura and they were pretty good too, but the shining stars were the ones i described above.

with the veggie stuff done, we moved to the non-vegetarian fare with the outstanding crispy fish in hot bean sauce. the fish was cooked extremely well and had a layer of hot bean sauce dressing on top of the filets. loved it to the hilt and highly recommended. i also liked the murgh afghanitikkaand the kali mirch tikka. both were succulent though i would like to see them done a bit more than how they were. additionally both the quantity and size per portion was outstanding for all dishes.

we also had a bunch of mocktails but i categorically avoided those since i had a bad throat that day. 

overall, jashan is an excellent lounge in kharar and i highly recommend this place. the food is amazing, the service was spot on and super fast and the ambience is top notch. a worthy addition to kharar and a better option than dining at north country mall. just drive across the mall to arista, you won’t regret it.