Review: Go Balle Balle with the Punjab Di Shaan Food Festival at Grand Hyatt, Mumbai

I have a love-hate relationship with Punjab. I hated my Punjabi ex boyfriend’s mom but loved her food. The flaky paranthas brushed with makhan, the rich and robust butter chicken bursting with flavors, and the comforting dals- I relished them all whenever she invited me home, which was not often :D. Even now when my boss who hails from Punjab, admonishes me for missing deadlines gets to hear my signature quote over and over again –“I can't make everyone happy, I am not Rajma Chawal” J

So, when Soma at Grand Hyatt’s that offers authentic Indian and North West frontier cuisine, invited us for the Punjab Di Shaan festival, off we went to explore the richness of the cuisine from Punjab.

What You See:

Step into Soma, next to the bar and one sees beautiful flowers at the entrance adorning well-lit interiors. The tables are set beautifully to ensure a pleasant dining experience and delicate aromas waft from the open kitchen. 

The Beautiful table setting at Soma, Grand Hyatt. 

The Show Kitchen at Soma that makes yum Kebabs and rotis

Garma Garam Tandoori Roti, yum!!

Wood sets the tone of the fine dining experience and the contemporary art inspired by the moon, shines in the ambient lights. The table is impeccably set with candlelight, flowers and cutlery but relish the Punjabi khana with your hands.

What You Get:

Roll your sleeves and tap that tummy, its time to indulge!! We dug into the non-vegetarian starter platter. Bhatti da murg- char grilled and marinated in ground spices with wins over tandoori achari jinga, though it’s a tough call.  The Gosht pyaz ki seekh did not impress though- a bit dry for our liking.

The vegetarian starters were surprisingly good. A special mention to Bhutte de Kebab, made with potato and corn spiced with select ground spices and Tandoori Kulhe- marinated stuffed potato, grilled to perfection in tandoor.  Have them with a dash of green mint chutney and crispy roast papad to instantly think of that dream foodie trip to Punjab, we always wanted to take :)

Crispy Roasted Papads and mint Chutney

The Dahi Bhalla- lentil dumplings in yogurt topped with sweet and spicy chutney were soft and tasty. We loved the sprinkling of anardana (pomegranate seeds) on top- a riot of flavors and colors. 

Dahi Bhalle- Balle Balle 

Our tummies were bursting with happiness as we awaited the main course. But more happiness just landed right at our table- a Lassi Cart. Punjabi khana aur lassi- malai maar ke are inseparable and Soma had gone that extra mile to add flavours to your glass! Play safe with the rose and saffron flavours or explore the unusual with the papaya-vanilla variant. We tried the freshly churned rose lassi- delicately flavored with pure rose water and fresh rose petals and loved it so much, we had one more before we left.    

The Lassi Cart- Lassi, malai maar ke. 

In the main course, creamy Sarsoon ka saag- made with fresh mustard leaves and Baingan da bharta- roasted eggplant in onion and tomato are a Do-Not-Miss. Relish it with makki di roti or the Amritsari parantha, a flat bread generously sprinkled with paprika that will spice things up.  Don’t forget to take some gur (jaggery) in your plate, just like we did.

Relishing the Punjab Di Shaan Food. 

The Rara gosht- minced and semi dried lamb in onion and tomato masala was tasty and we relished it with “Pyaz Da Kulcha” – onion stuffed Indian flatbread. Now came the real test. They say any Indian restaurant that can't serve a good Murg Makhani  is not worth a mention. I eyed the one in front of me. The rich color, buttery consistency and the heartwarming chicken tikka nestled in the gravy invited me to dig in. It left me satisfied and yet craving for more!! That’s what a perfect gravy should do.   

Ma always says that the simplest of things bring in the biggest of joys and my heart sung when I tried the Punjabi kadhi pakode- Onion, fenugreek and besan dumplings cooked to perfection in a yogurt gravy was yum. Have it with the delicately flavored Pyaaz Kesar da Pulao to explore simplicity at its best.

The delicately flavored Pyaz Kesar Da Pulao. 

 Never underestimate the power of a Punjabi mom or Punjabi desserts. Perfectly sweet Gajar ka halwa, Creamy Khajur di kheer – date and milk pudding and Amritsari barfi on a bed of saffron rabdi  had a magic wand so powerful, I just succumbed.  Heck, will run an extra mile on that treadmill tomorrow, I promised  myself.

Gajar ka Halwa, Khajur ki Kheer aur Amritsari Barfi- a platter of happiness.

A Mouthful of Freshness-Paan :)

Verdict:

Soma at Grand Hyatt is one of the best Indian restaurants in Mumbai that serves delectable North Indian and North West Frontier cuisine. Do not miss the Punjab Di Shaan food festival at Soma on till February 15, 2015 because happiness is the feeling…..when your stomachs perpetually full with delicious food but you cant resist having one more bite. The à la Carte offerings are impressive and the special set menu for Punjab-di-Shaan priced at 2,015 INR plus taxes is a good bet. Wicked Spoon Confessions did not try the alcohol that is a part of the set menu but the choice is impressive- Black Label whisky, Ketel One vodka, Gordon’s gin, Captain Morgan rum, Domestic beers and wines- but please do not drink and drive. We stepped into the show kitchen and chatted with the chefs, who flipped a rumali roti  for us and spilled some kitchen secrets. We left with happy tummies and could not resist doing a “Balle Balle” :D