Farzified.. Yet again!!

Farzi Café has recently launched an additional new menu and they were kind enough to extend an invite to Team #FoodProwl for a tasting. The restaurant is done up in two sections; the terrace and a lounge. Its décor is very tasteful and the drinks and food they serve are excellent as well. 

We were asked our choice for drinks and I decided to stick to my favourite mocktail, Farzi OK. I’m a teetotaler hence the Kimaya Craft Beer and the cocktails held no interest for me, but those who tried the brews and cocktails, loved them.

In typical ‘farzi’ style, we began our meal with an amuse bouche; a yummy, smooth blob of Mishti Doi with berry coulis. We then went on to have the Smoked Makai & Lamb Chowder, Butter Baked Popcorn Soup. This comprised of a tiny croquette settled over a smear of spicy sauce with a couple of butter popcorns strewn around. 

The piping hot broth was poured over the croquette at the table, and with that, the flavours all came together perfectly. The broth was the star of the soup! It was gorgeously robust, just as a good mutton broth should be. 

They served us various tapas (appetizers) and from all that we tried the ones that impressed me immensely were the Pan-seared Mahi Fish Cakes, Saffron Aioli, Goat Cheese Stuffed Tangri Kebab, Pimento Pepper Coulis and Upma, Curried Mozzarella Bites, Puly Ingi, Paneer & Bocconcini Skewers with Roasted Tomato Chutney and Achari Chicken Tikka with Olive and Garlic Sofritto. 

The fish cakes were delicately spiced and did not overpower the taste of the fish. 

The tangri kebabs, too, were not laden with spice which is why the flavour of the goat cheese shone bright. The tangri’s (chicken drumsticks) were cooked to succulent doneness which was an added plus. 

The Upma and Curried Mozzarella Bites, Puly Ingi were soft, cheesy melt in the mouth croquettes. Only an idiot would dislike them and I am no idiot. (Evil grin) 

The Paneer & Bocconcini Skewers were silken on the palate. Did I mention that the Pimento Pepper Coulis and the Roasted Tomato Chutney were to die for? Well, they were!! ;) They complemented their plated partners and elevated the flavours immensely. 

We sat stuffed and satiated with the deliciousness of the tapas, waiting for the mains (greedy-greedy), when suddenly two varieties of hot dog were brought to our table. One was the Kheema Ghotala and the other was Tempered Pindi Chana. 

The Indianized filling seemed quite unique, but to this carnivore the Kheema Ghotala hotdog appealed more than the one with Pindi Chana. 

The mains were Shawarma Biryani, Kerala Fish Curry with Goan Coconut Rice and Charred Artichoke and Cherry Tomato Bisi Beli Bhaat. Of the three, my favourites were the Shawarma Biryani and the Kerala Fish Curry, precisely in that order. 

The Biryani was one of the best I have had in recent times. There was nothing ‘shawarma-ic’ about it but it was delicious! We all could not stop ooh-ing and aah-ing over the succulent mutton pieces cooked in that delish gravy served over aromatic rice. 

The Kerala Fish Curry was also yum! I however did not enjoy biting into the tiny pieces of chili and coconut floating in the curry. It hampered the smoothness of the curry. Hence the only aspect of the curry that I would change to my preference would be for it to be a smooth curry with the ‘masala’ finely ground. I loved the actual flavour of the curry though. Another plus point was that the chef had used flavourful River Sole as his choice of fish. 

We ended our meal with three desserts: Ghewar Malai Tart with Saffron Aire, Farzi Sundae and Chocolate Dome with Horlicks Ice cream, Cashew Mawa. 

While the Chocolate Dome and the Farzi Sundae were nice, I felt there was too much going on in those desserts. But then, that’s just me. I say this because everyone else at the table loved them and were transported back to their childhood because of the Horlicks flavoured Ice cream and the immense fun of getting to dig a tall spoon into a Sundae. 

To me, in comparison to the chocolate dome and the Farzi Sundae, the Ghewar Malai Tart was subtle, classy and won the dessert race by a mile! 

The Ghewar was one of the best I have ever eaten and this is a dessert that should go on everyone’s #MustTry list.

Just as we began the meal ‘farzi’ style, we end the meal in a similar way. They served us their signature ‘farzi paan’; a candy floss paan flavoured gujiya that luxuriously dissolves on the palate. That was a fabulous end to an amazing meal!

Farzi Café is a restaurant wherein you will experience a perfect balance of food and drama. Food and drinks at Farzi is all about twists on an original and lots of drama; but drama makes no sense to me if the food lacks flavour. Luckily, Farzi never fails to deliver on flavour. If you haven’t visited Farzi Café yet I suggest you give it a try. Getting ‘farzified’ is an experience no one should miss!

Some more photographs: