Kenzy's Kitchen Korner... : The Koji 45er – An Unlimited Set-Meal Does Not Get Any Better Than This!

Sunday, 25 November 2018

The Koji 45er – An Unlimited Set-Meal Does Not Get Any Better Than This!

I am an ardent fan of the restaurants and the food served at Conrad, Pune. The food they serve is made from ingredients of the finest quality and their service is excellent.

While they have lots to offer on their a la carte menus at every restaurant, the past two months their Asian restaurant, Koji, has been hosting ‘The Koji 45er’, an afternoon set-menu meal, ideal for rushed weekday lunches. This write up comes quite late because I’ve walked in (with various friends and family) for ‘The Koji 45er’ six times already (yeah, I really do love it) but have been a tad lazy with regard to penning about it.

Once again, I was at Koji this afternoon and they served me such a brilliant meal that I decided I would procrastinate no more.

The meal begins with a soup and four varieties of dim sums. My favourite is the Prawn Hot ‘n’ Sour soup. The ‘sour’ is not overpowering and the ‘hot’ (spice) slowly builds up as you sip on; gradually you start feeling the heat on your palate. This thick, hearty soup has a gorgeous blend of flavours.

Of course, I always opt for the non-veg dim sums. The dim sums served for this menu are, Chicken Pot Sticker, Chicken Shumai, Classic Hargao and Prawns Kataifi Rolls. If you like something on the menu, you can always request for repeats and they happily bring you more.

While every starter is excellent, my favourites are, the Classic Hargao and the Prawn Kataifi Rolls. I invariably request repeats of these two dim sums.

The casings are beautifully delicate, and the dim sums are very consistent with regard to taste, texture and quality. I can say this because I have tried them out so many times.

For the mains, their selection of dishes are, the Steamed John Dory, Kung Pao Chicken, Prawns In XO sauce, Signature Chicken Kaprao and Quick Fried Lamb.

The Steamed John Dory is cooked with minimal spices so as to allow the flavour of the fish to shine. It’s delicate but delicious!

The Kung Pao Chicken is a tad on the sweeter side but very flavoursome. The added cashews provide a lovely intermittent crunch.

The Signature Chicken Kaprao is also nicely made. No complaints at all with regard to it but somehow my heart never goes ‘thumpity-thump’ over this one.

The Quick Fried Lamb is yum! The lamb is tender and such a joy to eat.

As for the Prawns in XO Sauce, this one shines the brightest. Even when I walk into Koji for an a la carte meal, this is one dish I always order. I love it! Plump prawns in a perfect XO sauce is so drool-worthy!

Apologies! The photograph does not do justice to the these dishes. The lighting and angle went wonky on this one.

They also serve Jasmine Rice with Chicken Thai Curry (Green or Red), both of which are excellent!

A suggestion: The soy sauce lookalike set at the table is very different from the regular soy sauce at other restaurants. This sauce is thinner, slightly sweeter with a rounded flavour; this is Japanese Shōyu. Take a wee bit of plain Jasmine Rice, drizzle a bit of that Shōyu. Mix lightly. Eat. Experience the gorgeous flavour on your palate created by two simple ingredients. 😉

We always end our meal with the Lemon Grass Ice Cream and Banana & Sichuan Pepper Ice Cream. They also have a Matcha Ice Cream (green tea flavour). Unless you are a green tea fan, the Matcha Ice Cream is not for the masses. It’s an acquired taste and I have no intention of ever acquiring such ‘urghh-y’ tastes. My ‘green-tea-loving’ friends love this ice cream which is why I understand that the fault lies with my palate and not the ice cream.

Moving on to the Banana & Sichuan Pepper Ice Cream, it is frikkin’ fabulous! Creamy, with the perfect hint of banana, this is a very good ice cream. The Lemon Grass Ice Cream, though, is outstanding! You have to taste this to understand what the chef has achieved with regard to taste, flavour and aroma. Words shall truly fall short as I try to describe this but, I’m gonna try.

Lemon grass has a very faint tang. It’s there and yet, it’s not. It’s a flavour that is very complex and difficult to get right when used in desserts. A little less and it will fail to impress because you won’t taste it. A little more, and it has the ability to ruin your palate. It is a very sophisticated flavour to get right and I humbly bow to the chef who captured the essence of this ingredient so perfectly with this Lemon Grass Ice Cream. The lemon grass fragrance gently captures your olfactory senses without ruining your palate. As I said earlier, it’s there and yet, it’s not! The ice cream is delectable! It’s one of the best ice creams I’ve had in a long, long time. It’s the super-star of ice creams. 😊

This unlimited set-menu, 'The Koji 45er' is on at Koji, Conrad on weekdays from 12.30 pm to 3.30 pm. It is priced at INR 1099 + taxes. I cannot get enough of it; I have a sneaky feeling, once you try it, you’ll land up there as often as I do. 😉

As this review goes online, let me add:

Koji has a Dim Sum Discovery Festival on until December 10, 2018. We tried three varieties of dim sums from that menu.

Asparagus and Water Chestnut Dumpling - so delicate in flavour and yet so toothsome. It was a veg dim sum, but I loved it!

Chicken and Prawn XO Dumpling – a gorgeous mix of both meats. The chef has not allowed the chicken to overpower the delicate flavour of prawn. Such a scrumptious dim sum, this!

Crispy Prawn Charcoal Cheung Fan - This is the fancier version of the Fried Prawn Cheung Fan but crispier and infused with activated charcoal. It’s so darn moreish I simply cannot get enough of it.