Modern Indian food, a concept where quintessential Indian food meets molecular gastronomy and receives a makeover. Some may find it pretentious and expensive, and others, innovative and exciting. Either way, don’t dismiss it till you have tried it. If you are on the lookout for a place to find out what all this fuss is all about, Farzi Cafe might be a safe bet for you. Located at UB City on the top floor, the restaurant offers both outdoor and indoor seating.
The restaurant changes its menu every quarter to keep things interesting for its customers. Their latest menu, curated by executive chef Surya Kumar largely features a remake of south Indian dishes. To start off, we were given the Amuse-bouche of Mango Shot which had a mango jelly encased in a clear gel cover which would burst and dissolve as soon as you put it in your mouth. The Hass Avacado Chaat packed flavours with the tangy-sweet flavour of the tamarind chutney, beetroot jelly and yoghurt, along with the creamy texture of the avocados, complimented by the crunchy pomegranate, sprouts, and sev. The Watermelon & Bocconcini Salad was a sweet and crunchy salad with the kala khatta dressing giving it a nice zesty flavour.
The Mumbai Masala Aloo Sandwich was made with potatoes tossed in masala and served between two French toasts, and rolled in sev. The dish was a miss as it didn’t manage to capture the simplicity and flavours of masala aloo, and the french toast may have been a bit of an overkill. The in-house chips served with the sandwich, however, had people reaching out for more. The Curry Leaf Pepper Prawns, Coconut Flakes with Curry Leaf Foam was finger-licking good. Inspired by Kerala-style cooking, the combination of coconut and curry leaf favours did not fail. The Andhra Chilli Chicken Patti Samosa was also quite delicious. For the last of the
starters, we were promised a plate of extremely spicy wings, but sadly, the Tandoori Chicken Wings failed to win our hearts. Served with mint chutney, the wings were not spicy or saucy. We were offered a palette cleanser of yoghurt sorbet, which you would enjoy if you love Hajmola.
For the main course, we had Dal Makhani and Garlic Naan, which was delectable. The Mutton Kothu Parotta Bowl featured layers of Kerala Parotta top with mutton curry and an egg. The parotta was a little dry, and the egg avoidable. The mutton was its saving grace. Fish Pulimunchi with String Hoppers was the favourite of the table. It featured string hopper aka idiyappam, doused in some piquant Mangalorean fish curry, replacing the traditional Mackerel with Sole fish.
For desserts, there was the Chocolate Dirt Pile made with vanilla ice cream, chocolate and black pepper truffles, chocolate sauce. The truffles were delicious, and well, the chocolate-vanilla combination never disappoints. The much-hypes Gulab Jamun 2.0 was definitely a visual delight. Gulab Jamuns were stuffed with khoya, and saffron and the syrup was replaced by yellow rabri, white rabri nitrogen ice cream and rose petals. Props to the chef for inventiveness. The dish straddles the line towards being overkill, but as long as you share the dish, you are safe.