Posted on

Thai Food Festival, MoMo Café

16th June, 2014

Thai Food Festival, MoMo Café

Courtyard by Marriott, Gurgaon

By Pranay Arora

At last some much needed respite from the scorching 47 degree torture, the Thursday rains sure were welcomed by everyone. With a lovely breeze in the evening, the night beckoned, there was good food waiting to be devoured and I was on the move. All I needed was a peaceful place to revitalize and let off steam after a week of heat that was getting to the nerves.

I headed over to MoMo Café at the Courtyard by Marriott to sample some refreshing Thai delights being offered at the Thai food festival. With a table waiting for me, I was greeted by the Executive Chef Ashish and Expat Chef Rungta who has a prowess with the flavours of the South East. Beautiful décor and ambient lighting combined with the colourful uniform of the servers, this certainly looked promising.

Kang khaw whan kaiI started my Thai journey with a Pomelo Salad, the Pomelo, much like your Indian Mosambi fruit, only bigger. The salad was an interesting mix of citrusy Pomelo, peanuts, chilli flakes and had an amazing sharpness to it. I was presented with the Pineapple Peanut dumplings next. The pineapple gave an instant sweetish tangy burst, coupled with the almost crunchy texture of the peanuts with shades of sweet chilli, vinegar and honey shining through. Just when you think it might be a little too sweet, one little sliver of red chilli gives you the fiery kick and cuts through the richness of the peanuts to achieve just the right balance.

Maar-horFor the mains, I had quite a spread on my table – starting from the Chicken in Red Chilli sauce, Thai green curry, Jasmine rice, Phat noodles and some exotic vegetables prepared in Thai gravy and what better a complimenting beverage to this meal than a fresh chilled mojito? I’d definitely made the right choices. The chicken was soft and succulent, sharp yet delicious with heaps of flavour from the garlic, ginger and lime leaves. The green curry didn’t fail to impress either – with delicate sweetness from the coconut milk and some fresh exotic vegetables, this dish was a winner. The mushrooms, my personal favourite and the highlight of the exotic vegetable gravy, were perfectly flavoured. The jasmine rice, gorgeous and fragrant, were the perfect accompaniment to all the curries.

With so much yumminess in my tummy, I couldn’t help but want a little sweet ending to this Thai culinary expedition. I was served with a glass of water chestnuts immersed in sweet coconut milk. It wasn’t perhaps my favourite but the water chestnut sure had an interesting texture and the coconut milk was really fresh and light with a silky consistency.

I had a wonderful time sampling these sweet and savoury delicacies – warm, earthy, fervent and robust flavours served in the form of some lip smacking concoctions. If you wish to relish this appetizing marriage of the eastern and western culinary pasts, head to MoMo Café at the Marriott.

Anubhav Sapra
Anubhav Sapra is an avid foodie! He is a Founder but proudly calls himself a Foodie-in-chief at Delhi Food Walks. He is also a street-food and Indian regional cuisine connoisseur and loves to write about street-food.
Posted on

Kebab And Curry Festival @ Courtyard by Marriott

April 18th, 2014

Kebab And Curry Festival @ Courtyard by Marriott

By Anubhav Sapra

 

Event Details:
Date: 11th April to 20th April 2014
Time: 7pm – 11:30pm
Price: INR 1450 + taxes per person
Venue: MoMo Café, Courtyard by Marriott, Gurgaon
For reservations, call: +91 124 488 8444 / Ext 8245

Recently, I was invited by Courtyard by Marriott,Gurgaonto review their Kebab and Curry festival crafted by an imperial guest chef along with Executive Chef Ashis Rout. The evening started with an engrossing discussion with the Chef himself, whose expert understanding of the Hyderabadi, Awadhi and Kashmiri cuisines was astounding. He has spent substantial years in Kolkata, exploring its lanes for its food and spices.

RAJMA KI SHAMMI

My gastronomical journey started with Rajmake kebab which was followed by a slew of mouth-watering dishes like the Subz Sheekhampuri, Chapli Kebabs, tikka masala, Shikampuri kebab served with ulte tawe ka paratha, and Hyderabadi Mahi Rezaal.With Lucknowi spices running deep into the kebabs, the tandoor-cooked Murgh Nishapuri was among the evening’s favourites.

The green chutney that was served with the Kebabs added dollops of flavor to the already juicy and succulent Kebabs.The Chapli kebab, which is a traditional dish from the Pakistani cuisine, was exceptionally spicy and melt-in-mouth delicious. It had a nice lemony tinge to it. The only downside is that it is difficult to find good Chapli Kebabs in Delhi.

ROGANJOSH (2)Among the curries served, I liked the Roganjosh – a perfect blend of spices and soft and succulent pieces of meat. The color of the curry was blood red, which comes from the Kashmiri dry red chillies used to prepare it. As told by the Chef Ashis, the signature spices for this dish are hing/asafoetida, fennel seeds and the dried ginger powder, along with a variation of a combination of cinnamon, cardamom, and clove. Yogurt is added to givea slight tanginess and texture to the sauce. There are no tomatoes added to the traditional dish, not even to enhance color.

The biggest disappointment for me was the Chicken Nahari. Nahari is usually made of Beef or lamb meat cooked overnight with spices at low flame, after which the meat becomes so soft that it simply melts in the mouth. Unfortunately, the chicken nahari served at the festival had big pieces which were not soft enough to melt and hence took the essence of the dish away.

MAKHANA KHEERFor desserts, I had Kulfi and Makhane ki Kheer. The kheer was simply delicious and the crispy crunchiness of the Makhana felt great in the mouth.

The Kebab & Curry Festival is on till April 20, from 7:00 pm to 11:30 pm. Don’t miss it!

Anubhav Sapra
Anubhav Sapra is an avid foodie! He is a Founder but proudly calls himself a Foodie-in-chief at Delhi Food Walks. He is also a street-food and Indian regional cuisine connoisseur and loves to write about street-food.