Situated on the first floor of the hotel, the multi-cuisine restaurant at Shangri-La Hotel, Tamra, created quite a buzz, a lot because of the PR and marketing they did. Full marks to them for that, because they really did garner a lot of clientele because of their marketing efforts. With a huge area for seating that’s both plush and comfortable, with lighting that’s not too dim in some places (for families) and aptly dim that you can have a good look at your food in some places (for a date), the buffet counters of the restaurant are spread out all over. With the sushi section in one corner and the Oriental section in the other, the place is really well done in terms of décor and interiors. Wooden flooring, shiny wooden tables, red décor in sync with a Malaysian festival that was on when I went, we were escorted to our table overlooking the gardens outside.
Went to Tamra for their dinner buffet and was simply floored by the quality and taste of food. It’s much much better than the five star buffets that are around right now, plus the variety also beats most other hotels’ buffets.
I started my meal with appetizers from the Indian section. Veg Kebab, Chicken Tikka and Haryali Fish Tikka. All four were really delicious and bang on with spices. Very flavourful and tender. In the main course from the Indian section, I tried their Fish in Mustard Sauce (Kasundi), Bhuna Gosht, Jeera Rice and Paneer. The paneer was the least impressive. Cooked in a sour tomato gravy, I didn’t like it at all. The Bhuna Ghosht was delectable! Very fine chunks of mutton with a superb thick masala gravy with onions and tomatoes. The fish, just as the name said, was bang on with the mustard flavor. Relished every bite!
While their Sushi section was very impressive and very fresh too, I found the Salad counter lacking that punch. Asked the chef to make us a Caesar Salad but that didn’t turn out to be so impressive. A little too salty for me. The salad counter was filled with different kinds of dressings, fresh produce and cold cuts, making it look very very appealing. Appealing it was, but maybe I should have gone with a different choice of salad.
Next up were Penne in Mixed Sauce and Penne Alfredo. Both were decent enough, just like the made-to-order pastas are. You only need to add a little bit of seasoning if you like your pasta salty and not sweet, but the sauces are really nice. However, I really missed my pizzas. A buffet without a wood-fired oven pizza counter is incomplete for me.
Every person going for a buffet, looks forward to the dessert section the most. And Tamra ensures you have a gala time and an extremely elevating experience especially towards the end. The dessert section had so much going on that you possibly couldn’t try it all out. Maybe if you went backwards you could, but no way in hell if you keep desserts for the end.
The most impressive things in their dessert counter- the ice cream section, the fresh crepes section, and the chocolate molten cake. These three things alone can make you fall in love with Tamra! I tried 8 ice-cream flavours (yes, 8). With something as humble as Vanilla making you go ‘oh my god’, to trying Black Currant ice-cream after ages, to trying the salted Caramel, Praline, Belgian Dark Chocolate, Peanut Butter, and what not, they left nothing more to be desired. Insane ice-creams! To top it all, they have such outstanding add-ons for your ice cream like almonds, nuts, jelly and candies.
The Crepe was prepared in front of you. Filled with dark chocolate ganache and topped with liquid chocolate and powdered sugar, the crepe in itself was supremely soft and just melted in the mouth. It was a burst of chocolate extravaganza in each bite!
The molten chocolate cake doesn’t need an introduction. The cake is put in the oven for just the right amount of time (neither making the molten chocolate too thin and liquid nor too thick and fudgy). Break into the cake and relish a mouthful of gorgeous moist cake with a center that’s just divine chocolate!
The Blueberry Cheesecake, Chocolate Mousse, Moong Dal Halwa, Dhoda Burfi, Crème Brulee, Macarons and a great deal of other bakery items- excellent in taste!
The buffet has tea and coffee included but not any of the soft beverages. It’s at par with the other five stars in terms of pricing but so much better in terms of offering, taste and value for money.
Will be going back again real real soon! Address: Shangi-la Hotel, Ashoka Road, Connaught Place, New DelhiTimings: 24 hoursConnect with me on:Twitter: @sahibagursahaneInstagram: @thetastingforkFacebook: www.facebook.com/thetastingfork