Uzuri is located in GK II – M Block Market. This market has come back to prominence with outlets like Uzuri. The entrance might be small but once inside the place is divided in 2 floors. The upper one has deck dinning while the lower one has comfortable seating. As soon as you enter a giant 18 feet African statue greets you. The atmosphere is earthy, contemporary and sophisticated and African art adore the walls. The whole ambiance is cozy and let you enjoy the comfort food offered by Uzuri, which literally means ‘beauty’. The music played here is Mediterranean coming from Spain and Egypt.
Uzuri offers African and European food experience and introduced the Uzuri Winter 2.0 menu recently. The kitchen is defended by Chef Rishim Sachdeva’s, a student of Heston Blumenthal’s who comes from ‘The Fat Duck’, a Michelin star restaurant. We choose to sit on the upper deck as the atmosphere was pleasant. We started with the drinks Fig Mojito, Melon Delight and Uzuri Fresh. The Melon Delight was a unique combination of fresh watermelon juice and ginger, refreshing in taste. Uzuri Fresh was again a combination of different fruit juices blended together, a drink with real emphasis on being ‘Fresh’. Uzuri uses a lot of Floral flavors and colors to decorate the drinks and this one was no different. The Fig Mojito was unique in flavor and had chunks of fig (anjeer) on the frozen ice blend.
We ordered the Stuffed Mushrooms and the Crostinis as our appetizers. The Stuffed Mushroom dish was amazing. The Mushrooms were stuffed with flavored mozzarella cheese and then deep fried with a distinctive batter. The after taste was of pepper but the dish just melted in the mouth. A must have! The Crostinis were 3 bread slices with 3 different toppings of Baba ghanoush, roasted Pepper and Mushroom with feta cheese. The Crostinis were good and my favorite would be the roasted pepper topping.
We also got a chance to meet Chef Rishim to talk about food and his creations. The service throughout was great and the waiter would ask about our food and drinks every now and then. We also tried the Gingerly Manhattan and Sous vide infused Bourbon Toddy. The Sour vide infused Bourbon Toddy was the superstar. The drink was a blend of juices and spices. The spices include cloves, cardamom and cinnamon. The colors of the drink were vivid and use of orchids just glorified it. The drink was quite exotic. The Gingerly Manhattan was blended with ginger to make it refreshing, incredible drink.
We ordered our main course of Mushroom Risotto and Grilled Vegetable Fusilli. The Grilled Vegetable Fusilli was creamy in texture and was made from Grilled Vegetables which gave it a very smoky flavor. The delicious pasta was topped with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese. The Mushroom Risotto was made from olive oil and Arborio rice. The texture of this dish too was creamy and the chunks of mushroom just enhanced the taste buds.
We then moved to the most important part of the meal, yes Desserts! We ordered almost all the Desserts on the menu as Uzuri has a range of some unique dishes. The Fresh Fruit Trifle was made from Vanilla Custard (without any custard powder) and fresh fruits. The custard was awesome not too sweet but fresh. The Chocolate Dome was made from Chocolate sphere and hot chocolate sauce is poured over it. The salted caramel was unique in itself and really contradicted with the sweet flavor of the chocolate dome. The Chocolate Soil is a unique dish in itself, first created by none other than Heston Blumenthal himself. The Chocolate Soil is different types and textures of chocolate with grapes. Stunning!
We then tried the Chocolate and Butterscotch Parfait, a unique combination of shortbread with chocolate sauce. The flavors were breath-taking and the shortbread had cashew nut and pistachios. Aniseed Pannacotta was next, the Pannacotta was created from fresh cream and gelatin. The fruity reduction was icing on the cake. Awesome, awesome and awesome! The dish is so light that I could have had many more!
The cost might be a little over the edge but it’s all about the experience and the atmosphere and Uzuri doesn’t disappoint here.
The Scorecard:-
Food/Taste – 9/10
Service – 9/10
Value for Money – 8/10
Ambiance – 9/10
Quantity/Quality – 9/10
Must Have: Stuffed Mushrooms, Sour vide infused Bourbon Toddy, Chocolate and Butterscotch Parfait, Aniseed Pannacotta
Hats off to Chef Rishim Sachdeva for all the amazing food and Gaurav Parwani for creating such a unique place, where you can spend hours with friends in an outstanding ambiance. Desserts and drinks just out of the world.