Old wine in a new bottle. This new North West Frontier cuisine address at the Radisson Blu Atria Bangalore (earlier Atria Hotel), gives you flavourful Indian khana. The former North Indian cuisine hub Tijouri is back in this Radisson-helmed hotel with a new spiffy avatar where unusual spices have taken its menu to meaty level: Read Indian steak!
Helming it is the enterprising and seasoned Chef Kasiviswanathan, who, with over two decades of experience has curated a menu that offers old favourites and a unique selection of steaks in Indian marinades. With over 20 years of service at Atria, the chef has brought his love for Indian and South Indian cuisine to the fore, through Awadh and steaks! Atria happens to be quite the go-to for bureaucrats as the Vidhana Soudha is close by, and Radisson has waved a wand of blue light on the old hotel.
We started the meal with a welcome slurp of chutneys that were delicious and very home-fired, a pudina, tomato and tamarind one, as the starters came by. The first was the Yakhini Shorba - wonderfully light, with tender bits of succulent mutton to boot. It has a tang of lemon, and a hint of pudina. Wholesome.
The Ran-E-Murgh came next, stuffed chicken drum sticks marinated with awadhi spices and a welcome taste of saffron and yogurt, delicately spiced with melt-in-the-mouth chicken done just right. The Tandoori Jhinga had a subtle flavour of ajwain and other spices, we enjoyed the smokiness but would have liked more flavour. They were a bit overdone as well.
The dal makhani was beautifully rendered with creamy consistency, and a touch of added spice that worked wonders with a lachcha parantha.
The dal makhani was beautifully rendered with creamy consistency, and a touch of added spice that worked wonders with a lachcha parantha. The chef's innovative Bhindi Palak Ki Bhurjee was interesting, creamy and delightfully different, delicious nonetheless. The chef also gave us his take on the Punjabi tadka wala dahi: hung yogurt in, this time, South Indian spices. It was interesting, sweet, curry-leaf flavoured, with bits of burnt garlic and an almost sun-dried tomato topping.
The fish steak was our showstopper, as the chef has endowed Indian marinades with a continental flourish. Our Fish Steak came with added drama in a copper pot, skewered large pieces of the most flakey and delicious fish with a nice tomato, onion sauce, and mash and veggies to go, very interesting. The steak menu offers nice cuts of meat with Continental leanings, or as the chef said, "Kebabs but marinated in adrak, yogurt and other Indian flavours in a large portion with mash and veggies."
The menu doesn’t offer pork or beef, so classic meat eaters might think something amiss. We also ordered the Nalli ka salan, which was cooked on a slow fire for over 12 hours. Delicious. We loved the juicy meat although my piece was slightly stringy. The salan was delicious with rich textures, though a bit oily thanks to the marrow. The rotis, lachchas and missi could have been more buttery or softer, we felt.
Our table was held by a grill, cramped even for a small-made person. Tijouri is nestled in the basement with an open kitchen and a steady flow of diners. The interiors maybe too loungey and dimlit for an Indian space and the menu in black was hard to read; a torch would have helped. The next door buffet counter was also a bit of a downer… the smell of food overpowers you as you enter. The staff was attentive.
Our next bite was the famed biryani - nice, long-grained Basmati rice. Aromatic and delicious and, according to the chef, a popular dish. For dessert, we took the chef's innovative masala chai creme brûlée, which was innovative, though the flavours were a bit too stark for us. We would have liked to taste the Imarti and Saffron Chiroti that was also on the menu.
"The steak menu is new. We have tried to combine Indian spices and marinades with the usual steak flair. Our main menu is north west frontier cuisine, where we have retained the old favourites -biryani, Nalli ka Salam, etc," says Chef Kasiviswanathan who hails from the Chettiyar community in Tamil Nadu, and has a steady clientele. Also proficient in Mediterranean cuisine, he has worked with Michelin star chefs at Burj al Arab Hotel and The Emirates Tower Hotel, Dubai. Earlier in his career, he has catered to former president Bill Clinton, the Sultan of Brunei, Jordan's Queen Rania and Oprah Winfrey.
The food is good, albeit heavy, given its Awadh leanings. If you're in the neighbourhood, give them a visit … and try the Indianised steak! Not classic, but certainly interesting!
Address: #1, Palace Road, Bengaluru, Karnataka 560001
Tel: 080 2220 5205
Opening Hours: For dinner only
Meal for two: Rs 1,800onwards
Must-haves: Dal Makhani, yakhni shorba, fish teak, tangdi kebab, dal makhani and the palak and bhindi bhurji.
