A fantastic happy new year 2017 to all the readers of my not so old but yet to be popular blog. Looking back to the year that went by, it was full of beautiful memories, wonderful events and some unforgettable moments. Since 6 months of publishing my first blog
and after numerous food tasting events, bloggers table and invites, its time to welcome 2017. New year comes with new resolutions, new plans, meeting new people,
making new friends, travelling to new locales and most importantly (for me at least) heading to new places to try out something new no matter what cuisine or what region.
Being a foodie, I always believe Life is too short to eat at same restaurants and continuing the trend from the past year, 2017 started with a cheerful note when I was invited to the exclusive tasting of the new menu at Kopper Kadai and a special evening with none other than celebrity chef Akshay Nayar. Kopper Kadai is a modern fine dining restaurant which was launched some 9 months back in Koramangala specializing mainly in the North Western Frontier cuisine of India. Being the brainchild of famous celebrity chef Akshay Nayar (popular TV show host in Middle East: Foodshala, Cuisine central to name a few, cookbook author and international acclaimed corporate chef) the restaurant is all about heritage Indian cuisine with a modern, contemporary twist. It was in the news for receiving a special mention by the Masterchef Australia judge, Matt Preston and has garnered some excellent reviews in a short span of time. This was a restaurant that had to be visited and tons of thanks to Dushyant(buttertheory.com) for extending the invite for a lovely dining experience.
The fare is mainly from the North Western Frontier province with copper being the dominant theme of the restaurant, from the cutlery and decor to the general color. The entrance has hanging copper spoons which symbolizes the hand made spices used in their kitchen. The laid back yet elegant ambiance with dim lighting is ideal for a family dinner as well for the romantic date evenings. One can see the huge copper kadais(vessels) kept at one end and sun dried chilies(authentic to common Indian household) displaying the Indian touch in every aspect of the decor. The place is quite spacious and has got underground parking space for the guests.
The evening started with Chef Akshay Nayar taking us through their brand new menu showcasing their signature delicacies. He was all smiling and courteous throughout the evening and wherever possible tried to explain the story behind the particular offering. We started with the light beverages from the section Peene Se in the menu followed by the finger licking appetizers from Suruat Se and Kebab Gali se menu. The main course was hand picked from the Pakwan Se section combined with the Biriyani and the bread from Roti se menu.
The beverages are worth to try, among the menu we sampled some of their signature combinations like the Chatmola Fatafat , a khatta meetha concoction of cola and jaljeera, the hajmola flavor won’t make you stop at just one drink and the Chiller Chai, orange infused mint iced tea, great in theatrics but was pretty average in flavor. The Kashmiri Kiss, martini of green apple, cinnamon, saffron with floral honey, was little bit more on the sweetness level but still my favorite drink of the evening.
Soon after the drinks , we were served with the light appetizer Mast Limca Bhel, spicy lime and salt sprinkled, bhel puri with nachos. It was refreshing and full of tangy flavors. Along with that few of us were busy with the condiments on the table. The papad served the best pairing with the peanut chutney.
Soon after followed an array of mouth watering starters from the vegetarian and non-veg fare. Each offering was unique in the way the food was served and believe me it was a difficult task to choose which was the best in taste among them. Whether it was the upturned umbrella or the hard shelled eggs or the chicken served in the brick well shaped container, there was entertainment and theatrics involved in each serving for one’s experience.
Among the appetizers from kabab se section, my favorites were the
Kastoori Mughlai Brocolli : Florets of broccoli marinated with cheese and fenugreek. It was soft and delicious and melted right way in the first bite. Never knew that broccoli can be made this delicious.
Andey ka funda : Hard boiled eggs filled with makai palak and cheesy lava. This one is similar to the popular anda chops of Orissa and WB and myself and Lopamudra were so happy and excited to try this one after so many years.
Nadru ki chaat: Crispy lotus stem in lemony onion tomato chatka, first trial for me, was decent in taste. Was amusing to see the food served on a miniature truck back.
Pesto Soya Champey : The simple soya chunks marinated in methi, pesto and malai, prepared as tandoori chops. Looks can be deceiving coz at first sight looks like kebabs of chicken.
Jwalamukhi: Grean pea, spinach and methi kebabs. Presented in two different forms, one in an inverted umbrella and another in the form of a volcano with hot cheese coming out of it. Among the kebabs this one was best in taste and flavors.
Taka tak paneer tikka : Spicy and succulent paneer tikkas with flavors of tamarind and mint chutney. Another wonder from the vegetarian fare of the kebab se menu.
Murgh korma kebab : Soft and juicy creations of patties of minced chicken and spinach shallow fried giving a smoky flavor. Best among the non vegetarian appetizers.
Beyti seekh : Chicken seekh kebabs wrapped in wheat paratha. This was one of the unique seekhs, I have tried in recent times but was quite bland to my taste.
Haryali machi tikka : The usual tandoori fish tikkas marinated with green chilly and mint lime and served with a red sweet sauce.
Moving to the mains which was equally rich and decadent, we started with the vegetarian fare, Palak malai bhurji(garlic and cummin tempered chunky spinach with fresh cream and onion curry) and the Badshahi paneer rubiyan(cottage cheese balls in velvety pepper curry). The Warqi daal e dastaan was a heritage recipe of mushy daal and was a signature dish from the grandfather’s kitchen. But the best part of the main course was off course the intersting blend in the form of Gobi Chicken musallam which was slow cooked kadai chicken in gobi masala. This particular dish took the limelight of all the mains dishes and was absolute delight as pairing with the roti and other breads. The other chicken delicacy, the Chowdury chooza was served in a brick well kinda miniature model. The tawa styled grainy chicken simmered with onion masala and topped with a boiled eggs. The curry was flavorsome and provided with a rich taste to the buds. And off course there was lamb too, the Pashmeena nalli ghost was a unique delicacy prepared in Kashmiri style(goat meat in onion and mint curry) and the Laal maas,tender lamb cooked with red chilli, yoghurt and whole spices. But unfortunately am not a big fan of lamb, so skipped the same but the reaction from the fellow foodies was a thumbs up. The Kopper kadai biriyani is not your usual chicken biriyani prepared in the Hyderabadi dum style but it has its unique taste and flavor of biriyani rice cooked in yogurt and onion curry with chicken koftas and salan chillies.
I was already full till my throat but every meal ends with a dessert. That’s the universal rule , so there’s no chance in to miss out the sinful Nutella Dodha Lava which was choco lava inside and dodha burfi muffin outside. It was soft in texture, just the right sweetness you love in your dessert and left me speechless after the first bite only.
And finally we were moving towards the end of the wonderful evening. I must say, I was more than impressed with the food at KK, i could not find anything missing or a bad selection in the food. Yeah I understand it was an invite, but am pretty sure Kopper Kadai has lived upto its name and hype surrounding it. After the experience at Kopper Kadai, we knew why it is still among the highest rated restaurants on Zomato in the city. Overall its a nice place where one can simply say bye bye to the gym workouts or the diet plans because the food is rich, scrumptious and highly appetizing. Well its a must visit for anyone in love for authentic North Indian cuisine and you will not regret the gastronomic experience afterwards. A big thanks to Chef Akshay Nayar and his entire team in making the event a memorable one. My vote for the place is nothing less than 5 stars.
So don’t just stop at reading the blog and drooling over the pics, head out to KK and have a unforgettable dine out experience.
And the customary group selfie :
Checkout the links for Kopper kadai :
Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/KopperKadaiBangalore/
Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/kopperkadaibangalore/
Happy Gobbling …….
Cheers !!!!!!!
THE FOOD VOYAGE 