Desi Khaana Videsi Drama @ Not So Desi

How dramatic does it feel when the lift door opens up right at the reception of a gorgeously decorated Fusion themed Restaurant? An iconic venue where the walls & doors are reflecting the Indian Vintage Royalty while the windows are a typical “Jharokha” from Rajasthan with silk drapes and the furniture have a contemporary flavour with a colourful touch of Italian Class… Yeah, I am talking about the just launched Pure Vegetarian Restaurant on the 5th floor of Brilliant Convention Centre in Vijay Nagar, Indore named “Not So Desi” 🍽

 

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

As the name hints about, all you could look forward here is a menu that is Desi (Indian) with a Videsi (International) fusion & presentation. We were invited over for the pre launch of this amazingly beautiful restaurant to review their meticulously curated Menu last week and the experience follows below as I take you through the journey of Cocktails, Mocktails, Pre-appetisers, Appetisers, Main-course & Desserts one by one… 😄

MOCKTAIL & COCKTAIL:

Ginger Mojitto: A good punch of ginger and Jaggery makes this cocktail stand different than an usual Mint, Castor Sugar & Bacardi drink. 🍸

Smoke & Mirror: This cocktail which is made from Whisky, Cinnamon, Clove & Peach tastes really good with the magical effect of dry ice coming out while being unveiled from the glass bell jar. ✌🏻

Yellow Submarine: Made up of a combination of Banana, Pineapple and Passionfruit is a thick milkshake kinda interesting mocktail to sip. 🍍🍌

Ice Princess: This mocktail is made of cucumber & watermelon juice with the aroma of Star Anise. 🥒🍉

Orient Express: Cocktail made with Gin, Homemade Ginger Syrup, Black Tea Smoke and Lemon Grass couldn’t somehow appeal much to me.

Gulabo: This Cocktail had fresh Desi Rose petals, Jin and Tonic giving it a refreshing look and taste served in a dazzling crystal goblet. 🍷🌹

Peru Mary: Made out of Guava Juice, Tamarind & Bhoot Jholakia from Assam, this spicy tangy sweet mocktail is a classic twist to the Bloody Mary. The brim lined up with the salt & red chilli powder mixture adds to the spark. 🥓🌶🍐

Kiwi & Raw Mango Slushie: Made from in-house Aam Panna & Kiwi Crush this drink is quite refreshing a drink. A must try mocktail. 🥝

LITTLE NASHTA – The Pre-Appetisers

Gawar: A vegetable which I never eat otherwise is something I went on munching here. This was dehydrated Gawar Phali which is deep fried & seasoned with Habanero seasoning that makes it just perfect for munching along with your drinks. ✌🏻

Patta Chaat: Palak (spinach) leaves dipped in tempura batter, deep fried and topped with Sweet Chilli Sauce, Roasted Masala Peanuts & Spring Onion is a show stopper in this category. 🍃👍🏻

Avocado Sev Puri: Ever thought of a combination of Avocado on Sev Puri? Papdi topped with Avocado purée, fine chopped tomato, onion & sev is a great twist to the conventional one. 🥑

 

Not So Desi Dahi Wada: Dahi (curd), Coriander Hari Chutney, Spicy Boondi & Imly (tamarind) Chutney topped with Sev is served in a row of ceramic soup spoons over a tray. The foam is stabilised with the infusion of edible soya base chemical to create this new avtaar of Dahi Wada. 🥓

SMALL PLATES

Pumpkin Gnocchi 65: Roasted Pumpkin is puréed, mixed with regular flour, steamed and cut into cubes tossed with South Indian style sauce used for making Chicken 65 in Karnataka. Really yummy. 😛

Smoked Soya Galouti: As the name suggests, the Soya Galouti topped on griddled Puff Pastry discs served with Mint Chutney & Sriracha Mayo simply melts in the mouth. A must have dish. 👍🏻👍🏻

Patas Bravas: Scooped potato stuffed with Cream Cheese, tossed in garlic butter, served with Roast Pepper Sauce, Flambee’d with dark Rum for that magical ignition effect 🔥

Vada Bao: A classic Mumbai street snack with Batata vada served on a steamed Bao made of activated charcoal base topped with mayonnaise, chilli-mint chutney & Sriracha sauce. The home made dry red chilli garlic chutney served along is simply lip smacking. 🍔🌶👅

BIG PLATES:
Methi Palak Papad with Smoked Paneer Bhurji: Methi (fresh fenugreek) & Palak (fresh Spinach) is cooked to perfection served with Smoked Paneer Bhurji & Crisp Roasted Papad. The recipe has no typical pungency or sharpness that methi usually has and is served with Multigrain Mini Phulkas.🥞✌🏻

Dal Burrata: This dish is a time consuming recipe where Maa ki Daal is cooked for 12 hours/ overnight on Tandoor served with Creamy Burrata Cheese & Roasted Garlic. As you taste this delicacy, am sure you would realise that the efforts taken in cooking this is worth it. 🍲

NOT SO DESI COMBOS

 

Sri Lankan Combo: Vegetable curry made of crunchy Cauliflower, Beans, Aubergine, Carrot etc. cooked in Srilankan spices, Coconut Milk and Tamarind served with Homemade Appam, Cabbage Mallum, Banana Chips & Tindori Pickle. While the generally not so liked vegetable called Tindori is in its best form of a delicious crunchy pickle, I could bet that you shall go drooling about this special combo. 😋💧

DESSERTS

Baked Boondi Gulab Jamun Cheese Cake: This mouthwatering dessert made up of a layer of Sweet Boondi base followed by Gulaab Jamun & Cream Cheese served with Raspberry Coulis & Passion Fruit Sauce is simply yummilicious 🍰👍🏻

Filter Coffee Tiramisu: Coffee has always been the key ingredient apart from the vanilla fingers when it comes to making Tiramisu. However, this filter coffee Tiramisu served in a copper tumbler is just delectable as evident in the picture itself. 😛

Homemade – Hand Churned Ice Cream (Chuski): This childhood fantasy with the flavours of raw mango (kerry) & Passion Fruit literally brought a gleam on my face which was candidly captured by my Blogger Friend Ms. Astha Mahajan 😃

To sum it all, you need to be there in person to witness how dramatic the food presentations could be in your own City of Indore… in short “Desi Khaana Videsi Drama” curated so meticulously by none other than Celebrity Chef Rakhi Vaswani & Expert Chef Mitesh Rangras. Just drop in between 12 noon through 11 pm and relish the saga of scrumptious pure vegetarian delicacies along with your favourite soft & hard drinks.

Finally, time for the ratings… Ting Tong!

Ambience: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Taste: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Presentation: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Service: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

COURTESY:
Special thanks to the owners Ms. Anushree & Mr. Dhruv Choudhary for inviting us over, the man behind the fusion dishes Chef Mitesh Rangras & the Banquet Team of “Not So Desi” for your warm hospitality in hosting us. Thank you Ms. Surabhi Nafde from Ink and Diagram for your relentless efforts in co-ordinating for this event end to end. Not to mention, the enthusiastic participation of my fellow bloggers from Indore Bloggers Association made this Bloggers Meet indeed a memorable one. We eagerly look forward for more fun filled times together to cherish.

Till we meet again soon… Bon Appetite! 👨🏻‍🍳✌🏻