17 June,2011 09:53 AM IST | | Tanveer Bookwala
Almond Flower in Andheri attempts to pay tribute to the cuisine of the North West Frontier Province without disappointing on most counts
Lokhandwala is full of desi food delights, but Almond Flower, with claims of specialised North West Frontier-style cuisine makes an attempt to stand out amid the competition. While the ambience (including a rooftop) may not scream for your attention, the quality of food is a definite draw, as we found out.
Lasooni Chicken
Most meals at Almond Flower are based around spicy piquancy and nicely marinated recipes, which are topped or filled with savoury mixes, both authentic and modern. The food is a refined blend of various regional Asian cooking traditions and prides itself on richness and flavour. Plenty of Pakistani-inspired masalas and condiments are freely available in the market these days and many Indian kitchens like to experiment with these for essence and taste. Almond Flower takes Arab, Persian, and Indian cuisine and saut ufffds these together.
We begin with the Dum Aloo (Rs 145) that is highly seasoned and spicy, and is more North Indian than North-West Frontier. Nicely simmered in a yogurt based sauce and spiced with garam masala, the Dum Aloo melts in the mouth.
The Mutton Bhuna (Rs 205) uses liberal amounts of oil but eventually contributes to a richer, fuller mouth-feel and flavour. The word 'bhuna' emerges from Urdu and Bengali and means 'to be fried'; true to it's North West Frontier style the spices in the Bhuna are fried in hot oil and then, after the other ingredients have been combined, the sauce is reduced to a point where it is thick and clings to the meat. Delicious. The richness and pungency add to the experience.
The Lasooni Chicken (Rs 185) is a traditional garlic flavoured spicy chicken cooked with cumin, and is creamy and full of flavour.u00a0 It is garnished with the right amount of coriander leaves and grated cheese. However, this dish missed the zingy tang and exuded more of an Indian dhaba flavour than North West Frontier ufffd which beats the purpose.
The Breadbasket Butter Naan (Rs 35), Garlic Naan (Rs 40) and Tandoori Roti (Rs 20) were tasty accompaniments and didn't add or take away from the dining experience. The mega downer of the meal was the Lassi (Rs 55) that was neither sweet nor salty or even flavoured. While so many variations are possible even with lassi (sweetened with honey, roasted with cumin, flavoured with rose water), this one was just bad. Avoid.
At Almond Flower 461 Adarsh Nagar, Andheri (W).u00a0
Call 26316888 / 26316999
Almond Flower didn't know we were there. THE GUIDE reviews anonymously and pays for meals.
