Oozing with Indian 'Flavours'

Dilanka Mannakkara

Be it a lip smacking Tandoori platter or a mouth watering mutton biriyani or even a simple South Indian thosai and thali, the one stop place to endure all these delicacies is the latest Indian restaurant to hit the town 'Flavours' in Galadari.

Its not a large dining room, accommodates to 50 seats with half a dozen tables but do not be deceived by the 'size' of the place and as they say wonderful things come in small packages and Flavors is an ideal example for it.

I was invited by the charming Shiromala of Galadari to taste their new flavours. I went through the exotic menu which had a combo of both North Indian and South Indian specialties and more than difficult to pronounce exotic names. The menu was a master stroke by Head Chef Frank Gersome Jayaseelan. I ordered a highly recommended Panakkam - a traditional drink with tangy tamarind and sweet juggery. The brown color refresher was the perfect appetite tingle for me. There is also a range of Lassies, Vasanth Neer (a blend of coconut juice and honey) plus Masala Chai, a traditional Indian beverage.

Starters and soups

I am that conventional diner who likes to start off my gastronomic journey with a starter. I looked through the long list of starters and the descriptions which made my mouth water. I savoured a Meen Varuval which was a spicy grilled seer fish with a fiery marinating of Chef's secret South Indian spices and was finished in a jiffy. The flavors were oozing, but a tinge of salt would have made it heavenly. The Masala Papad - a classic Indian appetizer where Indian papadam is fried is best eaten with a sweet and sour tamarind sauce is a crunchy delight. For vadai lovers - yeah, there is the old favorite Masala Vadai and Meedu Vadai, crispy, crunchy and delicious.

India is not so famous for its soups but Chef Frank had put together some interesting choices. The Tamatar Dhanya Shorba, a tomato and coriander flavoured Rasam like soup is spicy and sour. For chicken soup lovers, the Murgh Shorba is a must.

The main course - Tandoori and the curries

Now we come to taking on the big boys, the main course which has a range of delicacies from authentic Indian delicacies featuring age old favourites and dishes of modern India are brought together in perfect culmination of taste, texture and temptation. The Chef recommended me a Tandoori mix grill non - veg platter and we waited for 15 anxious minutes and I can assure you, the wait is all its worth. The Chefs do the Clay oven - traditional Tandoori grills in a live kitchen where diners can see their mouth watering grills and naans being made.

The mix grill arrived. A delectable combo of char grilled two types of chicken, lamb seek kebab, prawns and fish were just oozing with subtle flavours. My favourite grills from the mix grill were the Murgh Malai Kebab (grilled boneless chicken marinated with fresh cream and spices) and the Jinga Kalimirch (grilled king prawns marinated in crushed black pepper). The Murg Malai kebab was mildly spiced, pale in colour but the cream added so much of tenderness to the dish. It is a MUST try.

The prawn was grilled to perfection and that was probably the best grilled Indian prawn dish I have had. As the Chef explained 'black salt' from the mountains of Himalayas is being used for the prawns and a special "Kashmir chillie powder" is used for marinating and these authentic ingredients are all imported from India itself. Seafood lovers - do not miss on the prawn please.

Sampath and Manohari then served a range of Indian curries including Malai Kofta Curry, a lamb Rogangosh and Chicken Kadai. The Malai Kofta which was mashed potato and cottage cheese mixed dumplings deep fried and embedded in a rich cashew paste was so full of flavour and taste.The Chef's special Chicken Kadai which was juicy chunks of chicken cooked in capsicum and rich tomato gravy was a true winner along with the Garlic naan. The Lamb Rogangosh was the perfect accompaniment for the scrumptious mutton biriyani. They also have the South Indian Thalis for lunch which is very popular and staples like Dosais, idly as well as Malabari Parathas.

Desserts and more

After that hefty meal we were so full but it would have been a crime not to savour a sinful Indian dessert to finish off. WARNING, all these desserts are extremely sweet and you better watch your blood sugar before bludgeoning in to it. The Elaneer Payasam has tender coconut kennels in it and is so rich in flavour with the condensed milk tantalizing your taste buds. The Kulfi is one of the best I have had against very sugary and the Kesari is fast moving as well.

So forget about the calorie limit, let your diet have an off day and indulge in to the rich and diverse Indian cuisine at Flavours, Galadari and I am sure that it would be a wonderful culinary experience.