At Moti Mahal, Cuttack, Mughlai Food is a celebration of appetite 

Moti Mahal, the iconic chain of restaurants invited a group of 35 foodies from Foodies of Bhubaneswar-Cuttack, the facebook community of foodies of the twin city, for a special invite only pre-launch event. Located in the busy Howrah Motors Sq, Cuttack, this restaurant will surely change the way we look at fine dining in the twin city.

An aesthetically designed restaurant with pleasing colour and lighting patterns, it’s one of the best restaurants in the twin city in terms of ambience. Spread over a 2500 sqft area, the restaurant can accommodate 75 people at a time.The main dining room of Moti Mahal Delux, has been done over in a clean, modern style, with comfortable furniture and straight-backed  banquettes in the first section of the restaurant.

In the age of cafes & restaurants blaring loud music and spoiling the whole dining experience for people like me, this is a refreshing change.  The retro numbers playing in the background make your experience a truly amazing one.

Speaking of food and service,  they left no stone unturned to pamper us. Mughlai food is seductively rich and with its wealth of spices it is spellbindingly aromatic.

A look at what they treated us with :

SOUPS
Tomato dhania shorba
Vegetable shorba

NON-VEG STARTER
Mutton burra kebab
Murg malai tikka

VEG STARTER
Dahi ke kebab
Paneer shaslik
Hariyali kebab

MAIN COURSE

Dal Makhani
Paneer tikka masala
Muttor mushroom
Veg diwani handi

Butter chicken
Chicken lababdar
Rarha mutton

Peas pulao
Bread basket

DESSERTS

Vanilla Ice cream with chocolate sauce

Chicken Malai tikka & Paneer shashlik were the two starters that the foodies relished. The tender chicken malai tikka was a “melt in the mouth” preparation and thanks to the authentic clay ovens , it also had a smoky flavour to it.

Hariyali kebabs had a little scope for improvement as the foodies believed the cornflour overpowered the flavours of other ingredients. The next lot was definitely better.

Mutton Burrah kebab is one of Moti Mahal’s signature dishes and no wonder why it’s called their signature dish. It was a showstopper. Skewers of lamb emerge from the tandoor, coated with a thick and tangy marinade of yogurt & spiced with garam masala. The entire preparation was a revelation for the foodies. Would strongly suggest to try this amazing dish when you dine at Moti Mahal.

The bread basket was a beautiful spread of naan. Butter naan,garlic naan, roti and kulcha. One of the softest naans I have had in a long time.

They proudly call themselves as the pioneers of Butter Chicken and no wonder why they proudly claim it. Whatever we have had till date were variations, improvisation of butter chicken, this stuff was quite different from what we have had so far. A little on the sweeter side, the masala was consistent, not too thick, had a very rich texture and tasted quite amazing with butter naan.

Mutton Rarha and Dal makhni are a must try. The generous use of salted butter & cream made the humble black lentil a luxurious affair. For mutton lovers, Mutton Rarha would be a welcome change as opposed to the mundane mutton dishes available at most restaurants. A semi gravy mutton dish that compliments any Indian bread; tender and juicy it serves just the right amount for a savory meal.

Recently we have added a “kitchen tour” feature in our food raids and we took the foodies inside the kitchen of this amazing restaurant. Amazing experience it was. One of the finest state of the art kitchens we have seen so far.

The parking is quite ample and the approach road is not at an issue. Located at a convenient and reachable location, Motimahal is a definite visit.

For now, the restaurant has no liquor license, which keeps the check from climbing very high. A meal with two appetizers, two main dishes, biryani, naan and dessert comes to less than Rs 2500 .

Share on Facebook

Tweet