Get A Taste Of Chef Imtiaz Qureshi's Rich Legacy At Majlis In Kalyan Nagar

Chefs Ashfaque Qureshi and Irfan Qureshi, the sons of the legendary Imtiaz Qureshi {the first chef to be honoured with the Padma Shri}, run Majlis – an Indo-Arabic restaurant in Kalyan Nagar. And, boy, have they done daddy proud! Traditional Mughlai and Nawabi culinary traditions are brought to the fore here and you’ll find yourself embracing the calories wholeheartedly.

Murgh Chandi Tikka, Warqi Paratha, Lahsuni Palak Paneer, Zar-e-Bariyan Biryani

Lassi, Lemon Mint Cooler

You’ll travel back to the royal kitchens of the Mughals and the Nawabs without a time machine or having to loot the treasury. 

A rooftop setup, Majlis is spacious, comfortable and unpretentious. As you enter, you’ll find portraits of Imtiaz Qureshi with the current President and Prime Minister hanging on a white wall. The rest of the dining space is dotted by bare, aged tables and chairs.

At one point during our long lunch at Majlis, we attempted a discussion {we couldn’t tear ourselves from the food long enough to have a meaningful conversation} on what it would be to dine like a Mughal king centuries ago. And that’s the beauty of the food served at Majlis. It transports you to the time when it all began and also makes you slightly envious of Akbar & Co.

But don’t worry, you won’t be handed a raw deal either {after all, the Qureshis were once the khansamas at the Mughal court}. The Murgh Chandi Tikka gets things off to a decadent start. The light but undeniable creaminess that coats the chunks of chicken is undercut by the subtle bitterness of the char on the meat. We then moved onto the Warqi Paratha, a flaky, layered flatbread that was speckled with toasty carom seeds. It gave the parathas a smoky aftertaste that we simply loved.

We paired the Warqi Paratha with the Lahsuni Palak Paneer. A rich, green gravy that came streaked with golden lines of melted ghee and large cubes of paneer. While the flavours were all there, we thought that the dish was a bit heavy on salt. The minute the lid came off our pot of Zar-e-Bariyan Biryani , we were hit with a rich fragrance. The long grains of basmati in the saffron and white biryani came generously coated in ghee and little else. The spice quotient on this subtly flavoured dish came from the chunks of mutton that were cooked in a robust marinade.

You won’t find it hard to get a table here but the service can be painfully slow. Also, Majlis celebrates traditional flavours so there’s no holding back on the richness here. So, if you are calorie-conscious you better drop by on a cheat day or stick to the Arabic side of the menu.