A Great Fine-Dining Experience With An Incredible Ambience At Ummrao

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What Makes It Awesome?

My tryst with Ummrao, it has been one memorable moment loaded with an ostentatious feeling of satiation. The menu has crushed pearls into the dishes, an exhilarating experience of adding venison into alcohol. I was told their mocktails are also trail-blazers with unique concoctions perfectly blended with exotic condiments served from various parts of India.

Fine-dining at a culturally loaded premium outlet (from the stables of Courtyard by JW Marriott), I expected a ‘carry your sleeping bag with you’ moment but surely this one has exquisitely balanced the ‘heaviness’ quotient in their preparations. That’s surely a pat on their back.

The ambience is regal and inviting. Service is bang-on with the Nawabi touch, well-trained staff to brief you about the dishes and of course the cocktails. Pat, pat to the team for being the perfect host and giving king-like memories.

Over what we tried:

Cocktails:
Ernest Don the beachcomber Gantt – The showstopper of a cocktail, an old monk and gin creation. A modernist take on the traditional Tikki based on the movement propagated by the Father of the Tikki movement. Not to miss for sure!

William Schmidt – Fresh pomegranate and basil concoction. Soft, lilting flavours with the perfect alcohol content to give you that tipsy kick.

Jim Meehan – A fantastic smoked version cocktail. Untouched, fun and zesty flavours. It surely will elevate your spirits.

Charles H Baker – Fresh pear juice and vodka, a strange combo but a perfect twist on a classic cocktail.

Small Plates:
Jehangir Murg seekh – finger-licking and perfect. Subtle on the flavours, not too juicy but a perfect blend with the chutneys. Rich and super-duper delicious.

Gosht boti – Served on a tender bed of smooth, rich Haleem – the boti although smooth couldn’t be cut with a knife. Once bitten, we surely felt the richness of the meat.

Rawas tikka – too subtle on marination, tikka flavours missing. Tasted better with a dash of lemony.

Nadru Shami – a Kashmiri specialty, kebabs made out of lotus stem (we were told they are lotus roots). Although a take on the galouti kebab, these were soft enough but lacked the melt-in-the-mouth experience. Expected a tinge of seasoning to give that bang-on punch on the palate.

Main course:
Dum ki Kabuli dal – Heavenly, mind-blowing.

Korma murgh Wajid Ali – An innovative twist, with the chicken coating-shaped long kebab (filled with rich dry fruits) – perfectly seasoned to balance the sweetness quotient. Loved the rich, smooth, yet not so heavy gravy. Perfect texture!

Murg Yakhni biryani – Passed the sniff-and-whiff test before the first bite. Aroma loaded, fragrant and truly royal. Perfect.

Bakhumas – A special shout out to this fluffy, crispy sourdough bread. A must try with the gravies.

Taaftaan – perfect and blends well with the main course.

Desserts:
Parde me shahi khubani tartan apricot tart (truly relishable) served with a rich kulfi subtly loaded with dry fruits. Not so sweet, just perfect.

Kesar Pista phirni – No carnival of the Awadi and Nizami cuisine is complete with a textured phirni. This one was low on the kesar flavour. Creamy and the rice flavour totally submerged which was a good twist.

An amazing nawab experience. Go ahead, feast on our rich culture!