Seasons of treasure

Unlock some unusual flavours and combos at Tijouri in its second innings at Radisson Blu Atria

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I am not a vegetarian but abstain from meat on certain days and perhaps that’s why I browse through the vegetarian section of the menus most often. And, as luck would have it, it falls short in most cases. But at Tijouri, the fine dining restaurant at Radisson Blu Atria Bengaluru, there is a good balance between the two. For every tandoori jhinga , there is a hari mutter ki tikki and for every murgh handi lazeez , there is bhindi palak ki bhurjee .

Executive chef Kasiviswanathan Muthuraman, who comes with an experience of 20 years, deserves all the credit. Just not for this but also for the way he has brought together international and indigenous flavours in a place. The Indian restaurant has reopened in a new avatar after a gap of one-and-a-half years.

While the main menu has borrowed from the North West frontier cuisine, you can also select from a steak menu curated by the chef, who also specialises in West Asian cuisine. The steaks have been cured with Indian spice rubs, finished in an Indian clay pot and served with appropriate condiments of sauces, mash and veggies. But no pork and beef steaks here.

We got started with three evergreen chutneys – pudina, tamarind and tomato. It was followed by tomato

dhaniya shorba and murgh shorba . The chicken broth was flavoured with Indian spices and topped with a drizzle of lemon juice and mint, making the small bits of succulent chicken a complete treat.

Tandoori jhinga was another delightful dish with understated flavours derived from a melange of smokiness and ajwain . The prawns were marinated in an ajwain -flavoured mixture of yoghurt, red chilli, turmeric. The seasoning of garam masala also did a whole lot of good to my favourite seafood which was skewered and cooked in an Indian clay pot oven over a charcoal fire.

Equally savoury were the

paneer shahi rolls. The thin layer of Indian cottage cheese was filled with vegetables and cheese, and shallow fried. The Chettiyar chef has also drawn inspiration from the Awadh belt and brought in traditional dishes like

hari mutter ki tikki ( green peas mash), stuffed with dry nuts and cheese, cooked on a hot plate. For several households in Kanpur, Lucknow and Faizabad, it is a popular evening snack savoured with

dhaniya-pudina chutney.

For the main course, we resorted to the raan-e-murgh , stuffed chicken drum sticks marinated with awadhi spices and cooked in tandoor. The chicken was tender and the flavours well-balanced. Chef Muthuraman feels every dish is unique in its own way, but he particularly feels for the dal makhani , a thick creamy dal made with black lentils, tomatoes, ginger and garlic are simmered overnight on slow charcoal fire. He remembers getting the recipe from a North Indian guest years ago and has strived to keep it as it is. But the real ace up his sleeve is the bhindi palak ki bhurji . What an innovation with the unusual combination of ladies finger and spinach!

Then there was murgh makhani , chicken tikka , cooked and finished with silk smooth gravy. Enjoy it with your favourite bread from the bread basket boasting of lachcha parantha , naan , missi roti and more. In murgh handi lazeez , the chicken cubes simmered in cashew nut and saffron based gravy, were just cooked right. Tijouri is also known for its murgh ki dum biriyani , tender chunks of chicken marinated and cooked along with basmati rice with handpicked Indian spices in dum style.

Just as a feeling of heaviness dawns on you, have the tadka wala dahi (hung yogurt tempered with South Indian spices). It is soothing and refreshing till the last drop. Yet another superb experiment is the masala chai crème brule served with masala biscuits in the dessert section. Tijouri is indeed a treasure of flavours and ideas.