Elephant, the humble but huge vegetarian mammal, is the inspiration behind the all-veg restaurant — Tuskers. Why would a French chain have an all-veg outlet on their premium property? For a very simple reason — the diamond market and all the other business community that occupies most of the space surrounding Sofitel.
I had been planning to go to Tuskers for a long time, but for some reason it kept getting postponed. Navratri seemed to be the right time to write about an all-veg restaurant. Therefore, this week I insisted on going there.
Tuskers, a restaurant on the first floor of Sofitel, offers a cyclical menu every day for their lunch thali and dinner set menu. They also have ala-carte options and a very impressive bar. The cuisine is primarily Rajasthani with some Gujarati dishes. Maharaj Pratap Swami, who joined them in January, is known for his expertise in these cuisines having served the royalty.
Basil Smash |
The menu for the day has a long list of vegetables, dal and dessert. While you are going through it, you are served a platter of fried crackers and an array of chutneys and pickles. I immediately picked up a rice cracker and spread some red chilli chutney (prepared in-house) and took a bite. If you like spice, then you will relish this chutney and cracker combination. I went through the thali menu and requested for the ala carte as well… as trying as much as I could was the motive — chef’s and mine While they got that and the bar menu, I tried the green chutney with another variety of crackers.
Before they got the thali, they got a mini wash basin with a surahi and washed my hands the traditional way. The thali had bowls of vegetables, fruits and a dessert along with two starters. The regular spread has fewer bowls, but the servings are unlimited if you want to indulge. They gave me extras to taste their specialties — Sangri Kofta and Ker Sangri.
Sangri Kofta |
The Sangri Kofta is made of paneer stuffed with traditional Rajasthani vegetable Sangri (Desert Beans). Super finely cut sangri is sautéed with Rajasthani masalas and stuffed in the paneer, which is fried and sautéed again in a delicious gravy. Heavy on stomach, but worth it. Ker Sangri is more like a pickle. Ker is a desert berry like capers. Both vegetables are sauteed together with red chillies, carom seeds, fennel seeds,
red chilli powder, turmeric powder, dried raw mango, and some Rajasthani spices. This is spicy, slightly oily, and tangy. Tuskers have achieved perfection in this. I could have eaten only the Ker Sangri with their Basil Smash (vodka-based cocktail) and spent the entire afternoon chilling with a book. The cocktail proved to be a great palate cleanser for the rest of the meal.
Thali |
Another traditional dish was the Gatte ki Sabzi. Cooked steamed besan dumplings in a subtle yogurt gravy. Their ridge gourd and Colocasia offering — Turiya Patra — is mildly spiced preparation with green chilli tempering. Easy on palate. Sev Tamatar is a must have as well. Again, a not-so-spicy version of the traditional dish which one can keep eating. The menu also has Dal Bati Churma and Undhiyo. You will be floored by the varieties of dals offered. Try the Kalbeliya. My thali had Dal Panchmel.
The Mathania Paneer Tikka was also a part of the thali — paneer marinated in authentic mathania spices. It also had Methi Gotta — crisp on the outside and well-cooked inside. You have a choice of rotis — Makai, Bhajra, Phulka or Puri. Avoid Makai as they mix wheat flour in it.
Khichadi and Kadhi is a good way to end the meal, but also try the Pulao that’s made in ghee and is flavourful. They had Gulab Jamun in the thali, but I wanted to taste the traditional Churma and I was not disappointed. Just right — not too sweet, but flavourful. Their Paan Kulfi was also worth a try.
Tuskers has quite a big choice when it comes to starters, chaat and mains in the ala carte menu. The chaat section has some specialities like Dal Kachodi. Don’t miss the delectable Khichya (corn papad with toppings) and Mutter Khasta Roll (green peas stuffed wheat flour dumplings) in appetisers. Tuskers has a separate kitchen which ensures that your vegetarian food is not adulterated.
Churma
Tuskers is a treat for vegetarians.
Cost for Thali: Rs 2,500 (per person)
Cost for Ala Carte: Rs 3,500
(for two)
