Spice Terrace - New Menu by Chef Abdul Quddus at JW Marriot

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The menu at the picturesque Spice Terrace at JW Marriot , Bangalore has been recently revamped under the new chef , Abdul Quddus. His culinary inheritance , expertise and family kitchen secrets have been used to recreate the menu. Inspired by the kitchens of NWFP and Awadh,I was recently invited to try select dishes from its new menu.

The Awadhi cuisine is known for its “Nazakat” (the sophistication) and the “Nafasat” (the refinement) imbibed in all its preparations. With its origin from the kitchen of Mughals and central Asia , it is known for the Dum style of cooking where the cooking is being done over a slow fire,generally in sealed vessels.My tryst with this cuisine dates back to my hotel management student days at Lucknow and since then it remains one of my favorite from the India.

Spice Terrace is the JW Marriot’s signature Indian restaurant , that serves regional specialties with a modern twist. The setting was perfect for the launch as we all set down next to the sprawling pool.The evening began with some delectable starters from the vegetarian and non vegetarian options.

The flavors in the Quinoa Aloo Bukhara Kebab were delicately balanced with Prunes in the middle and layered with the perfect mince of vegetables and chillies with Quinoa. With the perfect mince of Chicken blended with spices like shahi jeera and pepper with garlic, the subtle flavors of Murgh Gilafi Seekh were too good to resist.

The Narangi Shammi, the vegetarian kebabs prepared with unusual combination of lotus stem and potato with resilient zesty flavors of orange stuffed in it were certainly better than their non vegetarian counterpart , Gosht Galouti, which I felt lacked the essence of being true self.

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The succulent meat on the Shahi Nalli Nihari slowly cooked on the Lamb shank in a saffron infused yoghurt based gravy was irresistible.Okay , let me confess now. I found it difficult to restrain myself from slurping the bone marrow from the shank, during the meal.

Among the some unique preparations, there was Subz Zaitooni Kofta, the one with the Mediterranean twist with olive stuffed vegetable dumpling dipped in the saffron rich gravy.The assorted Indian breads like the essential tandoori roti ,the laccha paranthas and my favorite Naan-e-Zatar were served with the main course.The Dal -e-Awadh, one of the best I have tasted in recent times, was cooked overnight over slow fire, giving it the irresistible aromas and taste to the black lentil Dal, I was told by the chef himself.

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And not to forget the Lucknow style Shahi Gosht Dum Biryani. Prepared with the culinary secrets from the Quddus family , this slowly cooked fragrant and mildly flavored mutton Biryani bought back my memories of the old Lucknow areas of Chowk and Aminabad. The Chef’s signature and family owned recipe dish , Raan-E- Quddusi, is must have when you visit Spice Terrace for dinner.The succulent well marinated leg of lamb , cooked diligently in cummin , cinnamon, mace with a tangy twist.

And ,now it was time to move on to the Desserts. The Shahi Malai Tukda , served here, was little unconventional to my liking.However Shahd-e-Jaam, with pistachio stuffed milk dumplings and flavored with saffron honey syrup and the Kulfi Falooda, the sweet combination of vermicelli with frozen thickened milk candy stuffed with pistachio were truly amazing with mildly sweet and fresh taste.

Spice Terrace at JW Marriott Hotel Bengaluru