The Diary of a Food Scribbler…!

We are confronted with some experiences which leave us breatheless with exasperation at the sheer grandeur of it all. This is something which, if not felt at one point in our lives, renders it meaningless and devoid of surprises. Counted among the best lounges in the city today, Vidorra made such a magnanimously enigmatic and flavoursome experience come true.

Indori Zayka is today a cult name for every Indori who has something to do with food. This very young venture has achieved what many aspire to, but seldom reach. Mr. Rakesh Dawani collaborated with Vidorra to organise Indore city’s first FOOD BLOGGERS MEET, the feel of which is inexplicable, and would never be judged with the magnitude of words alone.

I was there with fourteen of the best bloggers around in the city, and we were under the enchanting spell of the entire ambience of the place from the word GO!!

We were taken into the magical realms of cooking techniques, the ingredients, their properties, the presentation skills and sheer sumptuousness of what seemed to be the lair of food enthusiasts. This was what we had wanted since we realised our love for food!!

Chef Lucky of Paratha on Wheels fame was present to guide us through the background origins of the dishes, which he did with utmost humility and cheerfulness, ably assisted with the occasional humour jibes of Mr.Dawani himself.

No dish seemed to lack in an aspect, which, needless to say, were perfect in their culinary glory, the hands of the head chef, Mr. Mahaveer Pandit having cast their spell over them.

It would be foolishly immature to explain the godliness of flavours of every dish served on our blank canvases of plates( yes, for each dish being nothing less than a piece of art!), but if I go by a personal voice, some were way beyond in their lip smackiness and textures, and I feel privilaged to share some of them with the readers! ( epic devotion alert!!). So, let’s begin and lo behold!

SOUP:-

Cube cut exotic veggies like broccoli and zucchini, with the subtle rice noodles, and the tanginess of Malaysian spices, this was a grand curtain raiser and the benchmark for the further “things” to come. Bravo, oh soup!

SALADS:-

They came up first with the CHICKEN CHINESE SALAD!!!!

It was divine art. The vibrant bell peppers complimented the shredded chicken so spectacularly, that there was simply no need for a dip or a side. The salad was wonderful, the red chilli and vinegar dressing being culprits of culinary skills!

The second salad offering had me by the scruffs for the sheer brilliance of how the CHICKEN PATE SALAD had been crafted!

Minced chicken, carrots with mild spices encased in cabbage and steamed to perfection. I’m literally drooling as I recount the joy I had when I gobbled it up in one go.

There were some talks regarding the preparations of these ecstatic food items, and then the place was silenced by the aroma first, and then the tangible presence of the snacks.

STARTERS:-

Something was brought on a white plate, something alluring enough by the feast that it was on the eyes. We were introduced to flirt with the tastes of CRISPY LETTUCE WRAP!! *slurp*

There was nothing to hold the filling in place, other than the supremely fresh lettuce which was so crispy when eaten, and so mild, that it blended it’s rawness into oblivion with the crispy fried vermicelli, corn and mushrooms which were tossed in with a tangy and tingly sauce! One of the nastiest to tackle, but one of the best to savour!

The second rockstar in the vegetarian starters was the COTTAGE CHEESE IN SHANGSI PEPPER… which had an irresistible ace up its sleeve.

There was burnt garlic tossed with the schezwan pepper which gave the dish a zing that placed it in a league of it’s own.!

For the ones who loved their sea animals, the SULTANI SAMANDAR TIKKA epitomised the delicateness of flavours in food. Have a look if you don’t believe me..

Just a spicy marinade, with ingredients that seemed pretty normal, before they were thrown in the fish in perfect proportions and the perfect roasting our sea buddy got.

The MURG LAHORI TIKKA righted the balance, with its hautness. Not hot, hautness!!!

Being a tikka preparation, there is always a fear of the dish getting a bit too dry, to compensate for which, we are provided with dips and sauces of all sorts. But you would be sorely mistaken if for even a moment, you assume this to be the case with our Lahori buddy, because the Lahori masala got the gist of the chefs’ fears so beautifully, that it made the chicken it’s own.

There was no stopping the chefs, and we couldn’t control our tongues. Just when it seemed that we finally had a bit of a break, the MUTTON KA PANJA literally knocked us off the chairs_! Like what?! Like, really!

The minced mutton was so subtle, so juicy, so delicate and so tastefully spicy, that we simply did not want it to end. Figure out the stuffing of chicken between the two layers of mince, and we had tasted heaven, in person, at the Vidorra rooftop!!

We were finally assigned a break, which in truth was not welcome, such was the enthusiasm in us to carry on sampling the recipes and reviewing them. It was very hard to leave our places and wait for food. Inevitable, we tried to bond over a couple of selfies here and there with the other like “budded” folks, and some good clicks of our own too!;)

There was this image where I perhaps flashed my teeth for the first time. Who wouldn’t get all glazed and happy when you had such a great round of food!

And then there was the Man of the day himself, who was basking in the glory of how the day had shaped up so far. Perfect is what I decipher from his gleeful and honest grin here!

So, our break done, we took our places and waited with bated breaths for the final two chapters to unfold in the extravaganza at Vidorra.

MAIN COURSE:- (VEGETARIAN)

Here at Vidorra if you try the BHUNA PANEER-E-KOZAMBO (which you definitely should), you will be pleasantly shocked with the stark contrast it offers in terms of taste and the overall texture of the curry.!

One look at the dish and you will clearly pick out the change in colour. From the light orange of Butter Paneer to the dark reddish hue of the Bhuna Paneer, there was no food colour, but the spices that went in from the southern state of Kerala marked the differences on our plates with the flavoured green chillies in it too! Muah to the Bhuna brother!

From Kerala, the vegetarian main course went to Thailand. Tell you what, Thai is sometimes looked down upon due to the profuse usage of coconut milk.

Hang on before you make these crap assumptions!

Young little aubergines, the choicest of herbs from Thailand itself, and the blissful texture of the coconut milk in green curry paste was something which is still coming up on my tongue. Very unique, and undoubtedly spectacular, the KAENG-KIEW-WAHU-PHAK had me bowled over, in comparison to the ladies at the place! *wink wink*

Green vegetables are said to lack taste and flavour. Typecasted as bitter and what not, Mr. Mahavir Pandit clearly had some other ideas when he prepared the MUTTON BHUTTI KA NEELGIRI. I will be ever thankful for him to have done this!

Mustard seeds and spinach, infused with the glorious and unbeatable spices of our Mother nation, the glory of the mutton can’t be explained, for it was exemplary. The mutton melted in your mouth at the slightest twitch of the tongue, which made the pleasure of having it break the roof kind of excellent!

DESSERT:-

The main course did what it does. It packed our lids almost up to the brim, but the sublime food wasn’t enough as the sweet tooth now had to be catered.

HOT CHOCOLATE ROLLS were stuffed crazily with the lustrous liquid chocolate, which oozed out as you bit your way through. The accompanying VANILLA ICE CREAM worked so royally with it all, I was literally very pleased at my parents for I was here today in my life!!! W o W !!!

There also were an assortment of mocktails, which held their own right of outstanding blends of taste!

THE CREAM PIE MOCKTAIL

Lightly sweet and perfectly thick, it was must have till it became the one I had!!

CRANBERRY MOCKTAIL:-

Cranberry, should I say anything more? Hell , no! It was awesome!

CARRIBEAN FUSION MOCKTAIL:-

Allow me to explain as it blew me away with its tanginess!!

Sweet lime juice, pineapple juice and some Sprite there, and you were into the land of CHRIS GAYLE!!

A customary toast was awaited, for the day had been a once in a blue moon kind of one. And the people of Vidorra sure knew how to make it more special!!! *spoiler!* Indoris love it, and we had it in liquid!!

PAAN SHOTS!!! Ah, well!

The entire day was managed by a very friendly staff, who were all smiled till we let go of them. The services, the ambience, the hygiene is what a person looks for today while dining, and Vidorra offers the best of both worlds by providing a delectable taste too.!

A shard from the vast expanse of sides and dips!

Now, as I miss the day, I think of the things I took away that day- a tiffin loaded with memories, great new people who I feel proud to have become friends with, and the incassent and never ending quest of a CA final student to bring Indore up as the food hub of INDIA!

The best to Mr.Dawani and the tastiest to my people , the INDORIS!!!