The plan was to head to Secunderabad with a group of friends for an old favourite – Reshmi’s Classic Restaurant. But, then rain played spoilsport. Travelling across the town during a downpour was deemed a foolhardy exercise, so we decided we re-route to someplace nearby. After a quick scan of Zomato’s Collection of Newly Opened Restaurant, we settled on Capital Kitchen.
Capital Kitchen is a new restaurant on Kaveri Hills Road, above D-Mart. The restaurant currently occupies the fourth floor of the building, but I was told that once they get their liquor license they will also expand begin their terrace lounge and bar on the floor. After a brief trial period, the restaurant officially opened its doors to the public a few days ago. Even though it was a Saturday evening, when we walked in, we were the only patrons in the restaurant. The decor is elegant, but minimalistic – quite typical of a fine-dine restaurant.
Capital Kitchen’s menu runs into sixteen pages and covers a smorgasbord of cuisines – everything from Indian and Mexican to European and Asian. Since it’s was a new place, we began conservatively with just a soup and an appetiser. The soup we chose was Mushroom Cappucino – a creamy, frothy blend of Shitake Mushroom, Garlic, Mascarpone Cheese, and spices. Capital’s Kitchen got the presentation wrong – I’d expect a Mushroom Cappucino in a cappuccino cup and not a regular soup bowl with a soup spoon, but reproduced the flavours quite well. The Mushroom Cappucino here is thinner than the ones I’m accustomed to. The frothy top layer seamlessly blended into the soup instead of providing a sharp contrast. The appetiser we picked was Tongdak – a Korean style deep-fried preparation of Chicken with a sweet and sour sauce and a roasted sesame seed garnish. It’s the perfect guilty pleasure – deep fried chicken with a simple yet addictive sauce.
Happy with our first round of trials, we decided to jump down the rabbit hole and ordered a bit of everything from the different cuisines on offer. We were joined by a couple of groups who walked in later, but the restaurant remained mostly empty through the night. So the food came thick and fast and we continued gorging for over an hour. First to arrive was Gyoza – a Japanese pan-fried dumpling. At Rs. 375 for just six pieces, the Gyoza isn’t cheap, but the dumplings were quite spectacular. From the gentle sear on the pastry to the light and delicious mined Chicken stuffing, these dumplings gave no room for complaint.
One of my friends wanted to have North Indian food and ordered a couple of dishes from the Swadeshi section of the menu – Achari Gosht with Chilli Coriander Naan. The green chillies were used in just the right quantity – enough to have a bite and offer the flavour of chillies, but not overpower the flavour of the coriander in the Naan or the taste of the curry. The tangy and tender Achari Gosht was also quite lovely.
Next up were Grilled BBQ Chicken and New Zealand Lamb Chops. As per the menu, the Grilled BBQ Chicken were expected in a Pepper Sauce and the Lamb Chops were expected in a Red Wine sauce. However, the dishes that we were served had the sauces flipped. That was hardly a reason to complain though – the Grilled BBQ Chicken in Red Wine sauce was fantastic. The Chicken was grilled to perfection – a slightly charred skin with tender and juicy flesh underneath it. The chops didn’t look like New Zealand Lamb Chops, and given that the dish was offering four chops for just Rs. 795, I wasn’t really expecting actual New Zealand Lamb Chops. The pepper sauce was a tad too salty, but the dish was otherwise quite good.
After a string of pleasant experiences, I finally mustered the courage to order what I wanted to order all along – the Sushi platter. But, there was one more dish I wanted to try before moving to the Sushis – Southwest Quesadilla. Capital Kitchen offers a Mexican Platter, however, has almost nothing if you want to order individual dishes from the Tex-Mex kitchen. The Quesadilla came with a pan-fried Chicken loaded with cheese, sour cream, and salsa. Simple, but delicious stuff.
The Sushi platter features four varieties of Sushi – Prawn Tempura, Haru Maki (Deep Fried Salmon and Cheese), Jari Jari Sushi (Crab and Avocado Roll), and Alaskan Sushi (Crab and Avocado Roll with Salmon). Sushi is almost always quite expensive due to the ingredients and the skills required. However, this is the closest I’ve come to finding Sushi value for money. The platter featured four servings of each type and was priced at just Rs. 1250. While Capital Kitchen might not win the crown of the best Sushi in the city, their Sushis were nevertheless quite delicious. The Alaskan Sushi was simply marvellous.
Content with a hearty meal, we were about to call it a day, when our server brought out a couple of bowls of Chocolate Mousse. These desserts were on the house. The Mousse was quite similar to the Toblerone Mousse at Soda Bottle. But, this one had chocolate chips hidden inside and the chocolate was darker.
The meal for four set us back by a bit more than six thousand bucks, which seems quite reasonable considering the diversity and quality on offer and also the ginormous quantities that we ordered. The service through the night was outstanding, and the manager took feedback about every dish and offered to replace anything not quite up to the mark. In the sea of “me too” restaurants offering the tried and tested bouquet of dishes, it’s exciting when something as ambitious as Capital Kitchen comes along. It’s not easy to offer such diversity without compromising on quality and consistency. Jonathan’s Kitchen and United Kitchens of India have shown us that it can be done. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that Capital Kitchen will succeed in sorting out the minor hiccups and excel.
