Jul 21, 2006 07:13 AM
7859 Views
(Updated Jul 21, 2006 08:11 AM)
Samarkand is part of the BJN group, which also features other superb places like Bamboo shoots, Museum inn, Bombay house, Angeethi, Aromas of China & of course their newest additions ‘Sahib Sindh Sultan’ & ‘Firangi Paani’ at the Forum mall.
My first visit to Samarkand was way-back in 2002-03...It was an office dinner & someone had booked a table there. One of the first things that you notice when you enter the place is the low – low seating & the mock flaming torches on the walls & the waiters in the ‘pathan’esque attire. The bar menu is on a bottle..yes, on the side of a bottle..& the main menu is printed to look like a newspaper.
The first visit led to the next & the next & off late, whenever there is a plan to dine out, especially official do’s, we invariably think of Samarkand as one of our first options [The other one is ‘Aromas of China’, will write a review on that later] Whenever a ‘firang’ visits our office [quite frequently these days] we plan a dinner at Samarkand ? So I manage to make it to this place atleast once in a month.
The USP of Samarkand is that if you are a non-veggie, you are missing something if you have not checked out the fare at this place. The meat is so tenderly cooked & delicately spiced / flavored..food literally melts in your mouth. The quantity provided for each dish is quite ample..so the best way to enjoy your visit to this place is to skip lunch & arrive for dinner..that way you can have your fill.
Order a beer, a cocktail or a mocktail & start off with a ‘meat platter’ which comes with a variety of chicken, kebabs etc. One plate suffices for a table of four / five. For those who love their sea food..try a fish-platter ! Don’t overdo on the starter (though you’ll be tempted ;-) ) there is more to come..
For the main course, don’t worry about the menu..decide on rice / rotis / naan & ask the waiter to suggest the best options..I always found it to be better that way. Especially since the cook’s special for the day might not be on the menu. The food is lightly cooked & even if you over-eat, just an hour or two later, you’ll feel hungry again !
While you wait for your food, If you are seated anywhere near the kitchen, there is a glass partition through which you can see the cooks throwing up batter and making ’roomali’ rotis. During one of our visits, we were accompanied by a striking british lady. She was quite impressed by all the flying rotis and she blew a kiss at one of the cooks... the poor guy probably was zapped ! and promptly dropped the roti :-)
Dessert..try a ‘khubani ka meetha’ for a change..or a choice of icecreams is available too. You can also check out some sweet liqueur Kaluah.
End of the day, the place is worth the money, time & effort !....Buuurrrp. (Excuse me)
Where is it?
Gem Plaza, 66, Infantry Road, Bangalore - 560 001. [Same building as ‘Hypnos’]
How to reserve a table?
Ph: 080-51113366. Reservations are available only till 8.00pm..after 8, you will just have to walk in & get a table. You can enjoy a drink standing at the bar counter while you wait to be seated. But in any case, call in before you drop in.
How to get there?
With all the one-ways in Bangalore, It can get a little confusing at times...the best route to Infantry road is:
[1] Go to MG road
[2] Get to the MG road - Brigade road junction
[3] Turn into the road opposite to Brigade road [right turn if you are coming in from Airport road]
[4] Go straight & cross the next junction.
[5] Take the first Right after ’Empire’ hotel.
[6] Go a little further & you’ll see Gem-plaza on your left side. Samarkand is inside this building.
Parking
Valet parking is available or you can park it yourself towards the end of the road [the parking area in front of Safina Plaza] & walk back to Samarkand.
Damages?
In all my visits, I have always seen that the average per person comes-up to between Rs.1300 to 1800 [1300 is you have teetotalers & 1800 if you are with a group of booze guzzlers.
PS :By the way, if you let the management know that it is your / your guest's birthday, you will probably get a complimentary cake with a candle :-) and the 'happy birthday' song on the sound system...
