Dec 18, 2009 08:50 PM
7548 Views
Samarkhand is one of the most hyped restaurant in Bangalore. You'll have to reserve 48 hours in advance to get a table at Samarkhand on weekends. I have been there more than 5 times and have eaten most of the non-veg items on their menu. The best part about Samarkhand is its ambience. The first time I went there I was literally amazed. You really feel like you have been to a Afghan cave.
The waiters, the tables everything add to this aura. Now comes the food. The food unfortunately is not as awesome as the ambience. Of course, there are a few nice dishes. The Chandni Kebabs are superb. They just melt in your mouth. Nalli ka Salaan is another delicious main course. This is probably the best cooked lamb I have ever eaten.
Apart from these, there is not much that can be considered a class apart. The Sikander Raan, which is supposed to be a mouth-watering starter, is horrible in Samarkhand. In fact, I argued with their chef that their Sikander Raan is much worse than the one I had at Kebab Studio. But they were adamant is stating t hat this is their style of doing it, albeit worse.
The rest of the starters are simply run of the mill. You can get much better chicken tandooris at Moti Mahal and much better malai kebabs at Copper Chimney. The biryani is bad at Samarkhand. They have other seafood stuff which again fall short in terms of quality. I'm not saying their food is bad. But it is average and Sikander Raan is horrible. The kulfi in their dessert section is superb but you can get almost the same kulfi in the buffet at Indijoe's (both restaurants are run by BJN group). They do have some nice rotis. A good sumptuous meal will cost around 600 per person. Overall its more of an average restaurant with amazing ambience. The fact that you have to book 2 days in advance to get a seat is rather unworthy for such a place.
