Blue Cheez

It was like inhaling a ghazal – the sweet scent of almonds stacked in a bowl and topped with a hot, melancholic soup. If Jagjit Singh were to turn one of his ballads into broth, this is what it would taste like we thought, eyes closed, savouring the badami shorba in front of us. Slowly, the romantic haze wore off to reveal a severe white dining room in front of a patio lined with snowdrenched trees. Wait, were we ordering tikkas at Tote on the Turf?
Indeed we were. In what seems like a new and final attempt to rescue the wilting racecourse restaurant, restaurateurs Rahul and Malini Akerkar have rechristened it Neel, turning the European kitchen into a Nawabi one, but retaining the gorgeous decor that Tote is so famous for. The only ambient additions are tabla beats and sitar strums. A little strange at first, but you get used it.

Of Course

The Scouters scored a sneak peek on Thursday night, where we caught bites of the food philosophy from the Neel team: “Unsung heroes of food triumph here.” It’s a little like bringing Mohammad Ali Road indoors.” “We will never serve butter chicken.” And then Rahul chimed in. The menu (featuring cuisine from Kashmir, Hyderabad and Lucknow) is divided by ingredients and not courses. “Personally, I like to eat naan and kebabs as mains, so I’d rather let the diner decide what course the dish fits into,” he said.

Neel Kamaal

We started with the abovementioned soup, a course we’d usually skip at an Indian restaurant, but glad we didn’t. This, along with a creamy pinenut shorba and a racier orange soup, was the bright spot of our dinner. True, it was a hard act to follow but even on its own, the blah paneer tikka flavoured with sauf that came next, was just average. More interesting was the spinach seekh kebab embellished with crunchy walnuts and served with a side of garlic chutney.

As expected though, louder sounds of appreciation came from the carnivores in the room who were pouring over feat-to-finish whole roasted raans and Hyderabadi fish. On multiple recommendations, we started with the yum Jaituni murgh tikka, succulent chicken kebabs rubbed with green olives. Also fun is dining Mohammed Ali Road style with either the kheema cooked with crushed spices or the methi bheja straight from the tawaa.

Seb the Best

For mains we ordered what had intrigued us most – a mildly spiced curry sweetened with slices of Kashmiri red apples. Like an entree-meets-dessert, this unusual sabzi you’ll enjoy as a novelty, but probably won’t order the second time around. Mostly because there’s so much more to choose from. While the Paneer Badami in a watered down gravy that tasted like nothing was a bad choice, the Burhani Gosht was just the opposite.  Handsome lamb shanks in a beautifully coloured chestnut gravy rich with the taste of onion and garlic, it’s truly a treat. This we teamed with passable Bakhumaas (poppy seed naans) and light pudina parathas. At the end came Gucci mushroom and mutton Biryani, their subtle flavours trapped in bowls that were sealed shut with rotis. While this Scouter liked that it wasn’t too oily and overspiced, our intern from Delhi who’s eaten her share of biryani thought it could do with a little more masala.

You Wish!

Not sure how we did it, accommodated dessert that came after: a carefully flaked top that you crack to get to gooey apricot halwa and a superbly melded rabdi ice cream with hints of pistachio.

After finally surrendering its kitchen, will Europe flourish under the rule of the Nawabs? We’re not so sure. But we know this: Hedonists, if you a have a thousand epicurean desires, the Nawabs in Neel’s kitchen will try their best to satisfy them all. Hazaaron khwaishein aisi? Jagjitji would approve.  

Getting there: Neel at Tote on the Turf, Mahalaxmi race course, opposite gate 5 & 6, Keshvrao Khadye Marg, Mahalaxmi, call 61577777, 7.30 pm to midnight, opens July 30.