July 31, 2011
Rating
The foodie in me was an ecstatic jackrabbit when it finally came time to order some foods from Hajeeras Kitchen; the objective critic in me is ever so wary. Then again, Chennaites can't be wrong.
We ordered foods for dinner last night from Hajeeras Kitchen for around 18 people and we were lucky to get our foods delivered to our office at DLF, Porur because Hajeeras Kitchen's home delivery orders closes by 8.30 pm. And this was 9pm.
Righto, lets get on with the eating.
First things first, order the Mix Grill. You will not see this on the menu, but as it implies; the mix grill is an assorment of tikkas from the starters section. Separate orders of the Lamp Chop, Sheesh Kebab, Fish and Chicken Tikka, epically delivered on a new casserole.
Still sizzling with visible rising steam, the entire dish was a magnificently exciting sight to behold. One which I couldn't help but gasp as it came to our cafeteria dining table. I went straight in with the lamb chops first...... wow. It's amazing. You can taste the charcoal! The smoke, the sizzle, wonderfully infused within the meat. Perfectly spiced, tingly and yet its not too hot, or overcharred as I didn't feel like my throat was on fire. It was surprisingly balanced. There were distinguishable citrus hits and the coriander helped to even things out further. To sum up this dish: Vibrant.
Similarly, the chicken and fish tikka were succulent, juicy with beautiful charcoal sensations, although our favourite were the seekh kebabs. The mince was seeped in intense herby spiciness - with a large concentrated saltiness and interesting dark chocolate flavours - it was certainly one of the best grilled minces I've ever had.
A great mix of tikkas; the meats were perfectly grilled. There was amazing depth of flavours, welcomingly balanced whilst maintaining a high intensity. A spicy punch without the burning. For every hint of chilli, there was a dash of citrus.
Next up, one from the main dishes section: Crazy Chicken. The order taker informed me that it was a special on the night. Hmm.
We were slightly sceptical of the visibly oily dish at first, but we quickly forgot all our fears as weexperienced a right explosion of flavours. Rich cherry tomatoes criss-crossing with the citrus and coriander, it opened up our appetite. The chicken was tender and moist, the only criticism being that the sauce was not consistent enough to soak my nan bread. I can still smell the aromatic spices, sweetened tomatoes, effervescent.
Even with the busy weekend order takings, home delivery service was still personable and you know what, We've never met a bunch of delivery guys who were as cool headed as the Hajeeras Kitchen lot, We suppose they're used to the action. Sixty to 90 minutes from ordering to piping hot caseroles up - that must be some kind of record.
As much as we enjoyed the tikka, we thought the real Hyderabadi Biryani from Hajeeras Kitchen was the best dish of the night. It was abit more unique from the streets of Hyderabad. It wasn't much too sticky, it was delicate and had just the slightest crunch, and the distinctively fresh flavour of the original Hyderabadi Biryani, coupled with the baingan bartha and mixed veg raitha, left us never wanting to stop eating.
Although we've come, to the end of the road.
Everything came to INR 6200. We were so overstuffed to the bone, we had to doggie bag the leftover chicken and biryani, which you will be glad to hear.
Yes, Hajeeras Kitchen is very good indeed. It is perfect for large groups and you will all expect to be wowed by an exceptionally large range of spice infused flavours. I think the chefs have mastered the art of balancing flavours and they have indeed honed their epic high wire act. How they can manage to pull in so much vibrance in the spicy end of things, whilst maintaing a neutrality with the citrus is beyond my young palatte. As for the tikka - it is charred to perfection. Realistically, it's abit of curry and naan bread - how could it go wrong? Few go too far wrong, but even fewer get it so right.
It is often thought that the most common dishes are also the hardest ones to cook because everybody already has preconceptions of what it should taste like and this idea can arguably be applied to Hajeeras Kitchen: We ordered thinking we knew what Curry and Tikka should taste like, but Hajeeras Kitchen has redefined our view of Indian/Arabian/Iranian cuisine.
What a day, what a meal, what a neat, calm and cool home delivery service. May Hajeeras Kitchen continue to prosper as The Chennai Foodie Institution.
The Gist of It.