Gaylord is trying new things every so often to add to its well-received menu of North Indian and Continental dishes that are so loved by its ardent fans. After the German Festival in October, and its Sea Food Festival in November, I now got a chance to review its Christmas Menu that brought new flavours to the table.
The menu is focused on bringing new dishes or well known dishes, all with a twist. I started by trying the Spicy Chicken Clear Soup. In all due fairness, it was chicken clear soup with red chilli powder, which did not go well without anything to support or balance the spice. The Vegetable Soup was simple, thick and tasty without any exciting surprises. I next tried the Beer Battered Prawns, which is one of my favourite dishes at the restaurant. Very few places can get the taste and texture of the king prawns right. The batter has good flavor and is light on the oil during the tasting.
We next tried the Vegetable Seekh Kebab. While it looked great and had a good mix of flavours, the mix was a little under cooked making it a little pasty. If cooked well, it is bound to be a good dish. The next dish was the Peach and Broccoli Salad with Mayonnaise dressing. I have to admit that it was hard for us to put the dish down. The Peaches were delicious, and accompanied very well by the Broccoli and Mayo dressing. I must have had 3 to 4 helpings of the dish. I do suggest the Mayo be brought down a little to improve the visual appeal and allow for the peaches to shine; however, the dish is still quite good.I next tried the Vegetable Salad with Sprouts. The dish had house Vinegar dressing which was not as exciting as the peach salad although the vegetables were fresh and crunchy.
Diving into the main course for the afternoon, we started with the Roast Chicken Vegetables and Pomegranate. The pomegranate on the roasted chicken was a unique touch, which complimented the dish due to its soft and creamy texture. The chicken was marinated well and melted in my mouth. Next I tried unique dish – Crispy Fried Brinjal Slices served in a tomato-based curry with a sprinkling of bhujiya. I have never tasted this dish before and it blew my taste buds away. It was beautifully cooked, packed a crunchy bite and balanced taste with soft and well-cooked brinjal on the inside. Rarely does a vegetarian dish trump a non-vegetarian dish on my palette.
Moving on to desserts, we tried the house cake, which was great but expected as they have a very popular bakery. We ended a hearty meal with the house Kulfi, which is one of my go to desserts in Mumbai (not many places can serve a good Kulfi to a Delhiite).
The decoration, ambience, hearty and tasty food, excellent service and an ever-smiling staff was a good way to spread the Christmas Spirit. I look forward to the next festival at Gaylords, as they keep pushing the envelope on their culinary offerings to their new and old customers.
Ratings (Out of 5)
Food: 3.5 | Ambience: 4 | Service: 4 | Overall: 3.5
Address: Mayfair Building, VN Road, Churchgate, Mumbai | Tel: 022 33716043
Timings: 12:00 to 15:30 and 19:30 to 23:30| Meal for two without alcohol: Rs.2500 | Credit Card: Yes | Alcohol: Yes | Wheelchair Friendly: No
Disclaimer: This review was done on an invitation from the restaurant. Due judgment and care has been applied by the author to remain objective and unbiased in the review, but readers need to consider this review keeping this fact in mind
