MAYA AT TRIDENT BKC – BRINGING FRESHNESS INTO AGE OLD CUISINE

The word, Maya, brings forth images of magic and illusions, and it is thoroughly as Indian a name as it can get.
A very apt name for a restaurant located in the grandeur that is omnipresent in the plush interiors of Trident BKC, Maya is just as it’s name conveys – Indian, with promise to take one on a magical culinary journey – no illusions there. In the past, Maya had cuisine from all regions of India; change is the only constant in all aspects of life and thus Maya too has recently revamped its menu, which we were invited to sample.
In all honesty, despite my familiarity with Trident BKC for work and personal meals, Maya had not been that much of my radar because I am not too fond of places which do not stick to a specific type of cuisine…I don’t like Kebabs and Dosas whispering hi-hellos on the same table. We all have quirks and peeves…this is mine. The only times I had visited Maya earlier had been during food festivals highlighting specific regions of India, and the standards those had reached had been beyond exemplary!
Thus, the fact that Maya had revamped the food served was greeted by me with “Now I can go there readily”…and when Supriyo, my comrade in food journeys, asked me to join him for dinner at Maya, my “oh yes, of course” came without any hesitation.
”Experience the all new menu at Maya with the highest quality of spices and rich flavoured aromas specially curated by Chef Angad Rai”…the words themselves got my appetite going.
We were greeted by Chef Angad Rai himself – the gentleman is hands-on and was personally looking into what was being ordered and being served at all tables. He explained that the new menu was largely what it known as North Indian food. And then came the sorbet! Now this Guava Chilly Sorbet with Orange Mint with a hint of cumin blew me away…nothing had prepared me for this delicious and flavoursome a start! Cold soup at an Indian menu – mind blowing! You’ll find it tamely named Narangi Ka Shorba (INR 600) on the menu – don’t miss it!

An array of kebabs followed. Among all of them, I simply loved the Pudina Paneer Tikka (INR 895) – for a person who usually likes all food which had once walked or swam, that was quite something else. The Nadru ki Shami (INR 895) – pan fried lotus stem, was interesting and the spices hit the right notes. I loved the Sarson Mahi Tikka (INR 1350) – the Bengali in me was happy with the taste of kashundi (Bengali style mustard sauce) which made the fish tikka different from the run of the mill tikkas found elsewhere. Another appetizer we noticed was the Tandoori Charra Aloo (INR 895) – slightly spicy with flavours of nuts and raisins. An amazingly smooth Chianti Classico gave the appetizers very good company.
Among the mains, the surprise came in the form of potatoes – didn’t even want to try them but one bite of the Lucknowi Aloo (INR 1050) and we licked it all off our plates; the spices, cashews, melon seeds were just right to take the humble potato to a whole new level! The Khada Masala Keema (INR 1450) stood out in its earthiness with the mince nicely cooked with wholesome whole spices as did the Murg Awadhi Korma (INR 1350) with its cashewnut-yoghurt flavours finding an easy happy note on the palate. We found the Nalli Nihari (INR 1450) a tad tough but the gravy it sat in was packed with an abundance of flavours…nice! Already having eaten and overeaten more than any human should at dinner, Chef Angad’s request to taste the Awadhi Gosht Biryani (INR 1250) was met with “only very little of it please”. Despite the biryani being aromatic and loaded with fried onions, the rich full of fat rice was beyond what we could handle that evening.
It was definitely time for something sweet. Expecting the usual gulab jamun, I was very very pleasantly surprised at the dessert which showed up at the table – the Narangi Kulfi (INR 650) is to die for – with the citrus crumble that accompanied it, the kulfi was one of the best I had ever tasted. The Mango Mint Gelato and Coconut Icecream, which had bits of tender coconut in it, (INR 625 each) were mighty refreshing.
If I was asked how my dinner experience at Maya was, I’d say it was pretty amazing – never would one have thought that an Indian meal could start with a cold soup and the dishes would weave their way through the tried and tested and yet embracing new flavours and tastes which add on superbly to the dishes. Full marks to Chef Angad Rai and Maya – but then when it is Trident BKC, one expects the best….. and one gets it too!
Do we recommend? Of course we do – go for it!

Telephone : +91 22 6672 7777 & +91 22 33126875

Disclaimer: This review was done on an invitation from the restaurant. Due judgement 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.