Kiyan, the signature all day dining restaurant at The Roseate, New Delhi, is celebrating the true tastes of Thailand through a food festival nomenclatured “A Taste Of Thai”. The festival starts on June 7, 2017 and concludes on June 30, 2017 and promises authentic home cooked dishes from Thailand curated by Master Chef Joy.
Somehow, I feel when you stay very close to a place you want to try out you seem to be the last one to do so. I have often passed by The Roseate and wanted to dine in their two restaurants (Chi Ni and Kiyan) for what seems to be the longest time. So it seemed like a godsend when I was invited for the Thai Festival and I was more than happy to go.
The lunch started with a traditional warm welcome and a walk down the well manicured lush green gardens surrounding man made water bodies. Both together, had a very tranquil and soothing effect. Reminds one of how mesmerizing and beautiful nature is in all its elements.
The table was perfectly laid out and we were served a sparkling apple juice infused with cinnamon.
We started with the amuse bouche served most interestingly in a lotus petal which had roasted pieces of coconut, peanuts, chopped green chilies and a sweet sauce (their take on Miang Kham I guess).
My favourite Pomelo Salad was next along with Pandan Leaf Chicken and Deep Fried Chicken in Thai herbs. The citrus pomelo used in the salad is native to South East Asia tossed with garlic, onion, cashew and a lemon and sweet dressing – it never fails to tantalize the taste buds. In the Pandan Chicken, the marinated chicken is wrapped in pandan leaves and deep fried giving the chicken a distinct flavour and unique presentation. I could eat bucket loads of the fried crispy chicken with Thai herbs served artistically with threaded galangal and kaffir lime leaves as a garnish. It was as if the skin had soaked up all the juices of the marinade and on top of it, it was crunchy.
Both the fried rice dishes packed with flavour bombs and complimenting the meal though holding their own fort too were – Basil Fried Rice and Pineapple Fried Rice. Basil fried rice was a big hit straight away with deep fried basil leaves used as garnish and some basil chopped and tossed with the rice itself. The Pineapple fried rice which I have had earlier in other places had chunky bits of pineapple which kind of overpowered the flavour. But here, the pineapple was finely chopped up and thankfully not too much of it was used with the result that we could get a slight flavour.
Both the red curries served – Thai Duck Red Curry and Thai Red Curry Pineapple with New Zealand Mussel – and Thai Chicken Green Curry were classic traditional ones. It was as if we were transported to Thailand – spicy but not burning the tongue, subtly sweet from the coconut milk with a lively robust flavour of the fresh red and green curry paste.
Masaman Lamb Chops were nicely T boned and came sitting smugly on a bed of sweet masaman curry.
To end the meal on a sweet note we had Tubtim Krob – pink water chestnut rubies in sweet coconut milk and mango sticky rice with salted coconut milk.
There are lots of reasons to go to Kiyan – the mesmerising ambience, impeccable service, authentic Thai food (saves you a trip to Thailand) and the overall luxurious experience in the lap of nature.
Ratings (Out of 5)
Food: 4.5 | Ambience: 5.0 (Hotel) 4.0 (Restaurant) | Service: 4.5 | Overall: 4.5
Meal for two: Rs 4500++ | Alcohol: No | Credit Card: Yes | Wheel chair friendly: Yes
Address: The Roseate, Samalkha, NH8, Near Rajokri, New Delhi | Tel: 011 3355221