I never thought I would probably gatecrash someones wedding, but my good friend Ishan Bansal made sure that I've done that in my life. Now, before you all think I'm some criminal, let me clear the air and tell you that I am NOT. Ishan has started his own catering firm and he invited me to taste the food so that I can preview it here. So here goes my first and probably my only review for a catering firm.
To begin with, "It's all about presentation", and boy was it presented well or what. Well, I'm not claiming it could rival the French decorations, but it pleased the aesthetic senses. I couldn't wait long, as I was not only hungry(I starved myself for it), but the food looked yum and the smell of the flavors was also calling out to me.
I addressed it soon enough, and went straight to the Salad counter to take my plate. The arrangement was assorted, the vegetables looked fresh and there was the usual, spring onions, onions, cucumbers, the mixed salad and the fryums and surprisingly there was chilli powder and dried green chilli for the brave hearted. The mixed salad was extremely nice due to the presence of a surprise element in it. The Pineapple. Yes, the pineapple added a distinct flavor to the entire salad set up which is otherwise Balsamic. It was a clever use of the fruit and i would definitely try it out more often.
Then I moved on to the main course, the canopies were distinguished and well marked, so I'd no trouble whatsoever to know what I was eating. I started with a dish labelled "Chatpat Swad" this basically comprises of mashed potato, cilantro(coriander), its coated with flour and shaped in the form of a ball(much like the aloo bonda), it was good appetizer and it tasted zingy.
Moving on, there was the unmistakable "Paneer Butter Masala". The flavors of masala in this was really coming out and it tasted as good as it smelt, to say the least it was delectable, very pleasing and hardly greasy. With it, I moved to the "Punjabi Tadka", and this was exquisite, the spice content was pleasant and it had the tadka going for it. Now moving on the Indian breads, the "Roti Ghar", they had mixed tandoori roti. A dish that particularly caught my eye was the Methi(fenugreek) poori. It had the trademark green color and looked quite inviting, there was also the naan and tandoor roti, together with the Curries it was quite lip smacking. Now, the thing that I found the best about the Rotis were that, it almost had no oil. It was not greasy at all and I love it that way. Health wise, I think they'll score extra points if I were to mark them. Moving on, I moved on to what was by the look of it, my favorite stall, "Hyderabadi Special" The Veg Pulao, it had the minty green look. I was dying to get my hands on it, but sadly, the build up expected by my taste buds didn't quite match, and I was a tad let down by the Pulao. Reason being, it wasn't spicy at all ( I was hoping to turn into a dragon after I was done with the pulao) but sadly, it went down with a whimper. But, Ishan told me, the reason for that was that, they had asked it to be mild and not that spicy. Fair enough. But deep down in me, I was like, but still...
I'd reached the Last stall by now, it was the "basmati bahaar", "South Indian ka swad". It had white rice, Sambar and Rasam.I'm not a great fan of the south indian food as I get to eat them everyday, but I'd to try this out, and I first started with the Sambar and boy was it good or what. It made me miss Vada. It was Authentic to the "c". Lovely taste, not too heavy. I then wanted to try out Rasam, I'm too choosy and picky and finicky about Rasam. Its like the toughest thing to get right. The flavors have to be true and it shouldn't be dilute. Guess what? It was Ambrosial. Yes, fit for the gods. Loved it. I've never had such good Rasam in a really long time. I was a happy man after I tasted it. It was quite lush with te spices, it really gave out the flavor and it was spicy and hot. With it, i rounded off my main course and headed straight to the dessert counter. I was greeted by a gulab jamun and vanilla ice cream. The combination is a tried and tested one. The gulab jamun was hot and dulcet. It wasn't too sweet, it was just perfect and when it was balled in with the ice cream the taste was quite unbeatable, you really can't go wrong with that.With that, I finished my scrumptious meal.
I wouldn't be rating it on the ambience, neither am I gonna subject it my trade mark Lick-o-meter. But, I would definitely endorse this caterer for the simple reason that this was soul food. It was true and simple, humble and hearty.
The price is on request and also dependent on the choice of cuisine and a tailor made menu.
So, if there is a marriage or a get-together or a party or any function planned and you are in search of a caterer, look no further, this is value for money and I give you my word. I vouch for the food. To contact the owner, here is the phone number, IB Catering Services- (prop.) Ishan Bansal - (0)8951355819
To view his Facebook page and Related photos you can click Here
To begin with, "It's all about presentation", and boy was it presented well or what. Well, I'm not claiming it could rival the French decorations, but it pleased the aesthetic senses. I couldn't wait long, as I was not only hungry(I starved myself for it), but the food looked yum and the smell of the flavors was also calling out to me.
I addressed it soon enough, and went straight to the Salad counter to take my plate. The arrangement was assorted, the vegetables looked fresh and there was the usual, spring onions, onions, cucumbers, the mixed salad and the fryums and surprisingly there was chilli powder and dried green chilli for the brave hearted. The mixed salad was extremely nice due to the presence of a surprise element in it. The Pineapple. Yes, the pineapple added a distinct flavor to the entire salad set up which is otherwise Balsamic. It was a clever use of the fruit and i would definitely try it out more often.
Then I moved on to the main course, the canopies were distinguished and well marked, so I'd no trouble whatsoever to know what I was eating. I started with a dish labelled "Chatpat Swad" this basically comprises of mashed potato, cilantro(coriander), its coated with flour and shaped in the form of a ball(much like the aloo bonda), it was good appetizer and it tasted zingy.
Moving on, there was the unmistakable "Paneer Butter Masala". The flavors of masala in this was really coming out and it tasted as good as it smelt, to say the least it was delectable, very pleasing and hardly greasy. With it, I moved to the "Punjabi Tadka", and this was exquisite, the spice content was pleasant and it had the tadka going for it. Now moving on the Indian breads, the "Roti Ghar", they had mixed tandoori roti. A dish that particularly caught my eye was the Methi(fenugreek) poori. It had the trademark green color and looked quite inviting, there was also the naan and tandoor roti, together with the Curries it was quite lip smacking. Now, the thing that I found the best about the Rotis were that, it almost had no oil. It was not greasy at all and I love it that way. Health wise, I think they'll score extra points if I were to mark them. Moving on, I moved on to what was by the look of it, my favorite stall, "Hyderabadi Special" The Veg Pulao, it had the minty green look. I was dying to get my hands on it, but sadly, the build up expected by my taste buds didn't quite match, and I was a tad let down by the Pulao. Reason being, it wasn't spicy at all ( I was hoping to turn into a dragon after I was done with the pulao) but sadly, it went down with a whimper. But, Ishan told me, the reason for that was that, they had asked it to be mild and not that spicy. Fair enough. But deep down in me, I was like, but still...
I'd reached the Last stall by now, it was the "basmati bahaar", "South Indian ka swad". It had white rice, Sambar and Rasam.I'm not a great fan of the south indian food as I get to eat them everyday, but I'd to try this out, and I first started with the Sambar and boy was it good or what. It made me miss Vada. It was Authentic to the "c". Lovely taste, not too heavy. I then wanted to try out Rasam, I'm too choosy and picky and finicky about Rasam. Its like the toughest thing to get right. The flavors have to be true and it shouldn't be dilute. Guess what? It was Ambrosial. Yes, fit for the gods. Loved it. I've never had such good Rasam in a really long time. I was a happy man after I tasted it. It was quite lush with te spices, it really gave out the flavor and it was spicy and hot. With it, i rounded off my main course and headed straight to the dessert counter. I was greeted by a gulab jamun and vanilla ice cream. The combination is a tried and tested one. The gulab jamun was hot and dulcet. It wasn't too sweet, it was just perfect and when it was balled in with the ice cream the taste was quite unbeatable, you really can't go wrong with that.With that, I finished my scrumptious meal.
I wouldn't be rating it on the ambience, neither am I gonna subject it my trade mark Lick-o-meter. But, I would definitely endorse this caterer for the simple reason that this was soul food. It was true and simple, humble and hearty.
The price is on request and also dependent on the choice of cuisine and a tailor made menu.
So, if there is a marriage or a get-together or a party or any function planned and you are in search of a caterer, look no further, this is value for money and I give you my word. I vouch for the food. To contact the owner, here is the phone number, IB Catering Services- (prop.) Ishan Bansal - (0)8951355819
To view his Facebook page and Related photos you can click Here
