Crispy Noodles, Please!

Noodles. Such a simple word. And the simplest of dishes to cook (or so one would expect..or hope).

As (most) people know..noodles come in varied forms and sizes..ranging from wheat noodles to egg noodles to rice noodles to bean starch...with flat noodles..to glass noodles..thick noodles...thin noodles... you name it..and there will be a noodle to please your palate!

(Keeping this piece simple and not too technical)

In addition to the boiled noodles, there is the "Crispy Noodle"....commonly found gracing the Hong Kong style Chow Meins in the USA...or the American Chop Suey in India and Pakistan. In India Crispy Noodles have been referred to as the "Hakka" noodles, possibly a reference to the Hakka people or Hakka cuisine.

But one thing common in Crispy Noodles, irrespective of the continent where they are served...is that they are CRISPY!!!

With the same expectation of crispiness when Dervish saw "Stir Fried something served with Crispy Noodles" being offered on the menu of Pakistan's capital, Islamabad's highly recommended restaurant "Khaas" it was a foregone conclusion that the "Crispy Noodles" were to be tasted. And what a bad decision it was!!!

The only crispness was in the French Baguette that lay resting on the table...as all freshness from the baguette had long since expired after it was half toasted prior to being served.

The congealing concoction of the sad attempt at stir fry was served on a bed of "crispy" noodles dripping oil.

The poor dish failed on all three basic requirements.

Firstly the stir fry was not a stir fry...it was a meat and vegetable dish cooked in a brown gravy! As anyone familiar with stir fries knows there IS no gravy in stir fries..just the meats, vegetables, spices and oil...that results in the awesome tasting yet crispy and fresh vegetables and meats. Unfortunately this stir fry was a glob of brown comprising of soft squishy vegetables interspersed by chicken pieces...which hinted at the concoction not having been wok fried.

Secondly..the "Crispy" Noodles were conspicuous by their absence...or shall we say by the presence of their wannabe poor cousins.

Based on the manner Crispy noodles are generally cooked world over...They are first boiled and then gently fried until the crispiness is achieved (in case of egg noodles or other noodles which require boiling). Or if rice noodles are used i.e Rice Vermicelli (as it is commonly understood all over the world) or Rice Sticks, which are soft enough to be fried after just being soaked than they are fried as soon as they achieve an "al dente" state. However Dervish is at a complete loss to understand what form of noodles the Chef at "Khaas" in Islamabad used for his crispy noodles in the stir fry. The bet is leaning very heavily towards "thin rice poppadams" which are commonly available in Pakistan.

Finally in terms of taste as well the stir fry failed...as there was none! No discernible taste i.e.

Dervish wishes the same thing could be said about the Beef Teriyaki! That it had "no discernible taste"! Alas that is not true! The Beef Teriyaki DID have a taste.

The taste of meat juice! You know that left over from a meat marinade...that people who cook are generally familiar with and are also familiar with cooking in a manner so that the diners do not taste it in their dishes..well unfortunately the Chef at Khaas missed the cooking class where they were teaching "how not to let the food taste of meat marinade".

Teriyaki dishes are no longer just the domain of fancy restaurants thanks to the advent of Teriyaki Sauce being marketed in bottles. This is what leaves Dervish completely flabbergasted...if housewives and amateurs cooks can whip up Teriyaki Chicken and Teriyaki Beef at home why then would the so called best restaurant in Islamabad not be able to manage a simple Teriyaki dish?

Leave alone the glaze, which is the trademark of Teriyaki cooking...leave alone the amazing taste of Teriyaki which makes people love it and want more...surely expecting an edible dish was not asking too much.

It would be unfair to walk into a restaurant in Pakistan and judge or compare it against international restaurants...comparing the chef at Khaas against the chef at Nobu in London (1 Michelin Star) would not only be highly unjust but also an exercise in unrealistic expectations. So it was not done. There was no comparison or expectations of high culinary standards.

What was there though was the basic and realistic expectation that every diner has when entering a restaurant...that of getting edible food! Sadly Khaas the restaurant failed the expectation of edible food.

Minus the food...Khaas has a nice ambience...the seating is nice..the staff is cheerful..the outside seating area is unusual and pleasant. In fact everything was pleasant about the place except the food.

Advice to Khaas: In todays world, people who love food...they make good food happen..its not difficult..just takes a bit of hard work. In a restaurant the most important thing is the FOOD, if the food is bad no amount of good interiors will disguise it. If the quality of food cannot be improved..maybe Khaas should concentrate on the Art Gallery...that is probably a better option.

RATING:

Food: Below Rateable Standard

Ambience: DR2.5

Islamabad is a city of greenery and trees and accordingly any place in Islamabad would have ample greenery. Khaas has incorporated the greenery outside in to the interiors through its picture window (but while sitting inside i could look into the house next door). It was inevitable that the outside would have a green effect. The use of light was positive.

Staff: DR2

The staff was cheerful and friendly but was not educated with regard to the menu and were unable to offer any recommendations.

Presentation (includes all aspects, the presentation of the dish as well as the CC): DR1

Price: DR2

Overall Rating: DR1.5 (DR5 being the highest)

This is a restaurant critique based on a dining experience.

Luxury at its height in the City of Djinns

Delhi...the city of history..of myth...of fables and gables.

Whether one is in search of history or for the present...for faqirs or for sants...qawalis or bhajans..Delhi has it all.

The city of Sufis..the neighbor to Kurukhshetra and Mathura.

Silent witness to the rise and fall of ancient and modern kingdoms. Delhi. The city like no other in the world.

And within this city...a hotel surpassing all other hotels in this city.

(Yes....unfortunately this piece is about something so mundane as a hotel) :)

Leela Palace. What a hotel!

Leela Palace has recently opened its hospitable doors for the discerning traveler to Delhi...and is a welcome respite in a city which has so much to offer but until recently was lacking in the hotel department.

The argument goes, of course, that the inimitable "Imperial" is in Delhi! With the Imperial there why would anyone want to stay anywhere else?

The response to that argument would be...one has to stay at both the Imperial and Leela Palace to compare the difference...which this author has done.

Imperial of course wins hands down on the colonial structure and the nostalgic feeling of "British Raj" but as far as hotel services go it seems that it is still stuck in the British Raj! The crisp feeling of being in a luxury hotel is missing at the Imperial.

The only other comparable for the Leela Palace would be the ruling luminary of the Delhi Hotel World "Oberoi", which of course is and will probably remain a close contender (considering it is Oberoi) however in this comparison as well Leela Palace will get extra points due to the "newness", excellent service and comfort of Leela Palace. And lets be honest its not as if the Oberoi Delhi is the Amarvilas! For those who have not already experienced it, Amarvilas (Oberoi Agra) is an experience in itself!

When extolling the virtues of Leela...the biggest problem is..where to begin...(and that unfortunately makes this piece a difficult to write. Its just plain boring to go on and on and on saying this was good and that was great...but ... unfortunately for this piece..and fortunately for Leela..thats how this piece is going to turn out).

So where does one start...with the beautiful interior...or the impeccable service..or the incomparable eye for detail that is displayed everywhere you look (but only for those who note)..the feeling of luxury...the amazing food... where does one begin?

Well..lets get all the mundane and boring stuff out of the way first.

The approach and the entrance. The imposing elephant structure is unusual in a modern hotel and definitely merits a second look. To be honest, the staff that greets you at the entrance of all Delhi hotels is excellent, super courteous and helpful and Leela is no different.

The lobby has a feeling of newness to it and the welcome ritual is very Indian and if you haven't already drank in the feeling of being in India during the drive from the airport to Leela...than the welcome ritual with the tilak and the mala will definitely welcome you to India in a very Indian way.

The rooms are a treat. Why? Well, there are the basics and the essentials in every hotel room, the bed, the tv, the desk, the chairs etc...etc. Depending on the level of luxury the basics and essentials fluctuate. So without wasting words on the obvious let it suffice that the basic essentials met the expectations. What was special about the room at Leela were the finer details. The lights and the light switches for example which were controlled from both sides and were simple and not complicated. As any traveller knows, there is nothing more frustrating than struggling with a hi-tech light console when you are sleepy and tired. No such problems at Leela. The iPod / iPhone deck is definitely worth a mention.

Then comes the bathroom. Here too without wasting words on the basics and the essentials (which were yet again as expected...although it has to be added that the towels were nice and fluffy) the finer details won the day. The winner was the clock. It is unusual to find a clock in a bathroom but it is one thing that travelers require the most when getting ready. Well Leela has taken care of it and provides you with that essential luxury.

Now that the mundane and boring is out of the way...lets start on the interesting stuff.

The staff can make or break an establishment. Whether it is the people that you come into contact with or the ones that you don't actually see but whose presence you are aware of...the housekeeping staff. The housekeeping staff at Leela require a special mention. They are impeccable to say the very least. The newness of Leela is further heightened by the efficiency of its staff.

Dervish found the silver pieces gracing the halls of the hotel quite fascinating. The statue of Ganpati in the lobby with the silver filigree backdrop is a beautiful piece. Just like the Garudas.

To sum it up, Leela Palace the building, is a fascinating piece of architecture...and for Dervish..it embodied India as it is today...a beautiful blend of India's historic and cultural heritage and the modern India of today.

This is a critique based on actual hotel experience.