In pictures: Dine like a nawab at Riyasat’s ‘Lucknowi Dawat’ at South City Mall

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The special curated menu has about 12 vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes including starters, main course and desserts. My Kolkata tried some of the items on the menu, along with a special Mohabbat ka Sharbat served by the chef

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The odyssey of flavours and aroma began with a kebab platter with soft charcoal grilled Gosht Malihabadi Seekh Mutton Kebab. It had a perfect blend of spices, along with flavours of mint and coriander. We also tried the Mahira Babuli Kebab, which was a soft, juicy and tender Lucknowi style char grilled chicken kebab. Straight from the waters, there was a Jhinga Aaira E Khaas — charred king prawns was served with a cashew and cream cheese sauce

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For the vegetarian starters we were served a Nawabi Aloo Matar ki Nazakat, a tikki-sized kebab of green peas and potatoes with Indian spices and the surprise flavour of fennel or ‘saunf’. The other option for vegetarian starter was Riyasati Paneer Tikka stuffed with dry fruits

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On the vegetarian main course, we paired a soft, buttery naan with a Nawabi Dastarkhwan Ka Bharta. This Lucknowi-style grilled and mashed brinjal with peas is rich in flavour but not too spicy. Also on the menu was Paneer Lazzat-e-Khas, a charred cottage cheese roulade cooked in a tomato and almond gravy

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For the non-vegetarian main course, we opted for some aromatic saffron Kuska rice. With that we tried the Murg Noor-E-Mahal Korma — succulent chicken legs in a creamy ‘chironji’ (almondette) and poppy seed gravy, which paired well with the rice. For seafood lovers, the menu also has Jhinga Dum Kulsumi, prawns in a tomato pomegranate gravy. The balance of subtle flavours once again stood out through the mains

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Dessert came with a touch of Nawabi romance. Shirni Nawab, a dried rose petal kheer topped with pistas, was served with a fresh single-stem rose that added to the beauty of the pink kheer in a bowl

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Introducing the Lucknowi food festival, Debashish Ghosh, general manager, brand standards and public relations, Speciality Restaurants, said, ‘For a long time we haven't done any event at the Riyasat so we thought this would be a good time to do this menu. It is a modest menu of 12-13 items but each item is curated with a lot of thought and study of ingredients and flavours’

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Pointing out the subtle yet rich flavours of each item on the menu, chef Hiranmoy Paul said, ‘We wanted to highlight the authentic flavours of the royal kitchens, which are rich yet very subtle. Spices are used, but nothing is too spicy, and alternative ingredients have been used for texture. For example, when we use almond in place of cashew for a gravy, it creates a difference. The spread is all about the heritage of Lucknow and its food. We hope people will like it.’ The Lucknowi Dawat food festival will be held till March 26 at Riyasat, South City Mall. The pocket pinch for two people is approximately Rs 1,800