Enjoy the succulent kebabs with prepossessing ambience at Kama

Kama, a north Indian restaurant at Radisson Blu Kaushambi Delhi NCR, wears an air of Indian extravagance with its wooden furniture, and gold and royal blue upholstery. The ambience is relaxed and homely, while still maintaining the vibe of a fine dining restaurant. The main attraction at Kama, other than the food, of course, is the live ghazal perfomance that take place within the restaurant, right in the midst of all the tables. The restaurant maintains an elaborate menu; but at the end of it, all their items boil down to a medley of simple ingredients and refined technique. I visited the restaurant on invitation for dinner a few days ago, during the promotions of their Kebab Extravaganza festival.

After our welcome drinks, we started the meal with the kebabs, followed by a main course and a plate of dessert. We began with the vegetarian menu in the form of Paneer Zafrani tikka, a square cut slab of paneer marinated in potpourri of spices and flavours. One bite into it, I knew that this was going to be my favourite. Next came the Tandoori Gobhi, a close competition of the Paneer Zafrani Tikka. I’m not a fan of cauliflower and to be honest, I was not looking forward to this. But I’m glad that my notion was completely shattered with the first bite. The plate contained 4 huge pieces of cauliflower, bathed in pepper and cream. The sides were crispy and the centre almost melted in my mouth. The third kebab, the Makhmali Aloo, was a fried piece of whole baby potato. What attracted me most about it was the impeccable plating. The potatoes were crisp going in, but satin soft on the insides. The last kebabs on the menu were the signature Vegetable Galouti Kebabs. Made primarily with yam, they were presented sitting on a throne of round flat bread. They were a bit on the spicy side and left a burning after taste in my mouth, but that is all part of the theatrics of the dish. Although the paneer kebabs were my favourite, all others closely race for the second position with equal zest. The portions served are big and they taste just as good as they look. Rich, warm and comforting, the kebabs have no complex blend of haphazard ingredients. Rather, they depend on technique and presentation to make their dish stand apart.

The main course was just as much of an overwhelming experience as the kebabs. We enjoyed naans with the dal Makhani, a Mirchi Salan and Raita. The naans were a perfect combination of crispy and soft, while the Dal was rich and creamy. The Raita was fresh and worked as a hydrant to cool down the tingling sensation of the spices on my palate. The Salan was an absolutely new experience for me, and I can assure you that I will be going back to it. The star of the course was, however, the biryani. Its plating, in itself was a sight. Served in what looked like a tagine pot, the Biryani arrived in all its glory. It had all the makings of a great, traditional biryani. I could distinctly taste each spice and enjoy all the vegetable.

We wrapped up the night with a plate of Gulab Jamun and Phirni. I was keenly looking forward to this part and the dish did not fail to impress my massive sweet tooth. The Gulab Jamun was a perfect dessert to end the night. My spoon cut right through the sphere and revealed the glorious insides. The chef had substituted the syrup for rabdi, which almost seemed better than the idea of a chaashni. The phirni had the perfect texture and made it seem completely okay to pack on the extra calories. At the end of the long night of feasting, our waiter presented us with a shot of ‘liquid paan’. The green liquid cleansed my palate, and left me feeling refreshed after a heavy diner. Like a breath of fresh air on a summer day, the shot removed all the residue tastes from my mouth.