Dakshin moves to South Mumbai
We were at the ITC Maratha during the last week of Dakshin there. The Dakshin chain in ITC hotels is helmed by chef Praveen Anand. He is said to have travelled across the length and breadth of the five states and one union territories that make up the region. He has brought recipes from the homes he visited to Dakshin. He has stayed true to form as far as the food is concerned. He has not reinterpreted anything! That has been done at Avartana, the modern South Indian restaurant from the group
We had a lovely meal that night at Dakshin in ITC Maratha. It which is the only South Indian restaurant that K likes. She’s in Delhi right now. I went alone to Dakshin last night. This time at its new home, the ITC Grand Central, which is in south Mumbai’s Parel. I had been invited to attend the launch of the Dakshin.
Flip past the picture of the tastefully designed restaurant at the and you will see an increasingly messy plate, the best way to relish good food. The dishes came from across the five states and one union territory of the south. I want to make a couple of points. The first is that the food was homelike, light on the tummy and nuanced in flavour. The second is that my dietician should be happy. I had lots of protein. Mainly fish and chicken with a wee bit of mutton and a single prawn. A fair bit of vegetables. Very little of grains and that too mainly rice based ones. I firmly said no to desserts.
I am not dissecting individual dishes as I was a guest and not a ‘critic.’
If you still ask me to choose my favourites, it would the Iyengar trolley- for the comfort on offer, the papde upkadi – because it offers a vegetable dose through tossed red amaranth leaves, the soporific Patchakari vegetable stew for the same reason, the chemeen manga charu – for the residual heat of the byadgi chillies in the tangy mango based prawn curry, and the show stopper for me, the ooragai mamsam – for the sharp pickled tanginess of the mutton gravy. I loved the juicy fried betki in the meen varuval, but a bit less salt would be nice. Oh, and the appams were nice, soft and crisp at the borders. The idiappama was perfect and not lumpy. The Malabar paratha was on point but I took just a bite as I am on a diet which bans maida.
It’s fair to say that chef Praveen Anand, has done a great job in training the team and I am sure that exec chef Paul Noronha of ITC Grand Centre will be there to guide them.
Best wishes to ITC Grand Central and Dakshin. Thank you for your hospitality. Something tells me that I will be back soon. This time with K.
