When I visited Karim’s in Trivandrum for the first time, as mentioned in my post from back then, I was left with mixed feelings about the food… But Karim’s being this legendary brand that it has been with fans all over the world, I felt that its only fair that I give it another try and today, I happened to be at the Lulu Mall and hence decided to have my lunch there and here we are… 🙂
Turns out that the menu had undergone some changes as in some items have been added to it… As the waiter recommended, I went for their Murgh Seekh Kebab this time and for mains, he recommended that I try their new Karahi Chicken… To go with the curry, I wasn’t in the mood to have bread this time and so chose the Veg Pulao from the Rice menu… Along with all this, I had a glass of their Fresh Lime Juice as well and the following pics show how everything was served…
So, lets start by talking about the Murgh Seekh Kebab… It was the only Chicken based item in their Kebabs menu… Apparently they now have a choice of portion size and what I went for was the half portion consisting of two pieces as can be seen in the pics below… For those who may be unaware, Seekh Kebab is a kind of meat preparation that is made by moulding minced or ground meat with spices into a cylindrical shape using a skewer and then cooked by grilling… It is said to have originated in the Indian Subcontinent and usually I am a bit skeptical about the Seekh Kebabs cause most of the Seekh Kebabs that I have had have always been overcooked and dry and therefore tough to eat… I decided to try this anyway cause Karim’s is known to be the best in India when it comes to these Kebabs… As for these Seekh Kebabs that I got, first of all, to my surprise, it was indeed soft and juicy, indicating that it was cooked perfectly…
As for the taste, it was indeed spicy but not too spicy that the flavour of the meat gets masked… I felt that the flavour of the Mint and Coriander used was dominating the flavour profile along with the flavour of eggs if I am not mistaken… The heat from the Green Chillies used was definitely there but I felt that the flavour of the chillies outweighed the heat… The flavour of Ginger and Garlic was also there along with a very subtle hint of the Garam Masala… I had talked about the accompanying Mint Chutney and the Onions in my previous post and they were the same like before… Overall, I just loved it and I am hoping to have it again next time I get to visit there…
Next up is the main course which this time consisted of their Veg Pulao and Karahi Chicken which were served as can be seen in the pic below…
The Veg Pulao seemed to have been made with Paneer, Carrots, Green Beans, Green Peas, Green Chillies, Onions, Tomatoes and a few pieces of Button Mushrooms as well along with Rice, Coriander & Mint Leaves and Jeera as can be seen in the pics below…
From what I could find out, Karahi Chicken is the name used to describe a more authentic version of the dish we know as Kadai Chicken thats most popular in our neighbouring country of Pakistan… Hence its even considered as the Pakistani version of Kadai Chicken by many and the difference is said to be a much milder use of spices in its preparation thereby resulting in a much more well balanced flavour profile where the flavours of the individual ingredients are never masked… This factor is of-course said to be the main difference between the Arab / Persian influenced cuisines of both Pakistan and India… I was indeed looking forward to get a chance to taste this dish and thats why when the waiter suggested it, I didn’t think twice before placing the order… It is basically a Tomato and Onion based dish thats cooked with Ginger, Garlic, Chillies, Vegetables like Capsicum, etc, Garam Masala and/or protein of choice… The Karahi Chicken that I got was as can be seen in the pics below…
Coming to the taste, first of all, there was a nice fragrance of Butter coming from both the dishes as the waiter was serving them… Regarding the Pulao, each bite did have the taste of Butter in it and there was a very slight hint of Garam Masala in it along with the taste of Ginger, Garlic and the fragrance of the Vegetables used along with the herbs used… The Paneer tasted fresh and the Basmati Rice used was indeed fragrant… The whole Pulao itself felt moist to just the right level but I think its cause of the Butter usage…
Regarding the Karahi Chicken, first of all, contrary to how things were in my last visit, the Chicken was cooked perfectly as the meat was sliding off the bone easily and was incredible soft and juicy… I was indeed surprised at the amount of fat content in the dish but it didn’t really cause the weird after taste of oil that tends to happen usually, which is an indication that the quality of oil and butter they used for the dish were of good quality… The flavour profile of this dish, I felt was mostly dominated by the Tomatoes used in the gravy… Of-course, the flavours of the rest of the ingredients, ie, Ginger, Garlic, Onions, Capsicums, the spices and all were definitely there but I felt that the taste of Tomatoes seemed to stand a bit higher than the rest… The taste of Butter was indeed present in every drop and from the pics its even clear that they added more Butter as topping as well… To be frank, I just loved this dish and felt the combination of both as can be seen in the pics below, was just brilliant… However, I do wish that they provided an option of having some Raita as that could’ve helped balance the incredible richness at play here…
Last but not the least was the Fresh Lime Juice… It was like most Lime Juices we get in most restaurants and had a slight hint of saltiness along with the sweetness from the sugar usage… The flavour of the Lime indeed felt fresh and overall felt quite refreshing to have, especially after having the incredibly rich food as I mentioned above… 🙂
Overall, when I compare the experience this time to the previous, I think the staff have finally got their act together and have started cooking food that lives up to the name of the brand… This of-course means that I will be visiting this place more often going forward… 🙂
