Few weeks
ago I was invited to a bloggers table at Kaiser, a new restaurant in Gurgaon
popular for promoting authentic Mughlai cuisine that traces its origin back to
the imperial kitchens of the Mughal era.
Brainchild
of young restaurateur Kamal Arora (32) who's already made a mark with his very
first venture 'Khyen Chyen', Kaiser (which literally means emperor) evokes a
quintessential old world charm and character offering mystic flavors through
every dish on its menu. The flavors vary from extremely mild to spicy, and are
often associated with a distinctive aroma and the taste of ground and whole
spices.
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| Kaiser |
Launched in
the second week of August this year, Kaiser is nestled in the busy Supermart 1
of DLF Phase 4, Gurgaon. The restaurant can easily accommodate over 22 people
at any given time and has a covered area of approximately 700 square feet.
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| Kaiser |
The kitchen
is in the capable hands of head chef Hasan and sous chef Sunil, who come with
15 years and 7 years of F&B experience, respectively. They are ably assisted
by an excellent, attentive staff of 15.
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| Me with three other food bloggers |
Open seven
days a week from 12 noon to 11:30 pm, Kaiser is hailed for avoiding the use of
artificial colors or ingredients in cooking. That's not all! The meat is
marinated overnight (sometimes for nearly 24 hours) to ensure all flavors get
absorbed properly.
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| Kaiser |
Here are my
top recommendations for food at Kaiser.
Appetizers
- Mutton Gilafi Seekh: Brace yourself for hot and juicy, flavorful tender pieces of minced mutton cooked to perfection. Similarities to mutton seekh served in the Jama Masjid area of Old Delhi are inevitable!
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| Mutton Gilafi Seekh |
- Chicken Tikka: Soft marinated pieces of boneless chicken cooked with flavorful Indian spices that just melt in your mouth.
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| Chicken Tikka |
- Mutton Burra: An instant hit with one and all, these succulent roasted lamb kebabs are popular for its unique aroma.
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| Mutton Burra |
- Butter Tandoori Chicken: The best part about this dish is that the chicken is first marinated, then oven roasted and finally coated with layers of butter to render a near perfect taste.
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| Butter Tandoori Chicken |
Mains
- Kaiser Haleem Biryani: A must have dish, which includes a winning combination of Haleem condiments (used as garnish) and biryani topped with crispy fried onions. Truly deserves a mention, since very few can actually get the awesomeness of Haleem and biryani right in a single dish!
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| Kaiser Haleem Biryani |
Room for more? You can also try these two signature dishes at Kaiser:
- Murg Musallam
- Palak Gosht
Breads
- Sheermal: Sweet in taste, this saffron flavored traditional flatbread is to be savored with butter chicken or mutton rogan josh.
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| Sheermal |
Desserts
- Double ka Meetha: A.k.a. Shahi Tukda in some places, this bread pudding dessert is made of fried bread slices soaked in hot milk with saffron and cardamom.
- Phirni: This delectable rice pudding like dessert is served in traditional clay containers. Topped with poppy seeds and almond slices, it contains a significant flavor of cardamom that you just cannot ignore.
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| Phirni |
The kebabs,
tikkas, Haleem biryani, and curries at Kaiser are to die for! As a purist I
only look for two things when it comes to Mughlai cuisine - texture and flavor
- a classic combination of these two makes every dish at Kaiser a perfect 'soul
food'.
I am a vegetarian but food look good and I will surely recommend to my siblings
ReplyDeleteThe chicken preparation and the Phirni in desserts looks simply yum. This place must have been a great find!!
ReplyDeleteThe food flavors is spectacular and the overall quality is so amazing. Excellent service. My favorite dishes are kadhai chicken and paneer tikka. Great thoughts.
ReplyDeleteKaiser seems to serve some really authentic Mughlai offerings. It evokes the grandeur of a bygone era. The desserts, especially Double Ka Meetha, sounds really tempting. Sandy N Vyjay
ReplyDeleteI am loving this review. It's been ages that I have had Mughlai and now I am sad.
ReplyDeleteWow I am sure this place is a heaven for non veg lovers and the ones who like mughali style of cooking. I am sure going to share this friend of mine who would love to visit. Loved the details and pictures you have shared here.
ReplyDeleteAuthentic flavours is enjoyed by all. The food looks really good. I dessert options look so tempting.
ReplyDeleteManisha
It's a treat to go through and read your food blogs Rahul. It's been ages since I had haleem biryani and had forgotten about it. Need to find a place in Mumbai now who delivers it.
ReplyDeleteKeeping the traditional food taste in today's time is the great task and looks like KAISER is doing it very well. I also liked the presentation of the dishes in the steel dishes.
ReplyDeleteOh God, I am drooling at the pictures. Kaiser seems to be the best place to have authentic Mughlai cuisine.
ReplyDeleteYou made me drool, I remember being here and the delicious I mean really delicious kebabs and the ulte tawe ka paratha.
ReplyDeleteThe food of Kaiser looks incredible. I would loved to visit here.
ReplyDeleteBeing a vegetarian I sure do love the dessert option that you have listed from the restaurant. Will recommend
ReplyDeleteoh my God the food looks delicious and beautiful. I had never heard of Haleem biryani before but it surely looks amazing. I have added Kaiser to my list.
ReplyDeleteWhenever I come across your post for food, my mouth starts watering. It looks delicious and I loved Phirni basically. Seems to b e quite authentic restaurant.
ReplyDeleteThough I am a vegetarian, my husband loves non veg food and the food here looks so scrumptious. We are coming to Gurgaon this week, hopefully will try this place out.
ReplyDeleteNow that I have again shifted back to delhi obviously soon I'm going to try out restaurants both in Delhi and gurgaon. Already I do have some in my list and this I'm adding too. I love mughlai and obviously I'm about to check it out this weekend.
ReplyDelete