Hyderabad Blogger's Table | Siri's Eat Outs | Thai Pavilion at Vivanta Taj, Begumpet

Tweet

Source: Image

It was a hot Saturday afternoon when the first ever meal was served at Thai Pavillion, Vivanta Taj for Hyderabad Blogger's Table, an initiative by Sid of Chef At Large. Its literally a bunch of people who are mad about food and love writing about it. It feels so great to be a part of such great company. Delhi Blogger's Table is already super popular and now its time for Hyderabad to shine. Right now there are just two of us - myself and my blogging pal - Arundati of Escapades in the madness. I wish and hope more bloggers join us in coming days. Do you know anybody who writes about food and is from Hyderabad? Drop their details in the comment section and I will try to get them into the table. I can't guarantee though as the group is pretty particular about the quality than the sheer numbers.

Now, let's talk about our lunch. Shall we?

First a few words about the man who run this restaurant. Its Chef Rajeev Janveja who has almost 29 years of experince working at various locations of Taj hotels. He also had the privilege of accompanying the Prime Minister of India as his Personal Chef, during his tour to Iran in April 2001. He has also won a fabulous list of international awards and accolades, including the Tata Award for Business Excellence. He, for sure knows his strengths and as I was chatting, with his cool temper he did remind a bit of Deepak Chopra ;-).

...something cool to drink.. thai cooler and farahan..

The evening started with the host seating us at a table near the kitchen. It is always fun to see chefs prepare your food. "What would like to drink?" inquired a cheerful waiter. Uncertain , we asked him to recommend the best of the lot. He got us - Thai Cooler, a concoction of pepsi, sprite, orange crush along with kiwi syrup and Farahan, a cocktail made of tabasco, guava juice, chilli powder and salt. The cola drink was too sweet for my palate but the guava cocktail was just perfect to beat the hot weather outside. A lovely start to hopefully a fabulous meal, I thought.

..[Left] Raw Mango Salad + [Right] Me Grop (Rice Noodles and Corn appetizer.)..

The menu card at Thai Pavilion is pretty elaborate with plenty options to both vegetarians and meat/sea food lovers. For us, first to arrive was an array of two salads - Young Papaya Salad, which will appease to all spice-lovers out there as it had a chilli kick and a subtly flavored Raw Mango Salad, which had a crunch to it due to pomegranate seeds and water chestnut. On the appetizer front, we had quite few options - Me Grop, the tiny bite sized rice noodle cups, Veggie spring rolls which were a quite ordinary and Corn cakes, flavored with red curry paste. I loved the idea of adding curry paste to corn patties. When the soup (Coriander Veggie) arrived, I found myself expecting a little more than a bunch of cut vegetables and lemony broth.

..veg spring rolls + corn cakes  (with red curry paste) + coriander veggie soup..

..the complimentary sauces on the table + the cheerful sous chef in the kitchen..

Living up to its name & reputation, the service at the restaurant is just impeccable. The waiters are knowledgeable and were cordial enough to answer all of our questions, especially when we wanted to get the tongues twisting Thai names of each dish right.
                   

Next came a big tray full of main course dishes. We asked for their best offerings and here is a run down of what was served to us to taste - 5 vegetarian and other two were pork and chicken (not for me, but for this meat lover)

Phad thai je (Stir fried flat rice noodles with vegetables) 
Phad phak bung tao jiew (Stir fried morning glory with yellow bean sauce)
Hei phad prik haeg (Water chestnuts and cashew nuts with red chilli paste)
Phad prio warn tao (Silky bean curd with sweet and sour sauce)
Yod ma prao bimmapen (Palm heart with cashewnut)

Moo phad krappaw (Stir fried pork with garlic, chillies and basil)
Kai phad med mamuang (Stir fried chicken with cashewnut)

...the main course has arrived...time to dig in..

Each of the main course items had something to behold, each one different from the next. The sauces, the textures and the plating were well thought of. A very special mention goes to palm hearts with cashew nuts and stir fried morning glory with yellow bean sauce & fried garlic chips on top. I never quite tasted such combinations before and each bite was bursting with freshness. We were told that all the exotic vegetables used in these recipes are imported from Bangkok and they are indeed cooked to perfection in each serving.

..Gaeng kiew warn ji (Thai green curry with vegetables). served with white rice...

A Thai meal in never complete without a green or red curry. Isn't it. We had our share of green curry and it tasted delicious and not too spicy with a serving of rice on the side.

..[Left] Phad Thai je (Stir fried flat rice noodles with vegetables) + [Right] Phad Phak Bung Tao Jiew (Stir fried morning glory with yellow bean sauce)

..Phad prio warn tao (Silky bean curd  i.e Tofu with sweet and sour sauce)...

...Yod ma prao Bimmapen (Palm hearts with cashew nuts in holy basil sauce)..

..Hei phad prik haeg (Water chestnuts and cashew nuts with red chilli paste)..

The Dessert - "Tub-tim Grob", meaning rubies in fresh coconut milk was made out of diced water chestnuts, tapioca flour, crushed ice and fresh coconut milk. It is so delectable that once I tasted it, was bound to return for another spoonful with an instant craving. I barely spoke a few words while eating it. The flowery hues added a nice charm to the dessert setting. We simply loved it and it was like as a palate cleanser, a perfect finale to an amazing meal.

..Tub-tim Grob (Rubies in fresh coconut milk)..

All in all, the second Thai Pavilion in the country (first one is at Mumbai) at Vivanta Taj, Hyderabad is an uber trendy and so is the food experience which is pretty impressive. Give it a try if you are in town and am sure you will be be glad that you paid a visit.

***********************************************************************************************************************************

Thai Pavillion, Vivanta Taj, Hyderabad

Recommendations: Farahan (Guava drink), Raw Mango Salad, Palm hearts with cashew nuts, Stir fried morning glory with yellow bean sauce and Tub-tim Grob (dessert)

Hours: 12 noon to 3 pm, 7.30 pm to midnight.
Location: 1st floor, Vivanta Taj, Begumpet, Hyderabad
Attire: Casual
Credit Card Accepted: Yes
Vallet Parking: Available
Telephone: 91 40 67252626

***********************************************************************************************************************************

Did you like what you just read. then Subscribe to Cooking With Siri feed  (OR)

Enter your email address and Never miss a post..


Delivered by FeedBurner

Be the first one to know what I am going to post next by "Liking" Cooking With Siri page on Facebook and follow me on twitter.

until next recipe,