The Lunch Box @ Spice Junxtion, Taj Deccan

We often seem to undermine how big a part of our lives food is but on introspection you’d realize that the fondest memories of our childhood are often associated with food in some form or the other. Whether it was your first encounter with your friends in school or the chats in the workplace, its that conspicuous “Lunch Box” which helped break the barrier, connecting you to people through the sweet aroma of your home cooked meals. Whether its the joyful nostalgia of your packed school lunches or the ready-to-go meals in a fast moving day in office, these tiffins have been an integral part of our lives without us even taking notice. Celebrating the legacy of this unsung hero, Spice Junxtion is hosting a month long Lunch Box Food Fest here at Taj Deccan, infusing the myriad flavours of Southern India, all served in a box.

Served in form of a luxurious 5-course meal, the menu takes the traditional route, blending in several culinary innovations which cater to the palates of both vegetarians as well as the non vegetarians, followed by a course of Chef’s special desserts. Diving into the food now, my course began with a serving of the Amuse Bouche of Pineapple Rasam with Punugulu which rightly set the expectation for the Southern roller-coaster which was to follow. The hint of pineapple mellowed out the pungency of Rasam, giving the flavours a well rounded twist which went really well with the crisp fried Punugulu.

And within a few minutes of finishing up on that arrived the much anticipated tower of steel boxes opening each of which diffused the aroma of individually exquisite regional specialities. Kodi Vepudu or the Chicken Fry served as the appetizer having a simplistic preparation of spicy batter fried chicken, a recipe which is prevalent in almost all Andhra households with the chicken wrapped in a fiery red attire.

The mains had a variety of vibrant dishes on display, including the Mamsam Kura (Mutton Curry), Tomato Pappu (Tomato Dal) and Poriyal, all of which was served with humongous Pooris and an assortment of other condiments including pickles, curd, ghee and papads. More than the balanced flavours of the curries, I enjoyed the fact that each of these dishes brought influences from different regions down South together in a plate immaculately, giving the produce due respect and preserving the authenticity of the overall product. Be it Tomato Pappu from Andhra or the Tamil quintessential Poriyal, each of the dishes did their roles brilliantly in the bigger picture making it a wonderful meal as a whole. My favourite however came out to be the Mamsam Kura which had possibly the most tender meat I’ve had in a while, all of which came slow-cooked in a onion-tomato based gravy. The richness coming from the sauted onions followed by a tangy undertone coming from the tomato was what made this one special as well as so addictive. Special mention to their Pulihora or Lemon Rice having a subtle zing from the lemons but loaded with texture elements like peanuts and fried lentils, perfect accompaniment with the Tomato Pappu and Ghee.

The desserts held yet another spectacle, having a handful of dishes but boy were they delicious. The tiffin of 3 this time had some fresh cut seasonal fruits, Hyderabadi favourite Khubani ka Meetha and a Kerala festive season special Parripu Payasam. Most of the places in the city do a version of Khubani ka Meetha which at the end becomes an over-sweet mush of apricots which ofcourse considering the calculative use of the ingredients, wasn’t the case here. The dish turned out to have a fine balance of sweetness with the apricots having a slight natural crunch, something that I personally liked. The best one however had to be the Parripu Payasam which aptly blended the richness of coconut milk with the nutty tartness from Moong Dal, transforming it into a super-addictive delight.

Being one of the star properties in the town, the service here at Spice Junxtion within the Taj was no short of a delight. An ever-attentive staff attending to each and every need of the diner with a pleasing smile on their face – that’s all that you would require from the service staff which is exactly the treatment that I received. Kudos to the kitchen too for keeping up the pace and pushing out dishes course-wise at just the right time intervals. All in all, talk about either the concept, the quality of dishes served or even the pricing – every aspect of this “Lunch Box” fest has been minutely taken care of which makes it well worth a try!

#Featured #Luxury #SouthIndian