Restaurant Review: Kangan at Westin Hyderabad

Over the years, Kangan has established a niche name for itself in the North-western frontier league that reinvents Peshawari traditions. Located in the indoor lower lobby level of the Westin mindspace, Kangan is a collage of the shimmering ornaments, the flashing colors and the aromas of Indian spices.

Kitchens of Kangan is a concept that’ll put forth the best of innovations from Westin Hotels and Resorts properties across India with Chef Shamsher Ahmed, Chef Rakesh Kumar and Chef Narayan Salunke representing The Westin Mumbai Garden City, The Westin Hyderabad Mindspace, The Westin Pune Koregoan Park properties respectively. After the successful promotion in Mumbai and Pune, the Kitchens of Kangan is in Hyderabad from 16th January to 1st February 2015 that promises a true culinary journey of the north western frontier cuisine. I was invited for a chef’s table lunch along with malt & wine pairing.

The ambiance of Kangan needs no introduction, bright colors, subtle glow of the candles and shimmering ornaments defines the concept of kangan.

The mélange of Panipuri with kokum syrup was the perfect start to a gourmet experience that gradually moved to the soup and starters (shuruaat).

SubzNooraniShorba, made with the first extract of coconut, lentil and fried onion garnish was robust and well balanced in its flavor.

The pannerpalakkesikke made with spinach and sandwiched with cottage cheese just melts in your mouth, though a little bland initially the subtle taste of spinach definitely complements the cottage cheese. SubztarkashkiSheekh, made with assorted vegetables, cheese and indian spices was bland potion which dint appeal to me much. TikkoniMirchi was slices of bell peppers stuffed with spicy potato cooked was slightlysquidgyand in my opinion could be a passé .

From the non-veg, Murgh Copra Masala was the first to follow, the crushed black pepper and the dry coconut was well balanced to make this perhaps the star of the afternoon. I’m used to see the nalli (meat) in the rogan josh, but the innovative Tandoori Nalli, lamb that was braised with cinnamon, malt vinegar & spices was slightly below my expectations, the meat was too dry, yet tender enough to fall off the bone. The Nimbuaurtulsika fish tikka was simply outstanding, the strong flavor of basil and the subtle taste of lemon grass that finishes as an after taste was too good.

For the mains, a wide array of dishes followed. The NazbuPaneer was the first in the list and true to my expectation this was the best among the veggie mains, the paneer roulade with a touch of basil and tomato gravy that was slightly tangy was well balanced, the roulade in itself was not too chewy and the subtle taste of the basil complimented it very well. Loved it !SubzAshiyana&Baghare Tripoli AlooMirchwas next to follow, but both of them were decent enough but definitely not outstanding.

Of the bread basket served, the jalapeno paratha was the most sought after that complimented all the curries.

PudinaGoshtkaSalan was another masterpiece that left a lasting impression on me. Lamb pieces cooked with onion, yogurt and then spiked with mint leaves, the rich robust flavor of the curry was absolutely awesome. Sarhad Ki Jhinga curry was quite good as well however the seasoning of coconut milk was overpowering the gravy which should have otherwise been robust. MurghGiloori Took was last one of the list, chicken pieces cooked along baby potato with garam masala was just a passé, which fail to overtake the restaurant’s signature Dal Kangan that was too good to be avoided. Lastly, was glad I had some space left for the Murgh Barista Pulao that was quite flavorful with aromatic spices.

From the meetha section, MathiaGajjarkameetha that was served on an Indian pastry, while I loved the texture and roulade of gajjar, the Indian pastry dint go well with it. The gulabPattekiKheer was super good in its own different way, but definitely the star was the paankulfi with gulkand caviar which was a refreshing way to end this gourmet experience.

On the whole, Iam glad that The Westin has come up with the concept of Kitchens of Kangan, aperfect blend of innovation with authenticity in the North West Indian cuisine that would brace you to a true culinary journey and tantalize your taste buds.

Photos and review by Vishal Fernandes