Sunday, March 31, 2013

Review: Kuali.com


North Indian flavours at Trishna

TRISHNA RESTAURANT

Level B1(Nagasari Entrance), West Wing, 
Hotel Istana Kuala Lumpur
Business hours: 11.00am – 1.00pm
Tel: 012-382 0412, 016-212 1651, 016-212 1680

THERE is much depth to the menu at Trishna Restaurant, tucked away at the lower ground floor of Hotel Istana Kuala Lumpur, which opened two months ago.
True to its name, Trishna (which means desire for food), has a whole list of familiar-sounding Indian dishes like masala, vindaloo, korma, buttered chicken and curries.
THE APPETISERS: Nooraini Kebab, Ajwain Fish, Garlic Prawns, Tandoori Alor and Afghani Chicken.
According to restaurant owners, husband and wife Benny and Neeta Bedi, they have hired five chefs from different parts of India to ensure that the food served is authentic, just like how it’s prepared back home.
"We do not compromise on the taste. Anyone who has travelled to India would know that the food here is as close as to those served back there," said Neeta who is Indian by birth but has made Malaysia her home for the last 15 years.
A food lover and an avid cook herself, Neeta is an expert on Indian cuisine and does her supervision in the kitchen to make sure the food served is nothing less than superb.
We were served no less than five types of appetisers which came in the form of Nooraini Kebab, Ajwain Fish, Garlic Prawns, Tandoori Alor and Afghani Chicken.
The Carrot Pudding Halwa was made of carrot, milk, almonds and cashewnuts.
The most interesting was the Nooraini Kebabs which were small, round and sushi-like. These kebabs were made of minced mutton or chicken with finely cut vegetables and rich in taste. They were served in the right portion but you will be craving for more.
Next, the Ajwain Fish was really tasty. It was made of good quality Dory fish. You can request for other fish like pomfret or tenggiri but you need to alert the restaurant in advance.
The Afhani Chicken was grilled to perfection with loads of yoghurt, herbs, chilli and spices.
In fact, there was no need for the dipping sauce that accompanied the appetizers. They were delicious on their own and filling as well.
We also enjoyed the Tandoori-styled Prawn Masala. The prawns were of high quality and fresh, roasted to perfection and coated in rich and spicy masala sauce.
REFRESHING: The Fresh Mint-infused Lemonade had a perfect balance of sweet, sour and was slightly carbonated.
For main course, we had two types of brinjal dishes, Aloo Brinjal and Brinjal Masala, assorted Naans, Pulao Vegetarian Briyani, Dalcha, Buttered Chicken, Bendi Masala and Mutton Rogan Josh, which was clearly was our favourite dish.
Mutton Rogan Josh was mildly spicy and creamy while the meat was tender and juicy. It sure had the 'kick'.
The braised, mashed brinjal with spices and sour cream had a lovely consistency. According to Neeta, this dish was cooked on a slow fire and the richness came from the spices and yoghurt. It went very well with the Vegetable Briyani and Naans.
The Dalca tasted different than the ones served at other restaurants. It was a mix of tangy spices, roasted lentils, yogurt and tamarind relish, which made the dish delicious.
The Vegetable Briyani was aromatic and light which makes you crave for more.
For desserts, we were spoilt for choice. There were Pistachio Kulfi, Carrot Pudding Halwa and Gulab Jamun.
Kulfi, a traditional Indian ice-cream, is made of whipped cream, pistachios and almonds. It had an interesting texture and flavour to it.
The Carrot Pudding Halwa was made of carrot, milk, almonds and cashewnuts. The popular Gulab Jamun (honey balls) was mildly sweet and soaked in warm syrup.
To top it all, try the Fresh Mint-infused Lemonade which was refreshing. It had a perfect balance of sweet, sour and was slightly carbonated. This drink is supposed to aid digestion.
Dine in or take away, Trishna blends the best of Northern Indian cuisine.

Original Link URL:
http://kuali.com/news/story.aspx?file=/2011/8/9/ku_eatingout/20110809143520&sec=ku_eatingout

Saturday, March 23, 2013

Review: goodiefoodies.blogspot.com


We love Indian food... Back in the UK, we used to eat Indian food at least once a week, our favorite being the lamb rogan josh. We never quite found any place in KL that does it quite like the one we liked, until we dined in Trishna last week. 

Spice, rice and everything nice..

Trishna located in Hotel Istana has been around for a year now, serving authentic North Indian cuisine. Trishna means "the desire for good food" and good food  is what the owners hope to serve to its customers. The menu is quite extensive, lots to choose from, but if you ever feel like you need some help choosing, the owner Mr. Benny Bedi will be more than happy to offer a recommendation. Prices are pretty reasonable, with starters mostly around RM18 each and mains around RM20. 

We were told that Trishna's popular items are the appetizers. When we quizzed Benny which is his favorite dish at the restaurant, he answered "rogan josh". We're in luck! 

An assortment of delicious mains

Ambience


A pink rose at every table

We started off with their signature drink, mango lassi (RM8) - sweet and creamy. 


Some pappadoms to snack on while waiting

The first starter to arrive was the Hara Bhara Kebab (RM18), which is vegetarian but surprisingly very good. We could taste lots of spices, though we couldn't quite make out what spice it was... we were told that it consists of 5-6 different spices. Crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.



Next was the Afghani Chicken (RM18), tender pieces of chicken marinated in yoghurt and cashewnut paste and then grilled. It looks, tastes and feels very healthy, quite a light starter I would say. 



We liked the presentation for the Fish Ajwain (RM18), which arrived on a sizzling mini BBQ. This kept the fish warm and the aroma of the spices wafting towards our nose! I thought it was chicken when I first saw it, but once I bit into it, the unmistakable fresh flavours of the sea came through. We were told that dory fish was used, coated with caraway seeds and grilled. This was my favourite starter of the evening, I had 3 pieces ;)




A different presentation for the fish ajwain but I much prefer the bbq way, since it keeps the fish warm too. 



The thing about Indian food is that it is quite filling, but our hosts fed us well and we just couldn't resist going over our eating limit because the food was good.  For mains, we were served chicken tikka masala (British national dish, believe it or not), mutton rogan josh, bhindi masala, yellow dal, saag paneer with jeera rice and a basket of different breads.

I think everyone at our table loved the rogan josh, the mutton did not have the weird "sou" smell you sometimes get with mutton and it was cooked til really tender and flavourful.  I also loved the bhindi masala (ladyfingers) and chicken tikka masala, both very yummy and I kept dousing my rice with more and more gravy.

The only thing I didn't quite like was the cottage cheese (saag paneer), but that's because it is more of an acquired taste. We were told of how the cottage cheese was made (milk curdled with lime and then pressed to get the cottage cheese) which sounds quite laborious, in turn making us feel quite bad for not knowing how to appreciate this dish.


Tarka dal (yellow dal) (RM16)

Mutton rogan josh (RM24) - excellent!

Chicken tikka masala (RM20)

Bhindi masala (RM15) - I love ladyfingers so I loved this!

Saag paneer (RM18)

An assortment of bread

Jeera rice (RM9)

The desserts were a little on the sweet side, though for me, I don't mind it since I love all things sweet. I liked both the gulab jamun (also made from milk but boiled) (RM14) and mango kulfi (RM12).

Gulab jamun

Mango kulfi

The marsala tea with a hint of ginger and spices was the perfect end to our meal. We sipped the tea and laughed some more.




Thank you to our hosts Benny and Neeta for the wonderful evening, both entertaining us with good food and great laughs.


Verdict: Food is delicious and reasonably priced, we will definitely come back again. And after your meal, you can head downstairs to the Oscar Club for some live entertainment (heard there are a bevy of beautiful ladies performing Bollywood dance every night)

Full menu can be viewed here.  Full set of photos available to view here. 

Opening times: 11am to 3pm, 6pm to 1am. 

Location: Trishna, Hotel Istana, Level B1, 73 Jalan Raja Chulan, 50200 Kuala Lumpur. 

Tel: 012-375 0412 (Benny)

Website: http://www.trishna.com.my 

Original Link URL:
http://goodyfoodies.blogspot.com/2012/02/north-indian-cuisine-trishna-hotel.html

Review: Youresty.com


The first love bite is most remembered and the craving for more can go a long way. Trishna restaurant tells a tale of love for Northern Indian Cuisine. This restaurant captures a conceptual love story between man and good food. Each of its dishes is interestingly cooked with garden-fresh spices and natural ingredients to capture its best original taste.
First up! The famous yoghurt drink which we called the “Lassi”. Sweet and Mango Lassi are two of the most common ones, but have you tried Salted Lassi before? My first time trying and it was remarkably good!
Their Papadum is different than the others I must say. Every crunchy piece of it is flavoured with Indian spices instead of just a thin layer of crispy flour.
Not forgetting to drizzle some refreshing mint sauce on it! *crunch*
Murgh Malai Tikka
Tender and juicy chicken cutlet marinated with yoghurt and cheese, perfectly grilled in a tandoor (clay oven).
Price: RM16.00
iRate: 8/10
Amritsari Fish
Boneless fish spiced with fresh herbs from the land of Punjab.
Price: RM17.00
iRate: 7/10
Hara Bhara Kabab
Vegetarian bites with healthy and aromatic ingredients.
Price: RM15.00
iRate: 7/10
Vegetables and spices in it
A heaping basket of freshly-baked Naan for us to eat along with the upcoming Indian dishes.
Garlic Naan
Price: RM8.00
Plain Naan
Price: RM4.00
Tandoori Naan
Price: RM4.00
Dal Tadka
A popular dish of thick stew with the lentils as the main ingredient.
Price: RM16.00
iRate: 7/10
Jeera Rice
With ‘Jeera’ the Hindi word for Cumin seeds, this warm bowl of fragrant basmati rice is just too addictive to eat with all the creamy curry dishes.
Price: RM7.00
iRate: 8/10
The fluffy long grain rice
Goan Fish Curry
A sinfully delicious plate of fish curry cooked with fresh coconut milk.
Price: RM18.00
iRate: 8/10
Kadai Chicken
Tender roasted chicken with capsicum and onion with special spice
Price: RM18.00
iRate: 7/10
Saag Paneer
A classic North Indian dish of creamy spinach with chunks of cottage cheese
Price: RM16.00
iRate: 8/10
Bhindi Masala
Sauteed ladies fingers with a blend of spices
Price: RM13.00
iRate: 7/10
Mine! A mixture of everything.
The mastermind of this Indian dine-in venue is the lovely couple, Benny and Neeta Bedi who has been married for 28 years. Here’s the playful Benny who likes to joke around with us when we were having a delightful Indian feast. We all had a great time indeed!
More delicious add-ons!
Stuffed Tangdi Kebab Special
Roasted chicken drumsticks stuffed with minced mutton
Price: RM12.00
iRate: 7/10
Evie ready to take a huge bite!
Refreshing Jal Jeera to ease our overly-stuffed tummy.
Here comes the North Indian desserts
Rasmalai
Sugary white, cream or yellow colored flattened balls of cottage cheese soaked in clotted cream.
Price: RM10.00
iRate: 7/10
Gajar Halwa
A traditional Punjabi dessert made with shredded carrots, milk, almonds and cashew nuts.
Price: RM8.00
iRate: 7/10
Gulab Jamun
Deep-fried dough balls immersed in warm sweet syrup
Price: RM8.00
iRate: 6.5/10

Where Is Trishna Restaurant?
Hotel Istana
Level B1, West Wing,
73, Jalan Raja Chulan,
50200 Kuala Lumpur.
Tel: +603 2142 1575 / +6012 375 0412



Eat Love Share, Esty.
Original Link URL:
http://youresty.com/2011/11/chapter-281-trishna-one-of-the-best-indian-cuisine-in-town/