b! Review: Azulia @ T.Nagar

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When you get food from ten countries in one buffet spread, that is the place to head for lunch, says Sandhya Ramachandran about the weekend lunch buffet at Azulia.

When a beautiful lady in traditional Turkish wear welcomes you into a romantically lit Mediterranean café, you know you are in store for the exotic. Turkish plates line up the walls. There is a cosy recess painted blue, with strings of wooden beads veiling it from the archway. And one wanted to believe that, that was where they store their secret ingredients in Azulia- the Meditteranean restaurant at GRT Grand, T.Nagar!

Settle down on those roughly polished azure wooden chairs with hints of rouge, and sip on your red wine. And slowly begin your cold mezze plate. We suggest you start your gourmet meal by nibbling on your dolmades de vines. It is chewy and very home made in its taste. Chef Ethem Aydemir, Executive Spciality chef, is always around for a quick chat, so be sure to ask him for some stories from his life in the Mediterranean as you spread some hummus (chickpeas mashed in tahina, with seasoning and a dash of lime) or mutabal (smoke roasted egg plant with garlic, tahina, lemon juice and olive oil) on your kuboos (Arab flat bread).

He’ll tell you how he made the unforgettable aromatic mohamara by mixing five nuts with cumin, tomato and variety of Mediterranean spices with the flavour of onion chilli and virgin olive oil. When Chef Ethem is around, you don’t have to worry about not knowing your P’s and Q’s on the table. He’ll help you order, tell you everything you want to know about the cuisine and the culture or keep you entertained with a casual chat.

We are sure you’ll ask for a second helping of the mohamara as the combination is startlingly good. Post the mohamara, as you bite into your falafel and hear Turkish music from within (never mind that they are also playing it on the speakers), take some time out from that delightfully tasty and crunchy patty, to flip through their regular menu, or rather book. With information about the culture and food of Greece, Turkey, Lebanon, Israel, Egypt, Malta, Morocco, Spain, France, and Italy, it is more a coffee table book than a menu!

If you were one of those who loved their Phantom Cigarettes as a kid, theBourak Bel Jibneh (or the cigar-like roll filled with halloumi, feta, emmental cheese, onion and herbs) would delight you. The outer filo layers are crispy and evened out so thin; you wonder how it was humanly possible.

Move over then to the Fatayer – Lebanon’s answer to our samosa, only that this one has a filling of spinach, pomegranate, sumac, onion in olive oil and lemon juice. Definitely interesting but not something we’d come back for.

The Israeli dish of Jawaneh – chicken wings deep fried and sauteed with garlic, lemon, oil and coriander – was what we tried next. The chicken was hard on the inside although the gravy was delicious. The garlic prawn that followed was cooked really well. It was a simple elegant dish, very nicely prepared.

We had a passion fruit sorbet for a palate cleanser. It is a shame to reduce this spectacularly made sorbet to that of an in-the-passing role. We vote for it to have its own throne in the dessert section.

For the main course we had the Antolian Moussaka. If one were to write a song in cheese, this dish would be it. The béchamel cheesy, creamy sauce melted into the fried aubergines (which had a to-die-for crisp outer ring) and blended with potato, chick peas and carrots in the plum tomato sauce to produce a truly orgasmic dish! Fact: we still lust after this moussaka days after consuming it.

The Hutta Bitir Zalza was the non-vegetarian equivalent of what the Moussaka was for the veggie tongue. This dish comprising of a fish fillet grilled with flat parsley, garlic and lemon bandage was excellently cooked. The gravy was a tad high on salt for us. Nevertheless we believe that this fish is our best bet as a contender for world peace through food.

The baklava (layered puffs stuffed with nuts and topped with wild honey and perfumed rosewater) bossed over the dessert section with its proudly layered nutty presence. Absolutely delicious, definitely, but what beat the baklava and nested itself into our mouths and hearts was the chocolate soufflé! The foodie manifestation of a heart-warming long hug, this soufflé erupts to ooze out a hot chocolate lava. With sugar dusted over its crusty top, it is a pleasure to look at, taste and die for!

The blueberry cheesecake that was next on our dessert plate was very well made with the sweet berry merrily complimenting the delicate dissolving cheesecake. We also had the vanilla ice cream with strawberry sauce transporting us to our childhood days when ice cream parlours used to squirt squash on the dollop of ice-cream.

The lunch menu has a lot of elements from their Greek festival last year, with of course the other countries adding their dishes to the list. And what’s more, you could even peep into the kitchen and ask Chef Ethem and his men “what’s cooking”. Head to Azulia over the weekend with your family, sit back and be transported to a land of azure skies, sun and sea through some great food!

Must Try: Mohamara, Hutta Bitir Zalza, Antolian Moussaka, baklavaand chocolate soufflé

Meal for two: Rs. 2800+taxes

Pictures Courtesy: Azulia

Additional photographs: Sandhya Ramachandran