Lal Qila
Darling Harbour
30 Lime St,
King St Wharf
SYDNEY
One of the best dishes ever was the Lahori Chatkhare. It was so impressive! So vibrantly colourful and incredibly delicious. It was fresh, crisp and so very tasty. This dish was made up of spinach leaves in a crispy lentil batter, sweet and spicy blend of potato sticks, puffed rice, nuts, raisins, topped with yoghurt, tmarind, chilli and mint. This heavenly dish had a slight kick that was very subtle. It really was such a shame at having to share this yummo dish! Mlady could have eaten it all by herself.
Lal Qila has been open only one month and has seating capacity for 160-170. There is also outside seating. It is BYO - but NO charge for corkage. They have a selection of "mocktails" and we tried the Jaam-e-LAL QILA which is described on the menu as -our favourite summer drink, mingles of watermelon with a twist of fresh lemon and masala. The other mocktail we tried was Jaam-e-Noor-e-Nazer (Virgin Piña Colada) - described as - Our specialty frozen Piña Colada made with Non Alcoholic Rum, pineapple juice and Topped with toasted coconut. These really went well with our delicious meal. It did not matter that they were not alcoholic - we enjoyed them immensely. There is an open kitchen where you can see all the action taking place.
We commenced our meal with a serving of light crisp Pappadums - such a good way to start - and these were accompanied with a blend of homemade pickles and relishes, which we ate with the Pappadums as well as spreading them on our various dishes. We love a good relish and pickles. These certainly had good flavours with a couple having a nice "bite to them".
There were quite a few signature dishes and we tried a couple of them. The Alamgiri Bihari Boti - Chicken tenderloins marinated in special spices & yogurt then grilled in such a way that will only lead your taste buds to heaven. Served on a hot platter with fried onions on top. These were so tender and mouthwatering. This dish also had a great "bite" which we loved.
The other signature dish we tried was the Noohrani Salmon - Tender boneless morsels of fresh Atlantic salmon marinated overnight in traditional herbs and spices, and a creamy yogurt seasoning, and then baked to perfection in a tandoor. . How good was this! It was baked to perfection and there was a very yummy crispy skin - delish. Both being seafood lovers we loved this dish.
We then had Handie - the well-known cooking technique – Dum Pukht, that is cooking the dish with steam until it matures, is said to be an innovation of the Royal Kitchens. Being on fire – sealed with dough though it takes hours and hours to prepare, but the aroma keeps everyone waiting to relish the flavours of the dish. Getting back to the olden days when the traditional method of slow cooking was practiced in the royal kitchens of the Mughals. The magic behind the deliciousness and mouth-watering delicacies of the Mughlai cuisine is the traditional art of slow cooking, known as Dum Pukht, where the dish is cooked until it matures completely. The choices of meat in a clay pot is boneless chicken, lamb, beef, Paneer, fish or prawns or you may choose to have fish and prawn cooked together. We had prawns and the flavours and aroma of this dish were mesmerising. Sir could have eaten this dish all by himself - but he had to share!
Then we tried Zafrani Tawa Chop - A traditional Punjabi market dish, chicken or lamb cooked up on a piping hot plate (tawa) with tomato, ginger, onion, gram masala & a whole host of spicy goodness. We had the chicken and again the flavours and textures were just so tasty. Everything combined well - nothing was overpowering.
We had a serving of different breads that were tasty and fluffy. we used them to dip in the relishes and pickles and also to dip in our delectable meals. The other good thing about the bread is that you could - and we did - eat them by themselves - they were that nice.
The serving of rice we had was - Darbari Pulao - long grain basmati rice cooked with saffron, garden fresh vegetables, fried onion and spices to perfection. It was so good that you could just eat this as a meal by itself. Combining the rice with our dishes just added to the dishes delciousness (is there such a word?).
Our last dish was Sultani Sarson Da Saa specialty of Punjab of the sub - continent region, freshly pureed mustard weed with spinach, infused with curry flavours, butter and green chilli. This was a vegetarian dish packed with flavour.
For dessert we shared - Aam ki Kul - an innovation dessert of traditional "kulfi" ice cream flavoured with mango and almonds. Topped with pistachios. The other dessert was - Shahi Kul - a real Punjabi kulfi on the stick, flavoured with Pistachios and almonds. Topped with pistachios and almonds. These were a refreshing way to compliment our amazing meal.
We completed our meal with an after dinner mint and a teaspoon piled with a combination of mint and aniseed. Delicious!
The food at Lal Qila is Pakinstani - Indian. The dishes are delicious and the combinations are impressive, full of flavour and divine.
Sir and Mlady dined as guests of Lal Qila. Special thanks to Lola Perrin from Papaya PR for this invitation. Huge thank you to Chef/owner Namir for taking time out from his busy schedule to chat with us and share his very obvious passion. Thanks also to Adil and Komal for looking after us on the night.