Jashn, the name itself speaks about the vibrant energy one can expect at this place. Jashn-E-Audh, Celebration of Audh as translated into English is true to its name. It does give one the much needed opportunity to be a part of the celebration of good Awadhi cuisine, which has been missing since long. A good number of restaurants do have a few dishes scattered on their menu’s here and there albeit none of them did the true justice to what the Awadhi cuisine had to offer. More than anything else, it is the sheer love that goes into making these dishes that makes Awadhi cuisine a must have on the list of “
Cuisines to Try before I Die”.
Finding a full-fledged restaurant serving Awadhi Cuisine was long needed in Hyderabad, given the advent of various types of cuisines venturing into Hyderabad Food Scene. Hyderabad can boast of catering cuisines from North to South and East to West. The Central Part of India was what was missing for long and this vacuum gets filled with the advent of Jashn-e-Audh.
My Introduction to Awadhi Cuisine
Awadhi Cuisine was never an alien cuisine for me, given the fact that my maternal side hails from the region of Uttar Pradesh was more than enough to ensure I had good acquaintance with what Awadhi Cuisine had to offer. The tryst with Awadhi Cuisine was always on at home with the Mutton Khichda, Seasonal Deewani Handi, Dahi ke Aloo/Bhindi/Arbi, Kathal (Jack Fruit) Dum Biryani. The occasional Awadhi treat was more than what we could ask for. The regular food affair at home was spread across Gujarati Cuisine, Awadhi Cuisine and Hyderabadi Cuisine. Paternal being from Gujarat, Maternal from Lucknow and settled in Hyderabad, the food at home always used to be a proper amalgamation of various cuisines. Palak Parantha or Methi Parantha was relished the same way as we used to relish Dhokla or Khaandvi. Occasional Shammi Kebabs or Aloo Kebabs were blessing in disguise, given the rarity with which these were made at home.
Ambience
The décor has an upmarket feel and the place very well utilized to give each one the required privacy to relish their food. The intricate design of the partitions reminds me of the beautiful ventilators we used to have in our house, when we were kids. Love the simplicity and the beauty with which the interiors have been made up to ensure one feels the rich opulence of the place and is still comforting.
How did I land at Jashn-e-Audh
Jashn-e-Audh has been on my Must-Visit-ASAP list & that too with real high expectations given the torturous wait for the opening of the outlet since the time I’ve seen the boards being up during the holy month of Ramzan. Gorging on a delicious bowl of piping hot haleem, my eyes wander around the place to be glued at one place, Jashn-e-Audh, the name of the restaurant, hidden from plain sight put up on the frontage of a building, which very shyly declared about the place coming up soon. This was the moment; I made up my mind to visit this place as soon as it opens. Been waiting for a good time, following various sources for information regarding the grand opening of this place. Then started the lull period of gastronomical sabbatical, I undertake every year. This year, I ended up replenishing myself after the sabbatical at Jashn-e-Audh and it was truly worth the wait.
The Gastronomical Adventure at Jashn-e-Audh
You can never do justice to a place, until you’ve not tasted all the dishes served there. The order was pretty elaborate given the wait and the people in attendance.
Time to Wake Up Buds!!! - Murgh Badami Shorba, Yakhni Palak Shorba, Nalli Ka Awadhi Shorba
Murgh Badami Shorba
A beautiful amalgamation of flavors is what defines this. The strong flavors of almond are more than enough to sooth those taste buds and slowly wake them up from their deep slumber. The minced chicken, cooked in almond-chicken broth dish does tease you beautifully and leaves you enchanted and longing for more. The generous usage of almonds makes this a very heavy soup. I for one would have this again, given the immense flavors this has to offer.
Yakhni Palak Shorba
The only time I used to relish Palak Soup was after a bout of high fever and the much needed energy it used to provide to help one bounce back onto the feet. Never expected the humble Palak Soup could be so great to eat. The freshness of Spinach puree is felt in every spoonful of this soup. Only grouse, the flavors of spinach do not seep into the minced meat. Would have been bliss, if the minced meat was cooked in the same spinach puree as served as soup to give it that taste.
Nalli Ka Awadhi Shorba
Unlike the other two thick shorba’s served, this was much thinner and leaner as compared to the others. The shorba lacked the depth of flavors, was more of like the Chilli-Pepper Soup, one has when down with cold. The soup failed to tick the right boxes due to the lack of flavors and generous usage of red chilli. The flavors were missing in action in this dish. Could have been due to the overpowering flavors of other shorba’s, however said that, each needs to stand on his own and make their presence felt.
Kickass Starters - Galawati Kebab, Mahi Awadhi, Gusse Waley Nawaab
Galawati Kebab
True to their name, Galawati does perfectly explain, what it means, when we call something that melts. The Kebab is true Melt in the Mouth types with great taste. The entire process of making this kebab as per the original recipe might be a painful exercise, given the secret list of ingredients and spices, which kind of run into 100 odd spices mixed together to make this delicacy. The overpowering flavors and soft tender meat make this a true melt in the mouth dish. I dare you to stop at one, I do see IMPOSSIBLE written in bold all over.
This was the best Galawati Kebab’s I’ve had till date, when I look back and compare this with all the other places I’ve had this. The Galawati Kebabs served here are a few 100’s notches higher than the ones I’ve always used as a benchmark and had at a place, which serves food either in a cave or amidst the jungles of Africa. If you ain’t having this here, then you are seriously missing something.
Mahi Awadhi
Fresh fillets of fish fried in a delicately flavored batter of mint and raw mango. Not too often do we encounter great dishes made of fresh fish in this part of the country, this for sure stands out for the freshness and flavor. The dish oozed of flavors of mint, a hint of raw mango and a distinct smoky flavor. As long as the fish does not smell funny, it’s truly delectable.
The rich aroma of spices blends pretty well with the chutney served with the starter as an accompaniment. Special mention for the Onions coated in Turmeric flavored curd. Could not help myself from asking for more of this, only to be relished as is. The Mahi Awadhi does remind one of the Amritsari Macchi served at iconic Palace Heights. This dish does share the similar flavors in terms of aromatic fragrances.
Gusse Waley Nawaab
I was left to ponder over this question, “Nawaab Saab itna jyaada ghusse mein kyon they?” for long, trying to understand what made the Nawaab so angry that they had to make a dish on his anger. The soft, boneless pieces of chicken, marinated in spices were well done and soft to eat. The chicken however lacked the flavors, which should have seeped deep into each piece. The starter was a bit tad too bland to taste and needed a rejig by trying to have it with the chutney served. The lack of flavors was what made this dish a strict no on my list.
Kuch Khaas - Mutton Rezala, Ghost Pasanda
Mutton Rezala
Beautiful pieces of lamb meat cooked in rich, aromatic, fragrant gravy of ground cashew nuts makes this dish a must have. Seldom do we see places serving boneless mutton in their main course dishes and Mutton Rezala is one dish, which stands out of the lot for having 3 huge pieces of soft, tender meat, diagonally cut from the thigh. The thick cashew based gravy makes it a rich, opulent meal for the day. A bit on the sweeter side due to the usage of cashew, onions, this dish is a perfect accompaniment for their Nawabi Paratha.
Gosth Pasanda
Loved this dish due to the steaks of mutton, which were cooked to perfection and were oozing of flavors. Each bite of this ensured an explosion of flavors and hunger for more. Being not very spicy, this was a bit on the milder side too. Each piece of mutton was engulfed in plethora of flavors and did do justice to the hungry taste buds asking for more.
Roti, Shoti and More - Nawabi Paratha, Rumali Roti
Nawabi Paratha
The Nawabi Paratha were a bit on the sweeter side, I guess due to the usage of abundant butter and of course, had a hint of the sweetness of Khowa, which could have been used during the kneading process. If you love experimenting with food, a must try for sure. At least for the mere experience of having something so rich, oozing with loads of butter and a bit sweet to taste. A good accompaniment for Mutton Rezala or Ghost Pasanda.
Rumali Roti
Rumali Roti at Jashn-e-Audh was a first time experience for me as I’ve never seen a Rumali Roti made with Wheat. Rumali Roti ideally was always seen made with Maida, whereas this was made of wheat and was as soft as the usual maida rumali roti’s we get at other places. This is a must have for sure and I do not mind going down to Jashn-e-Audh for a takeaway of these Wheat based Rumali Roti’s.
Kuch Meetha Ho Jaaye - Mirch ka Halwa, Lychee Phirni
Mirch ka Halwa
Who in their wildest dreams could have imagined a desert could be churned out of the spiciest of the vegetables around? Should have to be either a Lucknowi or Hyderabadi guy for sure. Reason why I mention Hyderabadi, ever heard about “
Pyaaz Ki Kheer”, origin unknown to many, authentic styled Pyaaz ki Kheer is still being made in few of the households of the old city, who hold the recipe very close to heart and do not let this desert fade away into oblivion.
Mirch ka Halwa is something on the similar lines. A person might find it hard to perceive and connect the dots as to how could two varied things come together to produce a dish so good to taste. The Mirch ka Halwa has the aroma of green chilies, a slight after taste of green chilies and does not taste the same while eating it. The moment one eats a spoonful of this halwa, one gets those flavors of Moong Ki Dal ka Halwa and the after taste takes a drastic turn to give one the slight fiery after taste of the green chilies. A good experimental desert, if you’ve never tried it till now.
Lychee Phirni
A lychee flavored phirni served cold. The phirni is made just perfect with the right amount of sugar levels. The minimalistic usage of sugar helps one relish the flavors of lychee fruit, which is buried deep within the phirni.
Overall experience, one would feel the royalty being served on the platter. The rich, opulent, aromatic, fragrant food served makes one think and relive the golden old days of the Nawabs of Lucknow. I for one would return back for more that Jashn-e-Audh has to offer. As I mentioned earlier, “you can never do justice to a place, until you’ve not tasted all the dishes served there”. Before I end this, would like to thank the captain “Sharath” for taking us through this amazing gastronomical journey at Jashn-e-Audh.
Till then, in true Lucknowi tehzeeb….. “
Mezbaani aur Khidmat mein aap ne koi kami toh nahi kee hai, par khuda jhoot na bolaye, pet bharaa hai par dil nahi bharaa.”
Read more Gastronomical Adventures of Traveloholic on https://www.zomato.com/1point1