The Oriental Cruise

It was a treat to the eyes; the colourful array of fresh vegetables, fruits, herbs, spices, live counters, noodles, salads, sushi, curries arranged in neat rows – the food counter specially created for the Asean Friday Nights on the pool side of the dining space, ‘Square’, Novotel Hyderabad Airport, is indeed Asia at one glance.

An appetizing fare that cruises across Indonesia, Malaysia, Phillipines, Singapore, Thailand, Japan and China is devised in such a way that every Friday, a new menu is served to the week-end revelers. To be served and relished along with the food are the cocktails that are Asian too, and some like the chilli-pineapple Martinis with its sweet-spicy tinge are interestingly presented in the scooped out pineapple.

On the inaugural Friday, we were served the Tom yum goong, the Thai soup with its appetizing sea food flavour to begin the Asian cruise. With so many cuisines involved, it was hard to choose between the variety of freshly tossed salads that included the Korean kimchi and its Chinese sibling, the Som tom maamung that has made the timely use of grated mango with sweet and spicy dressing and the pickles of chicken, shrimp, dry fish etc.

What followed was the perfectly done dimsums that one tried along with shezwan sauce. On the starter menu was the curried chicken with a heady garlic coriander flavour, the crispy prawns and tofu roll and the delicious Thai corn pattie. Yet another sauce that made its mark as an accompaniment was the peanut tomato sauce.

As one walked around the live counter, trying to choose between the phad Thai and the fried rice, one found the Asian burger begging to be tried – the street style Mangolian steamed bun (How Asian can that be that a burger uses a steamed bun and not the unhealthy baked version) topped with steamed chicken or vegetable was indeed a tasty deviation.

On the main course were the Prawns in X.O. sauce, the Malay Redang beef, steamed basa fillets flavoured with ginger-lemon sauce, Thai green curry that was served with plain rice (one can ideally have it with sticky rice) and more. A vegetarian should also try the crunchy mixed Asian greens tossed in soy and garlic sauce.

On the desserts front are the cut fruits like apple, litchis, dates and the pancake made using palm sugar. To end it on a sweet note – the menu does serve well, but there could have been a better choice.

Venue: The Square, Novotel Hyderabad Airport
Date: Every Friday
Timings: 7 pm to 11 pm