Life is a Vacation

It is always a pleasure to meet foodies around a table and the 23rd FBAB Meet (Food Bloggers Association, Bangalore) was yet another opportunity to meet old faces and interact with the new. This time we met in Paradise – at the opening of their 5th outlet in J P Nagar, Bangalore. Some years ago, my regular visits to Hyderabad were incomplete without popping into Paradise and the Haleem during Ramzan still lingers on my tongue.

The decor was simple and warm; proudly displaying some of their chefs in action and the spices that they use to maintain consistency. Their staff are courteus and welcoming and seated us in a corner which gave me a good glimpse of the wall with pictures of their celebrity patrons; 2 faces Sachin Tendulkar and Salman Khan make me smile any time, any where as I grow old with my girlhood heroes.

We started off with some chicken sweet corn soup while we waited for the starters to arrive. The Chilly Chicken and Chicken 65 was quickly followed by the Paneer and Prawn versions of the same. The Chilly Chicken and Chilly Prawn was just cooked right and melted in the mouth. I judge Chilly Chicken by the coating of batter and these guys win hands down with the right layering. Frankly, I was a little wary of Chinese styles in traditional Nizami place but they proved me wrong. Chicken 65 was a little tangy for my taste or maybe I was too impressed with Chilly Prawn to even give much notice. The star of the show was Apollo Fish; Basa marinated in curd and tandoori masalas and lightly fried/grilled to perfection!! The fish got polished off the plate no sooner than it was served on the table; so you can guess the taste 🙂

The Kabab Platters were a delight; be it Vegetarian or Non Vegetarian. To be true, I was too distracted by the Mutton Sheekh Kabab which had the balance of spice and flavour. The buttery soft chicken kabab was a perfect demure follow up after the overpowering mutton. While everyone was busy discussing chicken; I popped the Tandoori Jhinga.

Meanwhile, the Chef dropped in and gave us a summary of how Paradise manages to maintain consistency of taste and texture over the years and their training programs that ensures quality of food served across their multiple outlets.

I was already burping and had not yet made it to the Biryani that I was looking forward to. The special Biryani which was a mix of Chicken and Mutton packed a punch. The flavours absorbed by the long grained rice filled me in; I was nostalgic about something, I had not tasted in a while.

The accompanying Mirch ka Salan added moisture to the Biryani but was nothing close to spiciness as the name suggests. They lived up to their taste of legacy from Hyderabad!!

After a hearty meal, I was sipping through my glass of Fresh Lime Soda watching the amazing desserts being served!! I gave the Falooda a miss but hearing the slurps from my foodie friends, I rest assured of the taste. I helped myself to a little bit of everything (Gulab Jamoon,Gajar Halwa, Khubani Ka Meetha) for a sweet ending to the Yummilicious Evening in Paradise.

Location:

At the junction of 24th Main and 9th Cross, near R V Dental College, JP Nagar Phase 2. You cannot miss the big red board, the 3 storey building stares down at you.

What to Order:

I would strongly recommend the Kababs, Apollo Fish, Chilly Prawn and Chilly Chicken in the starters followed by some Biryani and of course the sweets that define Paradise of Hyderabad – Double Ka Meetha and Khubani ka Meetha.

Outlets:

They are also present in – Koramangala, BEL Road, Frazer Town, Indiranagar and they will be shortly present in Whitefield and Electronics City. They also have Take Away Facility at all their outlets

Thanks to FBAB and Paradise Food Court for including me to be a part of their journey!!

Related Posts:

1. Stone Grilled Fish in Brig Brewsky
2. When Hungry just head to Zzungry