Of Kings & Royal Food | An Experience At Khiva | Food Review | Restaurant Review

Food tells stories. Stories derived from history. One visit to Khiva and I had to delve in history books all over again, not that I am suddenly an expert on food or anything, but I do feel richer in terms of knowledge, apart from having fed on some really delicious food :)

So I had been hearing about fantastic food at Khiva for quite some time with a number of my foodie friends talking about awesome 'Mughlai' or 'north Indian food' or 'Kebabs' here. So I was under the impression that 

a) Khiva is apt for non-vegetarians and Kebab lovers only

b) It specializes in Mughlai & North Indian food

Pleased to be proven wrong on both counts on being invited for a food review here :)

Khiva is a UN world heritage site in Uzbekistan and this elegant mid-sized restaurant at Phoenix Marketcity,Kurla celebrates a potent combination of ambiance, food and hospitality from the region. Here is where our food knowledge can be expanded. Usually, we look at dishes like Kebabs, Biryani, Paneer gravy and just say 'oh this is north Indian/Mughlai/Awadhi/Hyderabadi' food. But food, here, tells us a story. Of how humanity has evolved through trade and wars, how our cuisines have taken in elements from all over the place to reach its present state. Khiva was an important landmark in the famous Silk Route, as such Uzbek food incorporates techniques and flavors of Central Asia as well as Russia. Meats & veggies marinated and slow cooked for hours in their own juices,yup,that comes from here. Moving ahead in the same area, we have Afghani cuisine that includes a lot of nuts and fruits. Punjabi cuisine includes a lot of seasonings and spices. Mughlai brings together Indian and Persian cooking techniques to create rich,calorie-dense dishes. And so on..Phew! So Khiva ventures to give us the best from all these cuisines, isn't that a delicious food for thought!

The tables, cutlery and paintings on the wall bring the rustic and rugged topography of Khiva to life while a special word for the staff whose passion for the food and the way they describe each dish deserves an applause. Top notch hospitality and my favorite part-use your hands to have food here (not that the staff won't provide you cutlery if you ask for it,but be rugged like people in Khiva to truly enjoy everything!

The menu is presented in the form of a newspaper with a glimpse into the lifestyle, hospitality and food habits of Khiva. Take a culinary tour through Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and..you get the idea :D Oh,one more thing, there is a certain whiff of smokiness in the area and in every dish here, it can be decidedly meaty for hardcore veggies so don't be alarmed!

Before the dishes started pouring in, we had crunchy bread sticks (para) to munch on with a delicious yogurt-cheese dip. Then,we started off our journey with piping hot Tamater Shorba (Tomato Soup seasoned with Indian spices),pretty different from the usual tomato soups served everywhere, quite delicious. 

Next came in their bestselling dish Peshawari Paneer Tikka (Creamy Malai Paneer marinated in Yoghurt flavored with Yellow Chilli and cooked on char grill), these are huge blocks of paneer made in-house and coated perfectly with imported yellow chillies + yogurt marinade, scrumptious, this 1 dish is enough to fill up a light eater! 

We did like Mutter Aur Cheese Ka Tikka (Patties of Green Peas & Herbs stuffed with Cheese and Saffron), though it was a bit too calorie-dense, completely fried in Ghee and hiding huge blobs of cheese inside, also the green peas were a bit dry, overall okay.

Among Veg Kebabs, we had Subz Lacheela Kebab (Assorted Vegetables Kebabs encased in Vermicelli) and Makai Seekh Kebab (Veg Seekh Kebabs of Corn spiced with Herbs),while the former felt completely like a non-veg kebab (the aroma was very meaty,very different taste also compared to any other kebab we have ever had,so hardcore veggies watch out!), the latter was my mom's favorite as it was spicy, soft, flavorful in every bite :) Personally I am not a big fan of Kebabs but I completely understand why everyone says Khiva serves extraordinary Kebabs (if the Veg versions are good,the non veg has to be out of this world :D)

All the starters are served alongside 5 delectable dips, ranging from very spicy to sweet, my favorite being the mint yogurt and dates dips :)

The portions are so generous and food is so rich that just an array of appetizers is enough to fill anyone up,but ofcourse, we being a group of Hulk level foodies, had to try their main course too :D The star dish is undoubtedly THE Dal Khiva here (Black lentils cooked overnight and simmered with tomatoes, ginger, garlic, cream & butter on hot embers), the 8-hour cooking process giving it an unbeatable aroma and texture. I never have dal anywhere but THIS, I could drink buckets of :D

Among veggies, we had Meloni Tarkari (Home style preparations of hand-picked seasonal garden vegetables finished with cream) and Paneer Khurchan (Cottage Cheese sauteed with tomato, capsicum and tempered with mustard), both spicy, generously laden with calories, delicious and went well with the array of Indian breads we had,which included -

Soft Tandoori Roti, 

Scrumptious Butter Naan and Ajwain Kulcha, 

Wholesome Trikoni Missi Roti (Bread made of Gram Flour and Whole Flour spiced with chopped masala), 

Creamy sweet-ish Chakori Warqui (Rich layered bread cooked on griddle) AND

THE MUST-HAVE fluffly, delightful Khameeri Ki Roti (soft fermented Tandoori Roti) :)

We were almost on the verge of trying to get an extra stomach on rent, the desserts spread just sounded too tempting to pass up :D

Loved Khubhani Ka Meetha (rich creamy dried apricots stewed in honey and garnished with dry nuts), a regional delicacy we don't get at many places, 

The piping hot Elaichi Jamun (Gulab Jamun with special stuffing of Saffron & Prunes) is the stuff heavenly dreams are made of,

My personal favorites were Zaffrani Angoori Rasmalai (Rasmalai in saffron flavored reduced milk garnished with pistachios), not too sweet,just enough to linger on like a sweet memory,

And finally THE STAR Phirni (light dessert of milk set with basmati rice and flavored with saffron and cardamom topped with pista and badaam slivers), this one is not like any other Phirni in the city, it actually tastes like Mishti Doi because it is set in earthen pots and absorbs all that earthy goodness! It is sooooo sooooo good that we packed a couple for our home and I am tempted to go to Khiva every week just to stock up on this!

From food to hospitality, ambiance to pricing, Khiva serves a fantastic meal and a delectable experience on all fronts, it definitely is one of the must-visit places in Mumbai :) Go rugged, go earthy, go Khiva!