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Paneer steak? Anyone?

Casablanca's strong point is gimmickry-free, good old-fashioned food

PHOTOS: R. SHIVAJI RAO

STEAK TREAT At Casablanca

It's elegantly sleepy inside. Lunchtime at Casablanca and there are just two customers in the spacious restaurant: a man absorbed in his newspaper and steak, and a girl who's evidently waiting for her date.

Nevertheless the waiters refuse to let us have the comfortable corner tables, shaking formidable `reserved signs' at us firmly. The mysterious diners never appear, but the boyfriend does, looking astonishingly unapologetic. However, she doesn't finish him off with the steak knife, as I expect her to. But that's probably because she's got much better things to do with it.

For the steak, introduced at Casablanca's all new `Steak And Kebab' festival, is astonishingly good.

The problem with most places serving steak here is that they rarely seem to get it completely right.

Either it comes out looking like the result of a bungled laboratory experiment, all char and smoke, or turns out to have both the texture and flavour of a sponge. And then there are those staple vegetarian steaks at non-vegetarian restaurants, a hunk of clearly unloved paneer.

Chef Kamal Rosario obviously has more respect for his steaks. The menu he's drawn up doesn't bother with innovation or gimmickry: but Casablanca's strong point is clearly good old fashioned food.

Varied menu

So there's a T bone steak, of course, beside fish, mixed grill, lamb, paneer and vegetable steaks. He's also drawn up a kebab menu, with everything from mutter boti kebabs to vegetable kaddi sheek kebab and the ubiquitous paneer tikka.

But let's concentrate on those steaks. The paneer steak, hot and crumbly, was spiked with fragrant handfuls of coriander and served with a rich sauce of tomato, parsley and surprise squirts of raisins.

The mixed grill was less fascinating, but equally competently done, with succulent sections of chicken and sausages, served with a standard gravy. They also put out a basket of nice warm bread rolls.

The Chef says his Continental food is influenced by the fact that he's worked in a number of kitchens in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Mumbai, including, he claims, a stint as a chef for a royal family. His food, as a result, is more old world than cutting edge. And that's quite charming when you tire of severely fashionable dining.

Casablanca is located at 16, TTK Road, 1st Cross Street, Alwarpet, ph:

52074994.

SHONALI MUTHALALY

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