Location: Soam is
located bang opposite the religious landmark of Babulnath Temple, and absolutely
impossible to "not find". I had wanted to eat there ever since it
opened, almost a decade ago. Finally visited there for lunch and here's my take
on it:
Ambience: Clean, pleasant,
compact but not cramped. They can seat about 30 people at a time and have a
small waiting area inside the restaurant. It's buzzing during lunch hours and
you are advised to go between 12pm-12:45pm to get immediate seating.
Service: The waiters
are courteous and know the menu well. Ask them for any clarifications. The
service is quick and efficient.
Food: The menu offers
an interesting range of classic standalone Gujarati preparations and no thali.
Some popular Marwari dishes like Dal-Baati-Churma and Gatte ki Sabzi
have also found a place in between the quintessentially Gujju fare.
For
starters we had Guava Panna and Paanki. The panna was fresh and
nicely flavoured with rock salt. The Paanki is a steamed preparation of
rice flour paste being flavoured with masalas and spread in a thin layer
between two banana leaves. It was soft and delicious.Our mains :
 |
| Dhansaak with Steamed Rice and Kebabs |
Dhansaak is a Parsi
speciality of minced meat cooked in vegetable gravy along with a secret
combination of spices. The vegetarian version here has been adapted by
replacing meat with lentils. It is served along with steamed rice that is
supposed to be brown by combining it with caramelised onions. There are deep-fried
kebabs to go with this. Their Dhansaak didn't have any distinct taste,
but the kebabs were well-prepared. I ordered this to get an idea of what’s ‘the
big deal’ about this Parsi dish and was left utterly unimpressed.
 |
| Gatte ki Sabzi with Satpadi roti |
The Gatte ki Sabzi, ordered by my companion was finger-licking good!
The gattas were soft and the kadhi was mildly flavoured. None of that
typically Rajashtani style of overpowering red chillies’ taste in it. It was
served along with ‘Satpadi’ roti, which is essentially seven layers of
dough rolled in a go!
What caught my attention was a special “Low Cal” section on the menu.
It has a small collection of dishes which are higher on the “healthy” quotient,
not exactly a strongpoint of the traditional Gujarati/Rajasthani dishes which
take pride in piling on the calories! High on “health” does not equate with low
on “taste” and I look forward to having their Nachni dosa.
Price: All the items
are priced between Rs. 100- 200. A meal for two will be around Rs. 600/-.
Verdict: Excited about
going again for trying the other dishes!
