Today in this age of specialization, most of the restaurants which are opening up around us, have a specific theme or a cuisine they focus on. So most of our plans now are like, “Let’s go for an Italian dinner” or “Oh! We must try the new Chinese place”. And though I love cuisine based, or theme based eateries, I sometimes miss the joy of the ‘Multi-cuisine Restaurant’ meals.

Few things can match up to a combination of Roomali Roti and Chilli Paneer. And few meals can be better than one which starts with a clear soup and kebabs, progresses with pastas and ends with warm, sticky darsaan with a dollop of ice-cream over it!

The moment I entered Fork & Knife, the first thought that came to my mind was that, I would love to come here for a family dinner. The teens will be happy with their sodas and pastas; the cool, young, newly turned vegan lady will find solace in the idlis and dosas; the health-conscious friends can happily have their clear soups and salads;  while I will gorge on some gorgeous naans with daal-makhni and paneer do-pyaza!

My meal here started with the Chhote Bhutte ka Chaat, which is such a pleasant change from the done-to-death crispy baby-corns, the Cheese Chilli Cigars, with hot, molten cheese oozing out with eat bite, and a very refreshing Mojito. There was a slight inconsistency in the coating of one of the cigars, but to be fair, I picked up another one which was fine and I loved the hit of green chillies with the gooey cheese.

Then came the Khasta Kebabs, one of my favourite things that evening, which were a desi version of the aranchini. To me, it tasted like cheesy, curd rice balls, in a crispy, golden encasing and I loved it! The Stuffed Aloo, with copious amounts of dry fruits and raisins in the stuffing was a close contender, but the Khasta Kebabs won my vote.

For mains, we started with some basic flat breads and a gorgeous Paneer Do-Pyaza. The velvety gravy, the soft cottage-cheese squares, and those caramelized onions sprinkled on top came together beautifully. The Dal Makhni could have been a little less runny, but wasn’t bad.

As the hosts insisted on having the Vegetable Biriyani, which comes with a katori of raita, I blessed the Ginger Rock-Salt Mocktail for washing it all down. And yes, speaking about the Vegetable Biriyani, though it had a strong smell of the keora essence, which one may or may not like, I really liked the way it tasted.

Finally when it was time for desserts, I was struggling to put another morsel in my mouth. Even then I tried both the Monte-Carlo and the Darsaan. The desserts here not only taste great, but are surprisingly pocket-friendly too. Well, in fact, their entire menu has been designed with a very moderate pricing.

It’s not very often that I am impressed by a vegetarian meal, but the one at Fork & Knife was a satisfying one, indeed!