Karama is an Arabic Word for Dignity, and The Empire Group’s Karama Restaurant is so true to its name!
From a humble beginning, the Empire family has now grown into one of the leading chain of restaurants in the Garden City of India. The successful (his)tory of Hotel Empire began with the start of a small restaurant on Central Street, Shivaji Nagar in 1966 by a non-resident Indian, Mr. Abdul Rahim from Malaysia, who had a long and an excellent track record in the field of catering. Empire went through the metamorphosis of its growth under a number of efficient managements till it has reached the present milestone. It has gone from strength to strength, along with the unrelenting patronage and support from the public of Bangalore famous for its penchant for mouthwatering and sumptuous food. The management is always keen to take care of the individual tastes and preferences of every one of its valuable patrons.
We were in Karama last Sunday for lunch along with other food bloggers through an invitation to get a glimpse of what all this place has got to offer. It is located on Mosque Road opposite the Empire; with its entrance is adorned by a massive arch saying Karama! They uniquely serve the three – Punjabi, Arabic and Karachi, quite-closely related cuisines at one place.
At the Entrance you are tempted with the dishes on display in a glass show-case. The Restaurant is spanned across 2 floors. There are few traditional sit on floor and eat private-dining area for family gatherings, called as Majlis, to sit down, relax and have your food in more homely manner similar to those in Arabic Hotels. They also have multiple sections on Frist and Second Floor with Chair and table Dining. The Second floor Ambience is an Arabic Setup with beautiful colored glass lamps on ceiling and mirrored walls. The Cleanliness of complete place is well-maintained. They have added a traditional feel with Colorful glass Hukka on Display and Wooden Windows giving a feel of old-age Arabic Town.
We were welcomed with a Mexican Soda, topped-up with a slice of lemon, Orange, Cherry and Mint and served with a hotness of Green Chili in it… Super Refreshing!
After some wait, Salads were served. The Russian Salad as usual was a show-stealer. The Arabic Salads – Fattoush and Tabouleh were amazing. Fattoush is a simple yet refreshing Arabic salad with crunchy cucumber, onions, parsley, mint, lemon zest, sumac, black pepper sprinkled with olive-oil and tossed well. Tabbouleh, again a middle-eastern healthy salad, which had ice-berg lettuce, spring-onions, parsley, tomatoes and freshness of mint leaves in it, tossed with aamchur powder and lime juice. Absolute Light and delightful!
There was an array of starters, and all competing each other with respect to the taste.
- Veg Seekh Kabab: A finely grilled tandoori Kabab, Bit dry for my liking.
- Dahi Kabab: Dumplings of spiced hung yogurt deep-fried to a cream-golden finish… Absolute Delight, No-one can eat just one!!
- Cheese Hara-Bhara: A Cheesy version for Hara-Bhara kabab… Yum!
- Spicy potato: Chilli Flakes laden Boiled Potatoes were quite in demand on our table.
In Middle of these lip-smacking dishes, we were served a refreshing traditional light-colored Arabic coffee in typical Arabic Cups.
The Punjabi Main Course was a huge one! Tawa Mushroom with tender fresh mushrooms in tomato-onion gravy with North-Indian Masalas was excellently cooked. Dal Makhni was quite much creamier than required to be, so the actual taste of black dal was lost in creamy taste of butter and milk-cream. The Soft and fresh big Pieces of Panner were cooked in Cremy Palak Saag transported us to Punjab.
The traditional Karachi Naan and Buttery Lachedar Paratha were complementing the Main Course Gravies perfectly. The Veg. Pulav was decent, and the Peas Pulav was out of the world. Pure Ghee and Fresh Peas gave a magical taste to the Peas Pulav.
After all this, came the Juices and Shakes… I opted for Anjeer (Dry Fig) Milkshake. The Flavors didn’t impress me much, but the thickness and creaminess did the job!
The Final Show-Stopper was an array of mouth-watering desserts!
- Gajar Halwa – Grated Carrots and finely chopped dry-fruits cooked in Creamy Milk with a pinch of Cardamom, Perfect texture and flavors… Only Problem I felt added essence or color flavoring in it.
- Dudhi Halwa – Grated Bottle-Gourd, Cashews, Almonds, Raisins, Cardamom, and Saffron cooked to perfection in Sweet Creamy Milk with generous amounts of ghee… Delightful in Texture, Taste and Flavor!
- Gulab Jamun – Traditional Soft-Yummy Punjabi Gulab-Jamun with Cardamom and Rose flavored Sugar Syrup… Absolute Yum!
They also serve Malpua-Rabri and Afghan Jalebi.
Service is warm, attentive and friendly. All the staff, managers and Chefs did amazingly well!
All in all, it is a vibrant destination cooking up the classics of Arabic, Punjabi and Karachi cuisine.
Roaming Ra-Ru! 