Shebestan - An all arabian affair!

After reading some reviews about the not-so-widely publicized 5-course set lunch at Shebestan, we decided to try it out today. Being a Sunday, decided to check out if there are any tables available before we booked the coupons from Groupon. Luckily, there was and we landed up there at 1pm for what was to be a nice 2-hour lazy lunch - every bit of it enjoyable.

The decor is very good - classy without being too clunky or too loud. It would look even better in the evening with all the lamps on. We were seated in a glass top area which was like sitting out yet in the comfort of A/C.



 The food is a 5 course set menu - soup, starters, kebabs, Main course and dessert.
Once we settled in and ordered for a drink, the food started coming in.

First was a onion - chickpea soup. It was nice and light and very flavorful. I like the style of the serving bowl!







Next up was this whole combination of dishes for starters -

Hummus - cooked chick pea and sesame paste in olive oil
















Tabbouleh - parsley, mint and tomato salad
Potatoes cooked with oregano and onion






Falafels

Sliced Fish in bell peppers, onion and mint base







A beautiful walnut, cashew & pomegranate mash

and of course

Warm freshly baked Pita bread !!

We had a great time rolling these in and trying various small wraps. Each had a very wonderful flavour that complemented each other without any one being too overpowering!

Next were Chicken and lam kebabs. Lightly spiced and cooked to a perfection, these were wonderful ..
The lamb kebabs were juicy and smoky .. Just the way you would want it to be ..







We were kinda getting full at this point. But main course was yet to come ..






For main course we had a chicken rice and saffron rice. Again the flavoring was spot on .. I loved the Saffron rice ..

For sides we had a chicken curry and veg curry.. The chicken gravy had the distinct flavor of dried lemons used in so many of Arabian and Persian dishes.. Nikita liked it a lot since it was a bit on the sour side ..

Now we were really bursting .. But no nice meal is complete without desserts ..

For desserts we had the following - could not remember the names though
- Dry fruits stuffed dumpling in a syrup
- A baked dish with dry fruits, coconut and milk







Just sat around for some more time to lighten up a bit  after all this heavy duty eating ..




















Overall, absolute value for money .. The service was very pleasant and we were well taken care of ..
Would strongly recommend .. Do try this offer till it lasts. 21st June I guess is when this offer ends, but otherwise also this would be a nice place to return to for a beautiful a-la-carte dinner !

World Cup 2014 - Match 1 - Brazil vs Croatia !!

The much awaited WC 2014 kicked off today in Brazil!
First match between host Brazil and Croatia.

Slept for a couple of hours and got up to my alarm and was ready for the match after a splash of cold water..
The match was well worth it .. Intense and exciting with its twists and turns..

Surprise.. Surprise .. in the first 10 mins Brazil was down 0-1, thanks to an own goal from Marcello.. Nothing much he could have done but it was the only own goal ever by Brazil in a world cup final..

Brazil had all the possession - 70-30 by the end of the game and they pressed hard with Neymar finally delivering to the delight of the Brazilian fans to equalize at the 30 min mark.

Croatia did well to keep defending with the occasional counter attack. But deep into the second half when it looked like the match was heading for a well deserved draw, Brazil won a penalty. Did not look convincing in the replays and it changed the game. Neymar scored once again from the spot and the match was gone from Croatia.

A few minutes later Oscar who had been playing well throughout the match and deserved to score spotted a nice opportunity and netted the 3rd.

The match was now truly over and a few mins later the referee blew the whistle and the final scoreline read - BRAZIL3-CROATIA1.

But the match was more like a 1-1 for me for most of the time till the not-so-fair penalty changed the game.
All the home fans were ecstatic and I could retire to the second half of my sleep .. :-)