A lyrical night- Ghazal Melrose Arch

Ghazal is an Arabic originated word that means a lyrical poem with fixed verses. Another interpretation of the word Ghazal is that it is the poetic expression of the beauty of love in spite of pain. When the blog got invited to review the Ghazal restaurant situated in the heart of Melrose Arch, I immediately anticipated  a lyrical night (full of love for good food minus any pain) and Ghazal as expected did make my heart strings sing. With so few reviews of the restaurant online, I was thrilled to discover this magical place. Ghazal is an Indian food restaurant of the highest caliber. Since my husband loves Indian food and getting his hands messy with butter chicken (especially the ones with the most buttery sauce you can find),  we venture into many an Indian restaurant. So what makes Ghazal different to any other corner Indian restaurant? Well, this Indian restaurant so aptly defines fine dining with its classical decor and the opulent feel given off by the setting of the restaurant. The restaurant is so clean you could literally eat off the floor. This for me is a plus as its rather rare that you come across a lavish Indian food restaurant. I came across another review online of  another Ghazal franchise in which they commented on the restaurant as "being a casual dining restaurant." From a personal point of view, I see nothing casual about the Ghazal restaurant situated in Melrose Arch. The waiters are elegant with outstanding manners treating each and every guest specially and giving  you a sense of importance. Blessing and Michael served us that night making us feel like a Raja and a Rani (King and Queen). Each table is decked with fancy cutlery, real flowers, lit candles and the slightest whiffs of well crafted food fill the air. The nice thing about the table setting is the waiters are on the ball ready to clean off any excess dishes or any used dishes. This is very rare especially in Indian restaurants that I'm used to.

An eating experience
I stole Naby's words here as he was the one who said, "This was an eating experience of a lifetime." He was certainly right. We arrived at the restaurant at half past 7 as per our reservation time and ended up saying our goodbyes and leaving at 10 o clock only.  The reason for our long stay was because of the level of comfort you feel when spending an evening at this restaurant. The warm atmosphere from the minute management greets you and the overall level of comfort-ability exuded by the restaurant is undeniable.

The seating arrangement is well suited to personal preference and guests can chose to sit outside or inside. The inside of the restaurant has tables with comfy royalty-like chairs as well as a couch-like seating plan that offer more private dining. We chose to sit on the couch to enjoy an intimate date night as we munched some tasty North Indian treats.  We sat at the corner booth next to the wall.

The most attractive feature was a model sitar (or Indian Guitar) placed as a showpiece on the wall next to us.

I loved that the decor suited the restaurant's name. The restaurant was well lit by the roof spotlights, single light fittings above each booth and the single candle placed on each table. The lighting created the perfect ambiance for a luxurious date.
Each table has an arrangement of fresh flowers. We were lucky enough to have some white roses on our table (white roses being my favourite type of roses). I know the flowers are real because I, as well as many other guests, felt the flowers to assess if they were actually real. For me there is something very classy about the inclusion of real flowers when setting a table. I feel flowers beautify any setting naturally as well as makes the perfect statement on any fancy occasion table setting.

Starters:  The guests are treated to some fried pappar which most Indians are familiar with as we often eat it with our rice dishes. The pappar is accompanied by two types of chutneys (sauces).  This is the perfect start to wet one's appetite and get them excited about whats to come. The pappar had that nicely slightly burnt taste just the way I like it.

 I got to pick the starter and no doubt it had to be the paneer tikka. For those of you who do not know what paneer is- its basically an Indian cheese made from curdling heated milk with lemon juice, vinegar and other ingredients. (Think in terms of halloumi cheese but paneer differs from halloumi in that it is totally blend if  it is just fried and not eaten in a curry form or with a sauce). I admired the restaurant's paneer tikka as I've had many attempts at cooking paneer but I can never quite master the art of getting the cheese to soak up enough sauce to make it taste less blend on the outside. The paneer tikka taste resembled the tikka sauce from chicken tikka making it tasty on the outside complemented by the rich natural paneer taste on the inside.  Paneer tikka was served with seasonal greens and other salary items on a white porcelain rectangular appetizer plate. Naby personally loved the plate as it offered just the right amount of a starter serving. After the starter we waited 25 minutes before the main meal arrived.

Main Course: This time period between the starter and the meal is ideal as it allows for digestion. The waiters also manage to clean up for you after the starter before the main. I personally, being such a light eater, enjoy the interim period between the starter and the mains as I get to psyche myself up for the mains. For our main course we ordered chicken korma as well as chicken tikka. We took a break from butter chicken (chicken makhnie as per its Indian name at this restaurant). I'm told that both the butter chicken and korma chicken are a hit with customers as it is not too overpoweringly spicy for the people who have not yet adapted their palates to Indian spices. We chose the chicken korma with rice and the chicken tikka with chips. We also ordered butter naan and rogni naan to lap up the chicken and sauce. Beware of ordering the chicken korma if you are watching your weight as the rich Indian delicacy is heavy on the hips but certainly dances on your taste buds. We were warned before we placed our order that the korma has a sweet taste but being familiar to the traditional korma I already knew that. With spices like nutmeg, cardamon and obvious traces of cinnamon its obvious this dish will be on the sweeter side. Many people (Myself included) cannot make the perfect korma as it often comes out bitter but Ghazal's korma is crafted to palatable perfection. Like poetry sweeten one's ears, the korma and rice combination sweetened my palate. There's something special about Ghazal's basmati rice. It is cooked to glorious perfection and it feels as if you are eating clouds of pure joy. The butter naan and korma combination is also as satisfying. (Craving some good korma as I write this). The chicken tikka was a strong red colour and offered a great flavour alternative to the korma. The spiciness of the chicken tikka wasn't over powering that you ended up with tears in your eyes (probably because we ordered it in mild) but its was a spicy joy to an already sweetened palate. The chicken tikka came with chips and salad. I prefer to eat good old chicken tikka with naan and chips on the side. The rogni naan complimented the tikka chicken well. I would think that if you would like to get a taste of real Indian food, the tikka chicken would be a great start. The strawberry milkshake we ordered has to be mentioned as it went well with food. Who says you cannot enjoy Indian food with a strawberry milkshake?

Dessert: For dessert we were taken outside to sit on a swing. I couldn't have thought of anything more romantic. Since I love Indian movies, I'm used to scenes where the two lovers sit on a swing and sing away into eternal bliss. This is exactly how eating dessert while swinging away felt. Naby and I were just two love birds on a swing.

We tried traditional Indian Gulab jamun, carrot pudding and some vanilla ice cream. We waited a good twenty minutes before dessert was served yet again giving us time to enjoy each other's company and the gorgeous view that the outside setting has to offer.  Outside is even classier than the inside with trees trimmed with lights. The tables are clear glass with touches of silver. The chairs resemble mini thrones and one cannot be blown away by the consideration and thought that the restaurant owners had to have put to achieve such poetic luxury. The gulab Jamun paired with vanilla ice cream offers the joyous sensation of hot and cold rolling around on your tongue. The heat of the carrot pudding along with its sweetness also had a potent impact in the mouth. After dessert I could not help but smile at a night so full of Indian spices, sweetness and memories worth savouring.

Overall : Waiters know the menu well and can provide advice on food choices. Happy faces flood the restaurant as they interact with the staff. The restaurant is ideal for intimate dates and perfect for night outs with the right company Everyone in the restaurant seems relaxed and in no rush to go anywhere but enjoy a trip to North India through their spoonfuls of curry.

Price wise: Luxurious food at a reasonable price. It's not your cheapest meal for the month but its your most worth it meal. You taste the quality and the rich array of spices used in each dish. Make sure to take more than you budget to spend as guaranteed the choices are overwhelming and you cannot leave without having the starters, mains and dessert.

Hope reading this leaves a sweet taste in your mouth as I still have a sweet taste in mines from eating at Ghazal. Poetic elegance, sweet versus in your mouth and a lyrical night indeed is what you can expect at Ghazal.