Koel tries out the Awadhi platter at Oudh 1590. Pictures: Pabitra Das

Back home after my strenuous schedule of Rangbaaz in Bangkok, it was time for me to relax, forget about my balanced diet and indulge in some great food.

Not many people know about my passion for food, that I am a hard-core foodie. Since I have travelled to many places around the world, I have had the fascinating experience of trying out various cuisines. But when I was approached to review Oudh 1590, I was initially hesitant. But again, it indeed was a pleasure to try some great Awadhi cuisine. I have been hearing about this cuisine from one of my cousins who is married in Lucknow.

Oudh I knew is a perfume which women in Dubai wear. I tried to find a synergy with the name of the restaurant and then correlated it with the transition from Oudh to Awadh to Lucknow. The very mention of Oudh, a seat of rich culture, brings to mind the tradition of pehle aap, the language which speaks of the politeness of the nawabs.

As the royal guard at the entrance greeted us, it was a paradigm shift in focus. The look and feel of the interiors, which was absolutely in Awadhi style, really impressed me. I did relate it to a certain backdrop in Satyajit Ray’s Shatranj Ke Khilari... Begum Akhtar being played in the background, copper crockery and cutlery on the table, water colours on the walls depicting nawabs, all of which transported us to the period of Wajid Ali Shah with their handis spilling over with kebabs, biryani and shorbas at the banquets of Awadh.

We started with Galawati and Kakori Kabab, and Lucknowi Paratha. I have been hearing about the fineness of these kebabs; and the meat paste with a dash of zafran was awesome. It really melted in the mouth. The Badam Sharbat was a relief for the season.

Then we ordered Nehari Khaas, Brain Masala, Nargisi Kofta, Daal Gosht and the Awadhi Handi Biryani. I was excited about tasting Brain Masala for the first time and and it did taste awesome. I must mention the appropriate mutton cuts in the Handi Biryani, and the ghee used for the ‘dum pukht’ method tasted so light and delicious.

The taste of Nehari reminded me of Sufia restaurant on Zakaria Street, which is mostly a breakfast item for winters. I was quite happy to know that Nehari Khaas would be available as an all-day meal at Oudh 1590. I was pretty full by now but the zafrani aroma of Nargisi Kofta and the way the Daal Gosht was garnished, I had no choice but to taste that too. I have always been a zafran freak and my Dubai trips are absolutely incomplete without a visit to Gold Souk to purchase zafran.

The Nargisi Kofta (hard-boiled egg coated with mutton keema in a thick gravy) had a distinct character. The Daal Gosht tasted like a heavy halim. The lunch would have been incomplete without the dessert, Shahi Tukra, which was simply amazing but a bit too sweet.

Given an opportunity, I would definitely rate Lucknow as the gourmet capital of our country.