A family studies the menu at the Silver Streak restaurant at Brahmaputra Ashok. Picture by S.H. Patgiri

Silver streak

Hotel Brahmaputra Ashok

guwahati

why silver streak?

It’s worth every penny you can spend. And it’s the kind of place you fall in love with the moment you step in. Opened only last month, the first lounge bar in the Northeast is a collaboration between Hotel Brahmaputra Ashok and the ITDC.

cuisine

The experiment with the lounge bar/restaurant concept has proved to be a success. The cuisine is an sumptuous array of exotically named Indian dishes — veg and non-veg. But if you are not the adventurous type, it is advisable to play safe with the menu.

service

The service is more than gracious and excellently trained. There are 12 men on the floor at your service and 10 in the kitchen. Celebrity bar manager Irfan Ahmed is an added attraction. He is associated with the Taj group and has lots of colourful feathers in his cap. His services here are available 10 days a month. Chefs from Hyderabad and Calcutta handle the kitchen. The restaurant serves lunch from 11 am till 3.30 pm. Dinner is served from 6 pm till 11 at night. The restaurant is open to all age groups but no alcoholic drinks are served to those below 18.

first impression

RED rules here. Designed by Basabi Bose, the place is at par with lounge bars in the metros. Everything here is in red. The walls, the doors, the tables, chairs, cushions, pillows, the bar, everything. It is undoubtedly the swankiest place in town. The furniture is steel and wood. The rounded chairs are very trendy and cushioned in red.

To relieve the monotony of the colour, the designer has aptly thrown in a few chairs cushioned in white cheetah prints. The restaurant can sit t 75 people over 2,000 square feet. A giant screen projector keeps you abreast with the world.

The resident jockey DJ Andrew is from Calcutta. The dance floor is thrown open for the members on weekends. The music system is mind-blowing and the lighting breathtaking. There is also a fogger that blows smokes while you dance with your loved one and a water curtain adds to the ambience.

on the menu

The menu is something of a tongue-twister but the cooking will leave you asking for more. Most side dishes come in both the vegetarian and non-vegetarian variety, with chicken, prawn, and paneer being the popular choices.

The satay, dahi kabab, biryani and tandoori recipes have already gathered a dedicated fan following. The Potato Farsi and 5 degree centigrade (a preparation of various vegetables) comes with the chef’s recommendation.

The place serves every imaginable cocktail. Mocktails, too, find a place for the young guns.

recommended

Kentucky chicken basket (served with chips and barbaque sauce), French cheese balls (served with hot & cold sauce), prawn cocktail, buffalo chicken wings, mutton bara kabab are the must-try ones. As for drinks, be as adventurous as your fancy takes.

minus point

The dance floor is for members only. At best, two can accompany a member. However, all you need to become a member is acquire a silver or golden card.

variation

Everything about this place is different. Be it the laser lights, the giant screen, the decor or the ambience. Silver Streak is going to organise a Bengali food festival soon. Similar festivals of different Indian curries will be introduced periodically.

what's new?

The concept of a bar-cum-restaurant is new. A DJ playing music while you enjoy your food is also new.

postscript

An excellent job by promoter Anita Sharma in collaboration with the ITDC. Good food and drink, foot-tapping music, a spacious lounge, a great atmosphere. Was anyone looking for anything more?