Why Sharman is a must visit for vegetarian food
Vegetarian food and satvik food is often only limited to the religious occasions and especially the navratra week for me. So when I was invited to Shraman in Hotel Ashok, I was skeptical of eating the usual aloo and poori fare. But I was in for a surprise. The place had the most elaborate satvik Indian food.
Ambience: The place is beautifully made with strong Rajasthani touch from peacock paintings on the wall to peacock feathers all around. There are two entrances to the place, one from within the hotel and other from outside, right next to Zerruco.
Service: The service is prompt and gets brownie points because the chef makes it a point to visit you.
Food: Between the four of us we decided to split the order section vise. So we ordered a bit of Gujarati, some marwari food, some Rajasthani and some regular north Indian fare.
Paan ke patte ki chaat is the most different version of the Palak pattern ki chat I have had. It’s refreshing especially in summers. Bhune falon ki chaat was a great treat but fell flat as the fruits cannot soak up the marination. Making them taste like a regular fruit chaat.
Manchow soup is one of the most heartwarming soups I have tried recently.
Fruit punch is my to-go to drink to see how the place fares. And this fruit punch is worth a try.
Jodhpuri mirchi pakoda is supposed to be really spicy but as this place gets many international tourists their tastes have also been kept in mind and it’s low on spice but high on taste. Methi gota is a pakora with methi mixed in the pakora mixture. They are little methi and besan balls of pure delight.
Naayaab tikki is one of their best starter. This paneer and cashew tikki is melt in the mouth tasty!
In the main course, we tried the different cuisines the first was Dal dhokli. Dal dhokli is a Gujrati delight where arhar dal is tempered and small slices of dhokla are added to it. The dal seeps into the dhokla giving it a beautiful flavour.
Dal Bhati churma is a classic Rajasthan dish and really heavy too. However, this classic dish is prepared excellently here. They keep it low on spices and sugar.
Bikaneri parantha is a besan topped thin parantha and tastes great with dal.
Paneer butter masala is as great as most north Indian restaurants.
For desserts we wanted something refreshing and the chef kindly got us to try their Malai rabri angoori which tasted superb. The rabri had grape sized balls of chena or malai which makes it perfect summer dessert for me.
They got us mini Ghevar too. Unlike the traditional ghevar this one is topped with rabri and mishri to give it an additional texture and taste.
Gulab jamun being our Punjabi favourite was a winner too.
Must try: Their soup, fruit punch, dal dhokli, naayab tikki and malai rabri angoori.
Rating: 4.5/5, PS reserve a table in advance as this place is filled to the hilt during navrati.
