Airport Diaries - Part II

The airport, for a lot of people (like me), is an incredibly happy place - families, friends, lovers, re-uniting, the fresh tan on people's faces, the ruggedness and jet lag, the excitement of carrying around gifts for the entire family, people waiting for their loved ones.

The Mumbai airport never fails to cheer me up. This Diwali, they made other millions of people happy. 

How, you ask. The answer is Delight-full Diwali. A number of stalls put up in and around the domestic and international airports, with various ongoing contests which led to people winning various prizes and gift vouchers. There were also lucky draws and distribution of gifts to random people walking by. Not a single soul was left unhappy or disappointed. This engagement succeeded in making the airport a better shopping destination as well as creating a hype and generating interest from the flyers.

Like the last visit, this visit, too, we got to visit the new outlets opened at the terminal by Devyani hospitality. The man behind this being, Mr. Jitendra Kumar. Kumar is the Chief Operating Officer with Devyani International-a subsidiary of RJ Corp and is responsible for the overall administration and operation of the Food & Beverage Division at the International Airport including the maximization of profits, establishment of quality standards, maintenance of high staff performance and customer satisfaction.

The domestic airport has revamped their entire look and introduced several new food outlets and a few from the existing ones at T2. The outlets we tried were -

• The Indian Kebab Grill
• Irani Cafe
• Nizam's
• Häagen-Dazs

We started off some refreshing raspberry sodas. Not much description is required when it comes to this drink. A good one is like a cold winter breeze on a summer day. And, that's literally how we felt after our first sips.

Raspberry soda

Then came the famous kebabs from The Indian Kebab Grill. Already a favourite amongst the fine dining crowd at the international airport, this one is more of a casual place with all-you-can-eat buffets and a more relaxed meal. 

Aloo kebabs

Kand ke kebab

Achari paneer tikka

The best part about all these kebabs is how incredibly well-cooked, yet soft they are. To turn something as boring as yams (kand) into something so succulent shows how experienced and well the chefs know their food. The best out of the three would be the achari paneer tikka. Melt-in-your-mouth paneer barbecued with a flavourful paneer making your taste buds jump with joy. 

Next we tried the much hyped potato roll from Nizam's. Nizam's, a popular chain in Delhi serving some of the best kathi rolls has been brought down by Devyani Hospitality to the domestic airport. The best term to give the roll would be 'al dente.' The flavours were not too overwhelming and were balanced really well. Thus, we realized what the hype was all about.

Potato roll

One of the most awaited openings at the terminal was of The Irani Cafe. Serving authentic Irani food, breakfast, tea, biscuits, this has been one of the major attractions since its opening. People of Mumbai love to experiment and with something not so heavy on the pockets and yet, offering you some amazing food, it makes way for a lot of happy diners. 

Here, we tried our hands on the soya kheema and sherin berry pulao. 

Soya kheema

Sherin berry pulao

Being a pure vegetarian, we couldn't try their specialties. But instead settled for the best options in vegetarian food. Soya kheema with freshly baked pav and sherin berry pulao are two things no vegetarian should miss out when visiting this outlet. Crispy soya kheema, pretending to be mock meat, bursting with a typical Irani smell and loaded with rich dry fruits; and berry pulao with various components cooked on different levels served potato crunchies and fresh vegetable salad. The berry pulao was the best thing we laid our hands on, that day and is making us salivate, just while thinking about it.

To end our wonderful meal, we had lustrous ice creams and sorbets from Häagen-Dazs. Need we say more?

Dulce de Leche

Raspberry sorbet

Mango Sorbet

    All in all, one of the best dining experiences till date. I would like to thank Mr. Jeetendra Kumar and Mr. Ajit for this one of a kind experience. 

    The next time you're at the airport and you hear your stomach growl, you know what to order!

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