Ashas - Yas Mall

Firstly, I would like to use this platform and apologize to Zomato for canning on the foodie meet-ups every single time, clearly I had no idea what I was missing out on. 

A few weeks back I finally managed to attend a Zomato meet up at Ashas - Yas Mall

Honestly I went there with no high expectations from the food at Asha's, because from the little I could remember, the food at the Khalidiya branch (Which is shut now) was very average.

This fine dine restaurant is located on the first floor and no before you pop the question, let me clear this out, they don't continuously play Asha Bhosle songs, just a song or two per hour. 

On getting seated, we were offered a variety of attractive looking mocktails, however, unfortunately I had a sore throat and had to give that a miss. 

There was a customized menu created specially for the meet-up, which I think was extremely impressive.

What I ate? Dal Shorba, Mushroom Kurkure, Chingli Chapp, Seafood Seekh Kebab, Murgh Malai Kebab, Muscat Gosht, Prawn Masala, Butter Chicken, Goan Cashew Chicken, Dal Makhani, Kesar Biryani and Chocolate Mousse Cake. 

The Dal Shorba was a bliss for me that afternoon, considering how bad my throat was then. 

Mushroom Kurkure - This was basically battered, deep fried mushrooms, stuffed with cheese, bell pepper and crushed black pepper. An absolute delight for a vegetarian, if you're looking for an option besides the usual Paneer. 

Chingli Chaap -  Before I tell you what this is, honestly, I've been dreaming about this dish ever since that day. Chingli Chaap is basically jumbo prawns that are marinated in spicy ginger-garlic yoghurt paste, then breaded and deep fried. This may sound a little silly, but the Chingli Chaap tastes like the spicy chicken crust you would find on a KFC chicken piece, stuffed with well-done prawns. Much much much RECOMMENDED, even if you aren't a seafood fan.

Seafood Seekh Kebab, I was pretty fascinated to try this out, as I had never indulged in a Seafood Seekh previously. The seafood seekh was basically finely chopped prawns and fish seekh kebab with cheese and bishp seeds, mildly spiced with green chillies. Thankfully this didn't have a pungent smell of seafood, and was very well cooked too, but somehow, it did not appeal to my taste buds. I would give this a miss. 

Murgh Malai Kebab - These were boneless chicken cubes, that were marinated in a creamy cheese and cashew nut paste with a touch of cardamom. This was extremely tender and juicy. 

Moving on to the main course, 

Muscat Gosht - The muscat gosht was basically boneless tender lamb cooked with butter in a spicy, rich onion and tomato gravy, and Anupa from the Asha's team did such a brilliant job in pre-selling this dish that she convinced my Vegetarian friend to actually give this a try. Everybody on the table unanimously rated this dish a 5/5 - I would definitely recommend this.

The other two Non Vegetarian main course dishes i.e. Butter Chicken and the Goan Cashew Chicken were average. Although I think the Goan Cashew Chicken would have tasted better had it been served with rice (which was suggested by the server too) however, I was too stuffed for rice. 

Kesar Biryani - You could literally get the sniff off the rich saffron from a distance, absolutely loved the Kesar Biryani. 

Lastly, they had two options in their desert menu, Chocolate Mousse Cake and Pista Kesar Malai Kulfi, here again due to my sore throat, I opted for just the Chocolate Mousse Cake, which was not just physically appealing but was delectable too. 

The service? Thanks to my sore throat (wow I've mentioned this way too many times) I came across as one of those cranky and demanding kids, because every 10 minutes I would request the server for a glass of hot water, but clearly that didn't seem to annoy the server at all, as he brought it with the same enthusiasm and smile every single time. 

Also a special thank you to Anupa who has been working with Ashas for over 10 years now, it was a pleasure meeting her, as she gave us an insight on the food served at Ashas. 

Interiors - Most fine-dine Indian restaurants go over the top with their interiors making it look a little tacky, but the atmosphere at Asha's is classy and calm at the same time. 

Pricing - Asha's is definitely heavy on the pocket, but a good option for a special family lunch/ dinner. 

Rating - I would rate Ashas a 4/5 

P.S. Post this meal, all I would like to say is, Dear Asha's

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