A perfect dining out experience is put together by captivating ambiance, interesting company, soothing environment and, of course, good food. My visit to Mardan restaurant in Heritage Village Resort and Spa offered me all of the above and more. A short weekend stay at the lush green resort gave me a much-needed respite from the chaos of the city life. And the highlight of the stay was a lavish dinner at Mardan, NCR's first-of-its-kind North-western frontier restaurant.
The name of the restaurant is derived from two different places. The term 'Mardan' comes from a small town on the Northwest Frontier border of Pakistan. On the other hand, 'Manesar' is a place located in the valley of Peshawar. The restaurant took inspiration from the local food of this region and from the neighbouring regions of Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Mardan seeks to showcase the traditional culinary style of these rugged frontier regions where clay ovens or tandoors were the preferred mode for cooking.
My Gastronomical Journey At Mardan:
As soon as I entered Mardan, I was taken in by the beauty of the royal muted red furniture and neatly decorated tables. The menu had a lot to offer and I chose Murgh Afghani Tangri to kick-start my meal; and it turned out to be one of the best chicken starters I ever had. Stuffed chicken drumsticks with an invigorating aroma of the tandoor and deep flavours of robust spices worked up my appetite for more. I usually don't really relish paneer tikka but the Paneer Aur Sabz Tikka here changed my opinion about the dish. It was really flavourful with the right amount of spice.
Before I talk about the rest of the meal, I want to give a special mention to the cocktails that were served to us during the meal. In fact, I and my friend made our first round of cocktails in the fun mixology session that happened right before the dinner.
Coming to mains, we ordered Murgh Khurchan, which has minced chicken mixed with chunky tomato, onion and capsicum. It was like a comfort meal sans unnecessary oil and spices. Dal Makhani had the classic nutty flavour that came from the slow cooking method and it shone through. We paired the dishes with nicely-cooked Sheermal bread. Murgh Biryani was brought to us in the traditional Iranian style and it looked tempting. It wasn't the regular north Indian biryani which is loaded with spices but tasted good, nonetheless. The mild spice flavours and potato topping on the layered chicken and rice preparation made for a nice, comforting meal.
I ended my meal on a sweet note with Emarti with Rabri and Kulfi Falooda. While Emarti and Rabri combo was really good, Kulfi Falooda was out of the world with its in-house kulfi preparation.
My Experience At Heritage Village Resorts And Spa:
Writing about the meal at Mardan is bringing back memories of my fantastic stay at Heritage Village Resort and Spa. Right from luxurious rooms and serene gardens to fun activities like the relaxing spa, high tea with live music, folk music performance and star gazing session - I recommend everyone to head to this place for a quick, rejuvenating getaway.
The helpful, cheerful staff and prompt service will make your stay memorable. Here I thank the resort and the staff for their amazing hospitality.