After a long and hectic day at work on a Sunday afternoon, I decided to go for an early dinner with my wife to Tasneem’s Kings Kitchen, Jhamsikhel. It was easy to find, however, had to park on the street as there was no private parking available. This was my first time going out as a food spy so I was feeling a little awkward and excited at the same time. I am very passionate about trying out different cuisine and had even run an Indian Fast Food in the US some years back.

We entered through a traditional brick building, past the lobby, into a small sitting area outside. We sat there to enjoy the evening better. A waiter greeted us with a smile and brought us the menus. However, we felt he did not know much about food.

Next, a lady stopped by and started explaining about the menu and their specialties. It did not take us too long to figure out that she was the restaurant’s owner. Now we had some idea of what we would be ordering.

We ordered Mutton Sigdi and Chicken Tandoori Drumsticks along with fresh lemon soda and salted Lassi. Both the drinks were average.

Our starters came in traditional serving plates and the presentation was average. After we got a taste of the Mutton Sigdi, we did not care about the presentation anymore! Mutton Sigdi was a softer version of Mutton Kebab and was juicy to the core. Chicken Tandoori Drumsticks were boiled before being put in the Tandoor so the taste was average and the Mint Chutney that came with the starters was good enough. We then ordered Butter Chicken (boneless), Butter Paratha and Chicken Biryani for main course. I have to confess that Butter Chicken was by far the best I’ve ever had. Butter Paratha went well with the Butter Chicken as recommended by the owner.

Chicken Biryani looked okay and lacked presentation but tasted better. Biryani was served with Raita which tasted average. Serving size was good enough for our appetite.

We ordered one serving of plain Kheer to share as we were pretty stuffed by the end of the meal. Kheer was almost perfect with the right amount of sweetness.

The service and the service staff could be better trained. The utensils, plates and the serving dishes used were very basic. However, the chef did a wonderful job as we did not leave a single morsel on our plates. We left with the Tasneem’s King’s Kitchen satisfied and were glad that we finally found a place to satiate our hunger for Indian cuisine.

TASNEEM’S KING’S KITCHEN RATINGS

Ambience: 7

Food quality/

Presentation: 8

Quality of Service: 6

Hygiene: 9

Value for money: 8

Overall satisfaction value: 8

Ranjan Raj Subedi is the Executive Chairman at Corona International School, Banasthali and a doctoral student at Bellevue University, USA. He loves travelling, reading books and is a big time foodie who likes to try out varieties.