Taksh – Banjara Hills

Taksh is a new casual dining restaurant serving North Indian, South Indian & Chinese cuisines, located near Road#12, Banjara Hills. The ambiance & decor is classy and gives us nothing short of a fine dining experience. I was part of a group invited for tasting session and provide our feedback.

To begin with, we were served their signature mock tail named Blue Island Sea and it was beautifully done. It had different layers of litchi, orange and apple flavors very finely arranged. The taste was very nice & refreshing. Anyone reading this review, I would recommend them to taste this drink not only for its taste but they would be amazed by it presentation.

Among the soups, I tasted Chicken Lemon Coriander Soup and Chicken Silver soup. Chicken lemon coriander soup hsa the tangy flavor of the combination of lemon & coriander. This is more like a clear soup with the flavour of lemon & coriander. Chicken Silver soup can be comparable to chicken cantonese soup minus vegetables, but the topping of egg white on the soup blended with minced chicken pieces is good.
A huge variety of starters came on to the table – Dragon Chicken, Afghani Murgh, Murgh Pahadi Kebab, Angari Murgh Tikka, Lucknowi Murgh tikka, Szechwan Fish and Tawa Pomfret. Dragon chicken had enlongated cubed chicken pieces fried with finely chopped ginger & garlic, red chilli flakes, tomato & soy sauces until they become golden brown and crisp. The coating was very less and tasted good. Tandoori chicken had big chunks of chicken with bone, well marinated and grilled to perfection. Afghani murg tikka was a big let down as the external part of the chicken pieces are over burnt and the chicken was not fully cooked. We have shared this feedback to the chef immediately. It is very important to ensure the meat is properly grilled otherwise uncooked or rawness of the meat spoils the taste buds. Lucknowi Murgh tikka was had a balanced blend of spices and the aromatic masalas gave the dish a beautiful flavour. After tasting the chicken tikkas, we were served with Szechwan Fish & Fish Pomfret. Fish Pomfret is the showstopper of the evening; it was perfectly marinated with coriander & red chilli powder, garam masala, and coated with mix of sooji & rice flour before deepfrying – An amazing dish indeed.

Moving on to the main course, Dum ka Murgh and Miryala Mamsam were served along with a bread basket. The bread basket contained plain roti, butter naan, lacha parathas, masala kulcha and garlic kulchas. The garlic kulcha had an amazing flavour. Dum ka Murgh is a rich, aromatic dish cooked with a combination of lot of spices, almonds and cream. The rich taste of the almonds & cream contributes to the yumminess of the dish. Miryala Mamsam had well cooked meat but it would have made more sense if it had been more spicy; it could have more black pepper that will enhance the spice quotient and justify the name of the dish.

Among the rice items, Ulavacharu Kodi Pulav & Gadwal Kodi Pulav were served. Ulavacharu kodi pulao gets it main taste from the strained horsegram boiled water & tamarind juice. Ulavacharu pulaos are usually more nutritious as it has the delicious horsegram as the main ingredient. Ulavacharu kodi pulao here is just awesome. Gadwal Kodi Pulao is scrumptious as it had juicy chicken pieces seasoned with spices and aromatic to the senses. Gadwal kodi pulao is famous for its spiciness but the pulao served here had less spice. It could have been better if it was more spicy.

Moving on to the final innings of the meal – Relishing the desserts. A single portion of Gulab Jamoon, Kala Jamoon, Gajar ka Halwa, Caramel Custard and Hyderabad’s favorite Qubani ka meetha. All the desserts were good. The quantity of sugar was just apt; none of them were over sweetened and the basic flavor of each dessert can be sensed. Gajar ka Halwa was a bit dry but tasty though.

Summarizing the experience: the ambiance was good, service was prompt; among the food – Chicken Silver Soup, Dragon Chicken, Lucknowi Murgh Tikka, Tandoori Chicken, Tawa Pomfret, Dum ka Murgh, Ulavacharu Kodi pulav were awesome.