Adventure Across India as REVOLVER on TRAS STREET introduces it's Third Menu

I walked in to Revolver and loved what I saw. Swish dining spaces with alcoves for private diners and a long bar that seated many, excited to watch Chef & Owner Saurabh and his team at work.

My first impression of Revolver hit the spot. Music of Bono, CCR and Sting amongst others spoke volumes of the funky, creative mind that put it all together. It had an energetic vibe to it, an Indian restaurant with a difference.

A new menu launched, Chef Saurabh was adamant to take us on a culinary journey across India, tasting flavours that he had picked up from many an adventure across villages he loved.

The open fire at Revolver was at the centre of this menu, delivering in a large way innovative grilled items. With an 8-course Experience menu costing $199++, Revolver is fully booked two months in advance, even with two sittings at lunch. The message was “book in advance” if you’d like to experience this!

Chef Saurabh came over to explain that we would start lunch with his signature Courgette flower topped with prawn balchao. What a coincidence! I explained that my genetic roots hailed from Portuguese Goa. My great grandparents brought dishes like this down the generations to my mother.

Typically made as a pickle with spicy, tangy red chilies and vinegar, this dish was softened with subtle, light flavours. The Courgette stem had a vindaloo reduction, another Goan dish made famous by the British who took an affinity to it. It was truly exciting for me, to see how this dish and others to come, held familiar flavours but with fine dining flair.    

Fresh paneer imported from Delhi paired with fennel pickle made from cashew and green chilly was out of this world. The freshness of paneer was evident – soft and marinated well. Revolver’s food I was beginning to see had full flavours without the chilly hit, as in most Indian restaurants. I enjoyed tasting the finer ingredients without the heat.

It was also heartening to note that there was a vegetarian set meal for $149++ that was tempting. I often feel sorry for vegetarians when choices are limited but at Revolver they were thought of kindly, with an exceptional 8-course menu too.

This does not present as a surprise to me for when we are in India, the variety of vegetarian dishes is unending. Chef Saurabh hailing from Delhi was no stranger to this fare and most deliberately, has done a good deed on this front. His travels he said were all about food. He spotted smaller town fare that were outstanding and placed it on his radar, which is how Revolver has come to be.

Snapper with Parsi patra was served, as Queen belted out “I want to break free” on the sound system. I felt my experience all the more enjoyable with this full sensory-based experience. I love music and good food so it was a perfect combo for me.

Back to the snapper which was marinated with coriander, coconut and lemongrass chutney. As I unwrapped the banana leaf it was grilled in, I felt this was a fabulously special dish. What I loved was the aroma of banana leaf as I opened the wrap. Wow! Full of flavours oozing to encapsulate a perfectly well-cooked dish. Happy that no carbs had been served so far, this was another plus to this 8-course Experience menu.

Looking at the menu and what was to come next – West Australian Rock Lobster Manchurian with egg fried rice, took me back to my trips to India. The Indian-Chinese restaurants that I was taken to were delicious but different. As backdrop to this cuisine, Tangra, a small region in Eastern Kolkata is where Hakka emigrants created their own version of Indian-Chinese ‘Manchurian’ cuisine.

At Revolver, I had a beautifully presented lobster with meat cooked so deliciously well. I could taste the Manchurian masala gravy made of red chilli paste, garlic, ginger, green chillies, fresh coriander, soy sauce and onions which was awesome. It hit the spot with every spoon of fried rice.

To me, the star of the night was Tandoori quail with black garlic yoghurt. Marinated for six hours then grilled in a tandoor the meat was so succulent with juices from the marinade evident. I would say it was the best I had ever tasted in my life, and that is a big statement having been a foodie who travelled the world extensively tasting all types of gourmet meals.

I love the way Chef Saurabh at Revolver paired a short rib “Galbi” with Nihari, a classic stew served in the fasting month of Ramadhan. A very slow cooked, rich and spicy meat stew brought to India by the Mughals and perfected in Old Delhi, Nihari is deemed as a king of meals.

Encouraged to tease out the strands from this chunk of meat and mix with the thick gravy, to look like a stew. Every mouthful was so packed with flavor that I could imagine the hours of cooking that this reduction went through.

The twist on this dish were finger lime pearls that looked like sago which burst in my mouth as I bit into them. A lightness borrowed from this great ingredient to offset the heaviness of Nihari which typically has people dozing off on the couch for an afternoon nap.   

As a last dish on the Experience menu at Revolver, a black truffle & Morel Kulchette grilled flatbread. Morels are elusive and expensive mushrooms only grown in the wild, making them a highly desired ingredient among chefs. Black truffle shaved on top of this divine dish I was relieved to find that perfect portions left me feeling just right.

Dessert of peanut brittle, coconut and lemongrass topped this exclusive meal. All flavours that produced a lightness from lemongrass that I so love. What a well put together meal I thought.

Reviewing the set menus again I felt a definite slant towards the Experience menu. Even though it cost more than the Discovery menu which boasts 6 courses at $139++, I felt some of the stunning dishes like quail, rock lobster and short rib would be missed.

Vegetarians could look forward to similar styles replaced by Japanese eggplant, Garbanzo beans, potato chilli cheese and winter spinach for $149++ dinner.

I wondered where the name Revolver came from? Chef Saurabh was the only one who could answer that. Menus will revolve around different parts of India so stay tuned as this new menu has just launched and there will be more to come.