#all thats missing is some fresh juicy fruits

[fraga-et-cruor]

once again in my milk + honey obsessive phase

[anoopkam]

This is something that was overdue for quite a long time as I have been wanting to visit the Slice of Spice restaurant ever since they opened and I heard about it… The restaurant is located at the same location inside Anna’s Arcade near Spencer Junction where Pizza Corner used to be… Finally after a long wait I got the chance to visit the place for lunch… The exterior looks pretty much the same as how the place looked back when Pizza Corner used to be except for of course the signs… Clearly they are proud of their Al-Ashrouf grills… On the inside however, I was quite surprised to be greeting by a lot of post-it notes everywhere on the walls and even on the false ceiling… If you can zoom into those pics, you can see that many of them are quite funny to be completely honest 🙂

Slice of Spice – Exterior

Slice of Spice – Exterior

Slice of Spice

Slice of Spice

Slice of Spice

Slice of Spice

A couple of weeks ago, one of the owners of this restaurant, contacted me and invited me for a private tasting event organised to test out some new items that they were planning to introduce… Unfortunately, being engaged elsewhere, I couldn’t attend the same… Hence, I contacted that owner before going there first of all to confirm the location and also to know if any of the new items are available and which they are… So, he basically informed me about a new series of grilled items in their menu, which they call as Rottsy…  Apparently it has only been a week since they started serving it… From the brief conversation with the owner and. the manager at the restaurant (whom to my surprise is somebody I have met before as manager of another restaurant which was one of my favourites when it existed), I came to understand that Slice of Spice prides itself on the special spice mixes that they have come up with… The one they call Al-Ashrouf apparently was a hit and now the Rottsy is a new one they came up with which they hope will also be a hit… The owner also recommended that I try the leg piece option unless I am a die-hard breast fan… Its not secret that the dark leg and thigh meat in a chicken tastes better than the white breast meat… He also recommended that among the beverages, I try their new Expresso Milk Shake as well…

Hence, I decided to try a piece of the Rottsy Grilled Chicken as the appetiser, while leaving the Al-Ashrouf for next time and along with it I had the Smoked Chicken Balls Soup and for mains their Malabar Dum Biriyani and for dessert, tried their Rabri Falooda… I first didn’t plan on getting the dessert and so ended up ordering an Expresso Shake as recommended by the owner at first… The decision to order dessert was made in the last minute… However, to my surprise, they made the Expresso Shake as complementary and let me express my thanks to the owner and manager for doing that…

Smoked Chicken Balls Soup

Rottsy Grilled Chickenl Leg

Malabar Dum Biriyani

Rabri Falooda

Expresso Shake

Now, coming to the food, the first to arrive as expected was the soup they call their Smoked Chicken Balls Soup… It came as shown in the pic… From the outside, it pretty much looks like any other non-cream Chicken soup, but on the inside are two chicken meat balls, that appear to have been grilled because of the grill marks as can be seen in the pic below…

Other than the meatballs, the soup is a thickened chicken broth with eggs and green onions and cilantro… My only problem with the soup was that the broth was made too thick with starch, which I believe is completely an unnecessary thing to do… Leaving that aside, its definitely one of the best tasting chicken broths I have ever had… The meatballs made up of smoked chicken was also incredibly flavourful… The soup was also perfectly seasoned with salt and pepper… Great tasting soup that I’ll recommend to try at least once… 🙂

As I was almost done with the soup, the starter that I order, namely the leg piece of the Rottsy Chicken had arrived… They served an entire leg of the chicken that was grilled in their charcoal grill as the manager informed me and it came with some spicy mayonnaise dip and some salad… I must say that this turned out to be one of the rarest of rare instances when you get grilled chicken thats not dry at all throughout the piece… Usually if a restaurant doesn’t make it completely dry, only the parts at the centre and nearby are somewhat moist… Here on the other not only was the entire piece moist, but it was really juicy with the meat simply falling off the bone very easily…

Regarding its taste, I found it to be an incredibly complex taste thanks to their top secret marinade on the meat… But from what I could understand, which could be completely wrong, it kind of felt like the Chermoula spice mix combined with smoked paprika and black pepper and then cooked with butter if I am not mistaken… I am not 100% sure, but I think I felt a slight hint of cardamom in it as well… Anyways, its their secret… The mayo dip appears to have been spiced with smoked paprika as well and the salad appears to have been seasoned with salt and red chilly powder and it was exactly like the salad we get with tandoori items usually in most places… However, one thing I can confirm is that this Rottsy Grilled Chicken is the best grilled chicken that I have ever had so far… I’ll definitely will be getting it again in my future visits… I almost ordered some more to be taken as takeaway, but since I was not going back home directly, I left it for my next visit… 🙂

Next came the Malabar Dum Biriyani… The waiter had informed that its a Thalassery Style Biriyani, which being a Thalassery guy who has had whats called “Thalassery Biriyani” from some of the other restaurants, made me a bit skeptical but since I was really hungry, went for it anyway… So, the biriyani came in a bowl that sort of looks like a spoon as can be seen in the thumbnail pic :),  served with what I consider an unfairly tiny cup of raita (I can never understand the idea behind such severe rationing of the raita in most restaurants) and dates pickle… The biriyani came with two pieces of chicken with one of them being a drumstick piece 🙂

Unfortunately, the only part about this that I liked was the dates pickle which was awesome… Great flavour of dates and spices in it that I wish they would actually sell bottles of it as its way better that the ones we already get in the supermarket… 🙂 The raita, well, is as good as it can be… However, the actual biriyani was not as good as I had hoped… I guess it was a bad day for the chef who made it… On the positive side, the pieces of chicken was cooked perfectly and by themselves tasted good enough… However on the downside, the rice felt to be overcooked and I am not sure that actual Jeerakasala rice was used or not as I couldn’t detect the fragrance of that rice in it… The rice and the masala felt like it needed more seasoning and more spices in it… Also, one of the most important thing is the presence of the fragrance and flavour of ghee which I felt was completely missing from this biriyani… However, what amazed me is that the dates pickle that was given ended up compensating for the pitfalls of the biriyani… I say this because, when I mixed in the pickle with. the rice and the masala, the whole thing tasted quite nice… So, if you are having this and find yourselves having the same experience as myself, just make sure to ask for extra pickle and it will be fine… 🙂

By this time the expresso shake had also arrived and I really liked that one… Good taste of the coffee in there…

Having skipped breakfast, I felt like having a dessert as well and so in their menu, the Rabri falooda caught my eye… Because that reminded me of the faloodas I had in Mumbai and got it hoping to get something similar… It came as can be seen in the pics below… It had vanilla ice cream, fresh fruits, the rabri, vermicelli, cashewnuts and some blobs of butterscotch, which I think are attempts at making the English Toffee and topped with caramel and some cashew nuts…

Rabri Falooda

Rabri Falooda

Rabri Falooda

I had mixed feelings about this one… Let me tell you why… As you go from top to bottom, first you get the scoop of vanilla ice cream with roasted cashew nuts and caramel, which is great… Then as you dig further, you get the first wave of the English Toffee attempts, which are ok but I felt that they could be better… Then when you hit the fruits, then also its great… However, what all comes after the fruits in the problem… The vermicelli definitely needed some more time being cooked and since this is a falooda, I expected a lot more of the rose flavour in it… Then below the vermicelli were the 2nd wave of the English Toffee attempts and then there was the Rabri and some more ice cream at the bottom… Honestly, I felt that the flavours of the butterscotch blobs (English Toffe attempts) and the caramel didn’t quite work with the Rabri and the vermicelli and that was the problem… I mean I think if the vermicelli was properly cooked and the butterscotch and caramel was replaced with Kulfi, this would have been an excellent Falooda… I say this because I liked the taste of the Rabri used… Overall, I believe that this recipe needs to be redesigned…

After leaving the restaurant, I contacted the owner and discussed about the negative aspects of my experience… After apologising for it all, he informed me that he’ll talk to the chefs and fix them very quickly… Apparently they are in the process of completely revamping their menu… That is, more new items to be added plus, recipes of existing dishes revised and corrected if needed… Once everything gets implemented and ready, I hope that this place flourishes and truly be one of the best eating spots in Trivandrum… I for one will be eagerly waiting for it…

Slice of Spice – First Visit – New Rottsy Grill This is something that was overdue for quite a long time as I have been wanting to visit the Slice of Spice restaurant ever since they opened and I heard about it...

[tortugahs]

Aditi: Now, this is a special post. I am honored to present Special Guest: Funny Person and aspiring TV Writer Queen: Samantha Lauber! Sammi and I have always been twitter buds and she has been a long-time supporter of my food blog ventures. So we teamed up to go on a food adventure and write a review! Here we feature my love for brunch food and Sammi’s undeniable charm and wit. Read on, friends!

sammi ft. food. peep the baby in the back. 

As I was perusing on Yelp to find a brunch spot, we were looking for something we hadn’t tried before. We settled on Railcar. Sammi replied “I LOVE RAILCAR,” so it was decided, we would go to Railcar.

Sammi: As the woman making the essential final decision, I do think it is important to point out that my previous experience with Railcar was outstanding. I believe that they have a talent with meats, particularly those that Aditi would not be comfortable eating. Also, I was hella schwasty because my father and I got some sort of pink punch in a fancy carafe. Carry on, Aditi.

Aditi: Now, this spot is really far away. Its only 25 minutes on the highway, but that can be a pretty big trek for Creighton kids. Its located in a surburb-style strip mall, but the decor and vibe on the inside feels like it belongs in the Old Market. Wood everywhere, string bulb lights, and a beautiful wine fridge. They were even playing the Shrek marathon, so thats a plus!

Sammi: Shout out to Shrek for giving us a conversation jumping-off point.

Aditi: Now, Sammi and I weren’t in a rush, but this place had exceptionally slow service. It took a full two hours to order, get our food, and pay – and for a restaurant in a suburb strip mall, it should not take that long. The lighting was also terrible, which contributed to the awful quality pictures and us blinding ourselves when we eventually walked out of the place.

Sammi: I will also note that we originally had someone who seemed to be a real waitress, and after about twenty minutes of her not coming back to us, had someone dressed differently than all the waiters (I assumed she was a manager or hostess of some sort). She reminded me of a helicopter, in that she hovered a lot and called me “honey.” Helicopters are always calling me “honey.”

Aditi: We started off with a croissant, which we promptly devoured, seeing as both of us were starving. It was soft and flaky, served with a lot of butter, which was much appreciated. The waitress was kind enough to bring us a second roll after she noticed the piece we were served was slightly burned. You bet we ate it anyways!

Sammi: Note: any restaurant that provides me with a croissant instead of boring normal not-flaky bread immediately goes up a full letter grade.

  Aditi: We decided to get the Chilaques (breakfast nachos), the Chicken and Waffles, and a single Lemon Ricotta pancake on the side. It took over 40 minutes to get us those dishes, which seemed excessive. Thank god I had the charm and wit of future tv-writer to keep me company!

Sammi: This is the great part about me. I can take really serious conversations about politics and policy and life and adolescence and make them irrelevant with a sassy quip to close the topic.

Aditi: Let’s start with the chilaques. They were corn tortilla chips topped with al pastor shredded chicken, cheese, a fried egg, salsa, avocado, and creme fraiche. The spice on the chips was awesome, it lingered on the mouth and was really out of the ordinary for a typical brunch fare. However, it was definitely missing something. The avocado was a good cooling agent, but it needed some fresh veggies, tomatoes, or something to counter all the spiced chips. There was really no balance whatsoever.

Sammi: I sat waving my hand trying to figure out what this chip spice was. It felt kind of like those Fruit RollUp sheets that you stuck on your tongue for 45 seconds to get a fruit tongue tattoo, but without the fruity relief that the RollUp would have given. I am weak when it comes to spices, and spent the rest of the meal trying to subtly wipe my running nose.

Aditi: Next was the Chicken and Waffles. Now, this is where they really went wrong. They put country gravy and maple syrup on top of the fried chicken and waffle. And a fried egg! One, I do not like gravy on chicken and waffles. Two, if you want to do gravy, pick either gravy or syrup, not both. Three, please specify that there is sausage in country gravy! As a poor innocent red-meat-avoiding-customer, I do not enjoy biting into my food and finding mystery meat that I don’t eat. Please see the below quote. Its funny.

Sammi: Here’s the thing. I am a bit of a food racist. Dark meats and light meats do not mix. Hybrid dishes must outline themselves as hybrid dishes. I need a registry, I am the Donald Trump of separatist dishes. So when I was given a chicken and waffle, expecting…a chicken and waffle…and instead saw an attempt at breeding a sort of biscuits and gravy/chicken and waffle monstrosity, I was shocked. I had hope, and then I cut into it, and then Aditi was given sausage, and then I was sad. Choose gravy OR syrup! Choose chicken OR sausage! Give me a composed, clear dish or give me death. 

Aditi: On top of that, the waffle had literally no flavor. Seriously, Brandeis dining hall waffles were better than this. We certainly did not finish this dish, really disappointing. The waitress noted this as her favorite dish…which was just wrong. Find a better one.

Aditi: Lastly, the saving grace was the lemon ricotta pancake. It featured ricotta cheese and lemon zest in the pancake, soaked in maple syrup and topped with a few fresh raspberries. The presentation wasn’t that impressive, but the pancake had a nice lemon flavor. It was juicy and flavorful. I thought it was a little on the eggy-side, which is weird for a pancake. Regardless, this was the only dish we felt like finishing.

Sammi: I wanted more raspberries and cream on this, but I also wasn’t going to complain because the lemon was well-balanced, the pancake was moist, and it was charmingly crisp on the top, which made me think they may have broiled it a touch or had an in-house dragon for crisping purposes. I kept coming back to this pancake.

Safe to say, our expectations were shattered. Sammi says, “And not in a good way, like the glass ceiling!” The prices aren’t bad, but this mediocre-at-best-quality was certainly not worth it. The balance of the dishes were off, their menu was not clear, and the flavors missed the mark. The menu is so promising, but they fall really flat. Not worth the drive, not worth the money. The only redeeming factor about this experience was the splendid company of soon-to-be-famous Sammi Lauber. At least I had that.

Sammi: A small consolation prize, but consolation nonetheless.

The Bottom Line:

Mediocre food, decent atmosphere, slow service. Meh.

Cone Rating: 

Price Range: $$ (10-20 per person)

Location: West Omaha, NE

Internet: Railcar Website, Yelp

Railcar Modern American Kitchen Aditi: Now, this is a special post. I am honored to present Special Guest: Funny Person and aspiring TV Writer Queen: Samantha Lauber!