Mash N Grill food festival at ITC Fortune Park BBD, Lucknow

On a balmy Thursday afternoon, just when Lucknow was getting into the grip of tropical noons, I was invited for a tasting menu at ITC Fortune Park BBD - Lucknow. Starting 4th May, the ORCHID restaurant, situated at the 1st floor at this boutique hotel, has begun the MASH N GRILL food festival (running till 13th May) that is worth a try if you are a fan of the Tex Mex cuisine. It is basically a fusion of American and Mexican cuisines, deriving from the culinary creations of the west, and is characterised by heavy use of meat, potatoes, grilled veggies and spices.

I attended the event with some fellow food bloggers from the city, and between mouthfuls of the delicious bites and conversation on the similarities of the Mexican & Indian food, we kept each other regaled with our stories on kitchen food innovations and sultry tales about our passion for food. And from there, I got an idea of collaborating with my friend and blogger - Azmaan Khan from Talking Tastebuds to share a review about the veg & non-veg dishes for you all (where only Azmaan tasted the non-veg food).

I know you've been missing the reviews about non-vegetarian food on this blog for past 10 months, and for once I'd like to give you what you ask for. Hence, below is a detailed description of the dishes we tasted and what we felt about them all. Scroll down to take a look..

VEGETARIAN DISHES

Grilled Polenta - These are grilled corn meal cakes served with pepper coulis and mescaline salad. One of my favorites from the menu because I am a corn freak. Beautifully grilled upside down and tasted best even with no salad.

Grilled Tofu Skewers - If you like a healthy substitute to cottage cheese, tofus are for you. This colorful dish consists of soya marinated tofu, bell pepper and mushroom skewers served with hot pineapple tomato salad. I love when you get to hold these stick dishes and keep munching on them one by one; it just feels fun to eat it, especially when it's spicy and grilled to perfection.

Cheese & Pimento Fajitas - Something super solid to hog on. If you're a fan of wraps, you'll definitely want to try this. Cheese & pimento rolled in tortilla bread, served with Mexican tomato salsa & sour cream. I enjoy tasting wraps and this was just one of those yummy dishes I can eat everyday. Tastefully grilled with soft and chewy texture.

Cajun Grilled Veggies - Well, not everyone might be a fan of boiled and grilled veggies, but I surely am. I feel good eating vegetables that aren't a part of my daily meals. At times, it's good to try some smokey grilled cherry tomatoes, zuccini, broccoli, marinated in cajun spices and served with bamboo stick. It is delectable and wholesome.

Mashed Potato - So when you talk of Mash N Grill, you basically get grilled food from the Mexican cuisine and mashed vegetable dishes from the American cuisine, which consists of potatoes as staples. This extremely plain potato dish tastes as simple as it's name. A blog of mashed potatoes on your plate to pair up with grilled non-veg dishes that you're going to read about below. I took a bite of it with some lettuce sauce and felt something just melted into my mouth as soon as I put it in.

NON-VEGETARIAN DISHES

Grilled Chicken : Deeply grilled chicken in barbecue sauce and rosemary confit. Easily palatable with a perfect blend of taste and texture. Definitely one of the best available in town and worth the money!

Grilled Salmon with Potato and Lettuce Sauce : These are marinated scotties salmon stake grilled, served with spinach & potatoes. The salmon was nicely grilled, though I'm not a huge fan of the dish, I tried a few bites. it was properly diced and grilled and had retained its flavour well. I enjoyed it with the sliced potatoes served with lemon butter sauce.

This was our first experience with the Tex Mex cuisine, and we personally liked the preparations. Even though our tastebuds urged for more spice, it was fun trying something out of the box in the city. It's a must try food festival and we recommend you to visit soon, since 13th May being the last day for it.  |  Address : 29/7, Rana Pratap Marg, Dainik Jagran Chauraha, Lucknow. 

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Photographed by : Azmaan Khan

~xoxo~