Solitaire Restaurant Thai Food Festival | Gem Of Kohinoor Continental | Review & Recommendation

Once upon a time, I used to live far off and coming to Andheri was akin to space travel. Last month however I moved houses and now Andheri is going to be my nearest neighborhood for food joints haunting,with Solitaire at Kohinoor Continental right in the top 5 of my list of places for repeat visit. Why? Delicious food, staff that treats us like family, soothing environs, take your pick :)

Was honored to be invited for their Thai Food Festival which has given me enough glimpses into their awesomeness and I can't wait to try their normal buffets too. The way they have decorated the place for this festival right now is sublimely beautiful, so is the food and their hospitality. Chef Sirima Subin has brought the magic of Thai cuisine alive with fresh dips, sauces and intense flavors permeating each and every dish. There is a punch of fresh veggies, spices, aroma of lemongrass that make every dish stand out, even their drinks menu right now is awesome. As everyone knows, I don't really go for alcohol,my sister does, but since she has a throat infection right now, she stuck with fresh lime juice, apple juice and guava juice (all splendid by the way) while I took upon myself to sip on Thai Blue Margherita (Tequila based) and Thai Spicy Basil (Vodka based), both drinks so fresh on my palate that even I did not mind having alcohol this night :D Try their drinks for sure, outstanding!

As for food, they have a huge but not overwhelming variety in the buffet. Soup and starters were served on the table while main course and desserts were self service. Apart from the specialty Thai dishes we tried, they also serve anything else the diners might wish for, be it any paneer dish, rotis, kulchas, biryani, naan and so on. As I said, their hospitality is top notch and you need just ask your wish to be fulfilled :)

Loved the spicy punch of Tom Yum Thai Soup with hearty mushroom chunks, the warmth radiating straight to the heart,

Strong punch of flavors abound in starters such as Thai Spring Roll (wholesome), Mushroom & Corn (spicy), Veggie Bites (just like our Manchurian but with subtle lemongrass), Tofu with cashewnuts (dense, a much needed mild healthy kick here), Corn fritters (so unexpectedly different!) and a special word on how none of these were swimming in oil, neither were too 'Indianized', every dish has authenticity yet gives a familiar punch to the palate, special appreciation for the accompanying sweet chilli dip!

Coming to main course, we browsed through a variety of fresh salads and tried Fried Rice with veggies from their Live wok station along with good saucy Thai Flat Noodles, basic yet scrumptious Stir Fried Vegetables, Sweet & Sour Vegetables (that reminded me of my childhood somehow), healthy Steamed Veggies, Thai Green Curry, Steamed Rice and so on, again a special word on how they have not added any artificial color to their curry to make it green, respecting the ingredients to impart their authentic flavors, well done!

The well thought out Dessert station had a mix of Thai as well as standard desserts, again wonderfully balanced to give something to everyone. Must try is the Thai special Banana Milk & Coconut Milk, a down to earth sweet dish to draw parallel with out very own payasam or humble fruit custard, move on to Fresh cut fruits -watermelon, papaya and then Pineapple pastry, Coconut mousse, Kiwi mousse, Black Forest Gateaux, Thai Panacotta, all of them worth a shot and none of them overly sweet or artificially sugary. Their variety of Ice creams has some rare flavors like rose and paan that deserve a special mention, they seem to be hand churned and not mass-y, hence have a distinct creaminess.

We finished our feast with special hot Thai tea, which is a bit on sweet-ish side and really good for digestion, don't go by the way it smells and just take a sip to end a very memorable experience on a sweet note :)