New Place for Non Vegetarian Food lovers - Farm To Table, Surat

It was a rainy day when we decided to go for a drive to Dumas to have Bhajiyas and Saturday traffic played the role of the villain on our gang.

Then we had coffees at Meraki (convenience as usual) and had put forth some data from the Zomato listings up for discussion to finally come to the conclusion that Farm To Table will be put to the taste test tonight.

Behind the V R Mall at Magdalla and bang beside the Gate To Goa Flea Restro is this newly opened place with a unique name and a very different vibe - Farm to Table

VIBE
The look and feel of the restaurant is very casual and rustic, with sections that are cozy and concentric in nature with small sections and large sections both defined and put up so that different type of customers can be catered to at the same time. There is a large door frame that is iconic and looks really inviting as if we are being transported to a different dimension. There is a large open bar area (Non Alcoholic for those who don't know yet that Surat doesn't serve liquor...) and a covered kitchen area that gives a sneak preview whenever something is coming out through the doors.

We tried the Al Fresco area on the first level through the curved stairs and were given a special table with privacy (seats upto 6 members) so that our noise can not disturb the other patrons.

MENU
The menu is multi cuisine and yes, the name of the restaurant is Farm to Table, the look and feel is Farm to Table but not a lot of things are that way when it comes to the actual concept of farm to table. It would be nice to actually have a restaurant with that theme and concept in reality though...

Coming to the menu, the menu is a Multi Cuisine menu with separate Vegetarian and Non Vegetarian categories for almost all the sections and looks pretty much intriguing and worth exploring as some of the dishes were arousing the curiosity of the Chef inside this head of mine. Will surely explore more and write about it.

FOOD
We ordered straightaway with the Peri Peri Paneer Tikka from Vegetarian and Cantonese Chicken Cigar as well as the Warqi Tandoori Tangri from Non Vegetarian. They were really good, I personally liked the dip of the Cantonese Chicken Cigars which were basically they chicken spring rolls served with what seemed like a Soya Sauce dozed version of the Schezwan Sauce, what worked for me was the flavor profile of the sauce and serving temperature (slightly warm). What did not work for me was the Oily thick exterior of the spring rolls and the slightly disproportionate amount of filling ratio of chicken to cabbage.

The Peri Peri Paneer Tikka was definitely a good one to start with, the paneer was soft and creamy from the inside and the marinade was well balanced with the Peri Peri rub spices and hung curd marinade with tandoori masala.

The Warqi Tandoori Tangri was a revelation as the marinade was neither too spicy nor too bland and had the right texture when it came to the cooking of the meat too. I am not a big fan of undercooked or raw food and unfortunately most places take it for granted but not this place.

For the main course we had ordered the Desi Anda Curry and a Chef's Special Tangri Murgh Spicy Kaju Gravy with Chicken.

The Desi Anda Curry was tangy and spicy at the same time with a great texture of the kind of Curry you would expect in North India, we absolutely loved that one.

The Chicken however was a little disappointing as the balance of Cashew base of the gravy and the Masala was a little mixed up in the wrong kind of way. It could have been way better if it was marketed as a Mild creamy dish rather than a spicy one as the description was a little misleading. But if we are going to visit the next time we will make sure to inform Chef Rawat in advance as to what kind of a preparation we want and the kitchen will make sure they make it to our liking.

The bar menu had a lot of innovative mocktails and drinks to choose from but we were too hungry to wait so we had Masala Buttermilk and managed to add a Virgin Mojito order to taste the drinks curated by our super thrilled and excited bartender Sunny.

SERVICE
The service was hospitable and fast, we were seated in a separate section but still were given quick and effective service. It would be better if you reserve or book a table in advance. The place is new and has good scope for becoming a place worth multiple visits.

KITCHEN
The owners were gracious enough to give us a kitchen tour and we saw a well organized and well managed kitchen with a very clean and hygienic environment to prepare our food which was a relief with so many places not doing the same nowadays in the city. We were happy to see that the owners are enthusiastic about their business and operations and will wish them good luck for this new venture.

OVERALL
The place is good and deserves a try, make sure to ask questions about the menu and preparations. The food was good, the look and feel of the restaurant is nice and decent. The kitchen and service teams know what they are having and with some practice they might just click with the consumer expectations.