Food theatre at Tamra

Hotel coffee shops have the distinction of being monochrome spaces, devoid of personality and serving buffet-style food.

More often than not, you can't tell one from another. In order to be seen as distinct, your food must be exceptional and inspiring.

Tamra at the Shangri La hotel ticks many of these boxes.

It serves excellent Japanese and Asian food and that in itself puts it in a different league.

The space is large, comfortable and well laid out. There are little nooks that give you privacy within the confines of an all-day dining space and the service is as a five-star hotel's should be.

The Japanese kitchen which is run by an expat chef, serves excellent sushi, sashimi and has a live teppanyaki counter as well.

Tamra (copper) is inspired by a time when copper was a popular metal and used extensively in cooking. The live kitchens at Tamra invite you to experience the drama as dishes are prepared before your eyes.

This interactive format is engaging and allows diners to tweak their dishes to a large extent. The restaurant has been designed by Dubai-based Stickman Design and has been well-thought out.

There are separate counters for Japanese, Asian, Indian cuisine as well as a dessert counter, one for salads and cold cuts and one for grills. You can opt to order a la carte or go for the buffet, which gives you a wider platter to choose from.

The ingredients are fresh, dishes are prepared with upmost care, and they have an enviable bar menu to match.

The sushi comes highly recommended and lives up to the hype and the salmon teriyaki is delicious as well.

That alone is reason enough to visit Tamra but the Japanese kitchen aside, you can choose from a range of pizzas, pastas, salads, burgers, sandwiches and a fairly large Indian menu as well.

If kebabs are your thing, the aambedi fish tikks (fish with a raw mango rub) and the akhroti lamb chops (walnut-crusted tandoori lamb chops) are winners.

There are several innovative options for vegetarians as well.

{mosimage}The local mains include favourites like butter chicken, dal makhni, paneer, rarhya meat and saag gosht. You can't go wrong if you order from this part of the menu.

The grills are surprisingly good as well and the steak is delicious. The Asian mains list runs long and you can choose from wok tossed prawns, Thai curries and Malaysian staples like the nasi goring.

The Asian food at the restaurant is a definite draw and stands head and shoulders above the rest of the kitchens.

My only complaint with Tamra (as with all buffets) is that there are too many options and one comes away wishing there was space in the stomach to sample more.

I would recommend you stick to one cuisine and go the whole hog, leaving space of course for dessert. Between the Indian desserts, ice creams and delicious puddings and cakes on display, every sweet tooth gets satiated.

Hop across to Tamra for a vibrant evening, good wine and some terrific food. This is one all-day dining restaurant that one wants to revisit again and again.

BT More recommends

Wok tossed prawns
Aambedi fish tikka
Salmon terikyaki

Average spend

The weekday buffet dinner is at Rs 2,100 plus taxes per person

Reservations
+91 11 41191010