Samarpita Mukherjee Sharma
Always on a look out for good food in the city, a bunch of us from Bhopal Bloggers Association dropped at Memsaheb for mid-week lunch and some fun. I’ll be honest, this was a place I had not heard of before or seen any pictures of. Their social media also didn’t reveal much. So, I’d walked in not sure what to expect. I knew it is a fine-dine restaurant, but it remained to be seen exactly how fine.
As one walks in at Memsaheb, one sees neutral tones with a splatter of floral prints in the decor. Wicker lights on the ceiling add to the understated, classy look. I think the designer did a fabulous job with the instructions they were given. Anyhow, we’d come there to eat, right? We’ve all been to plenty of places with great decor and underwhelming eating experience.
Memsaheb truly surprised me in a great way. Speaking to founder Anita Ajwani Agarwal who is a globally trained chef herself, one could feel that the food that is being cooked will be good. She not only understands food, but being a Bhopali, she understand the Bhopali tastebud too.
And the food didn’t disappoint at all – from plating to quantity to taste, everything was excellent and competitive. The soup was served in a glass jar with croutons that had cheese fillings. It is surely one of the best tomato soups I’ve had. The chat platter or as pop culture calls it – chaatcuterie, was mind-blowing and every element in it was a delight.
The papaya salad hit the right spots and the bamboo biryani was well-cooked. Smoked chicken was paired with mirchi paratha, the chicken steak was packed with flavours of gondhoraj lebu, and the chicken sizzler was paired with sticky rice. The iced tea was blended at the restaurant, as are all the spices and even coffee that are made in-house!
Both food and ambiance along with the decor at Memsaheb promise the fine-dine experience that is so scarce in the city. It’s always great to have more options and this place is a great option for dates, meeting friends, kitty parties, or family get-togethers. I’ll be going back for the steak soon!
