kiki's B.F.F: Amaya Indian Room [Indian]

I have been to Amaya Indian Room (@amayarestaurant) only once a few years ago and recently I have been seeing a lot of their new menu offerings on all of my social media feeds and was so excited when I got invited to a tasting.

Open since 2007, Chef Hemant Bhagwani's Amaya empire came a long way with Amaya Bread Bar, a couple of Amaya Express and food court location across the city plus it's catering business. Plus a line of natural Indian food/sauce called Amaya Gourmet.

We were greeted and served by the man himself and we were told that's we'll be tasting dishes from their Lobsterlicious menu. For $39, you can a 3 course Lobsterlicious prix fixe menu and it's happening until May 18th which you don't want to miss.

Mango Fennel Lassi $3.90

~ Greek yogurt w/ fresh mango pulp & fennel seeds

This is perfect for those who can't handle all the spices and heat but for me, thought it was too sweet and thick for me. Quite filling, especially with all the food we were served. Should have ordered a lighter and more refreshing drink.

Crab Lollipop w/ Indian Tartare Sauce Amuse Bouche

Amuse Bouche usually in bite size, this definitely take quite a few bite. Yes it's a line paper style plate and although it's cute, I am not sure it ties in with the space. That aside, the plates were rather slippery and presentation is as good as it last to the table. Basically we had 2 dishes that things slip around and ruined the presentation. That aside, this was delicious, very subtle spices in the sauce with crab packed lollipop with minimal fillers.

Gold Medal Scallops

~ spice crusted scallops, cauliflower fritters, roasted lentil & chilli relish

Usually not a big fan of scallops but this was so good. Love all the spices and flavors here plus the added crispiness from the fritters. Strong spices but not overpowering where you can still taste the scallops flavors.

Lobster & Corn Samosa

~ herb chutney

Found this a tad salty, it was so flavorful already that the extra salt wasn't needed at all. The refreshing chutney did save it a bit.

Tandoori Shrimp

~ spicy marinade, chilli & coconut panna cotta

Had my fair share of Tandoori chicken but never had shrimp before but it was delicious. Perfectly cook and flavored plus love the touch of sweetness from the panna cotta foam

Ghee Roast Lamb Tenderloin $12.90

~ wasabi ice cream

After mentioning at the beginning that I would love to try something from their regular menu as well and we were offer this dish. Of course we were a tad curious and skeptical about the wasabi ice cream but there was no reason to be since it paired surprisingly well. The sweetness contrast perfectly with the spices and with a pop of nose numbing wasabi flavor plus the lamb was perfectly cook.

Lobster Makhani with Brandy

~ lobster tika in makhani sauce

The sauce was just so amazing, wish it came with a bowl of rice but somehow we still manage to clean the plate.

Roast Lobster

~ beetroot & curry leaft khichdi, spiced lobster jus

This was amazing, the lobster was perfectly roasted & love love love the beetroot khichdi which was incredibly delicious and gave us a break from the stronger / spicier dishes. Love the sweetness of the beetroot with the grilled lobster and you could decide on how much sauce to take from the side depending on your personal preference.

Chef's Biryani

~ biryani is a basmati dish made w/ spices & can include lamb, chicken, seafood & vegetables. Amaya seal their cooking pot with dough & bake it in the oven and it's in limited quantity

The dough was broken at the table with steam and smell coming out, you can't help but want to dig in right away. Love how it was pipping hot and it was a perfect contrast will the cooling cucumber yogurt on the side.

Chilli Olive Naan $4

Never had naan with stuffing like that before and it was packed with so much flavors. They also have flavors like smoked bacon & lamb kulcha and chilli paneer. Although I really enjoy it, I can't help but think that plain ones will go better with the dishes where you can scoop up the sauces etc.

Blueberry Cardamon Kulfi

~ liquid nitrogen - prepared table side

Had kulfi a few times before but never really enjoyed it but the one here was amazing. Not only soft and smooth, it had just the right amount of cardamon which can be overwhelming with a heavy hand. I never imagined I'll finish dessert after all the food we had but this was so good that I was wishing for more.