Situated along the stretch of shops, houses and various other forms of building like paraphernalia lies a nook of a restaurant by the name of Jeff’s Kitchen.
They haven’t been open for too long but given how we had gotten a recommendation to check them out, we decided to get some dinner on our way home.
Ambience
The restaurant in terms of space is quite small. With one side completely dedicated to a showcase and another dedicated to a single chair for those of you who wait to take their food away, seating at this place is more or less limited to accommodate no more than 4 people.
Nonetheless, with bright orange walls, bits and bobs of teacups and plants and a strangely rustic theme going around (except for the metal showcase), it’s not all bad. Plus, given how we actually dined in instead of taking our food home, we can assure you that if you’re lucky enough to get that table, it’s a good thing. It wasn’t warm and the owners’ kids tend to hang around the space as well, which essentially means that even if you’re dining alone, you’re bound to get some entertainment.
The Food
The food menu at Jeff’s Kitchen is more or less limited to a giant blackboard by the side of the cash register. They do a bunch of stuff including biriyani, baabath and pittu, nasi goreng and even fried fish.
Unfortunately, we didn’t know that they had Baabath until we had ordered a lot more food than we could handle.
Featured above is the Chicken Biriyani (Rs. 420). Coming in as a dome of sunny yellow rice, the first thought that entered our heads was how homely the whole thing looked. It didn’t just look like the biriyani your mom made for you as a kid but kinda tasted like it too. With bits of cloves lounging around and chunks of cooked potato inside the dome, we really liked it.
It didn’t have that distinct Hydrabadi biriyani taste, but rightly so, and compared to most of the other biriyanis around, it wasn’t as in your face as you’d expect. However, the chicken had been cooked well to make sure that there is a hard shell on the outside and a soft white centre on the in and considering how it wasn’t all that oily, we had nothing to complain about.
We suggest trying it with the raita/sambol thing they give on the side. It gives an extra kick if you’re not too big on the mildness of things.
This is the Deep-Fried Mullet (Rs. 550). Served with a side of Coleslaw that’s essentially just cut up cabbage drenched in mayo and store-bought Parata, it’s a steal.
Smothered in a range of spice and fried till the fish had a lovely crunch on the outside and a beautifully soft white inside with bits of steam curling out of it, we positively loved it. You could taste the freshness of the fish and considering how the spices didn’t overpower the taste of the fish, it’s a catch y’all.
I don’t know what got into me when I thought that taking the picture of the Seafood Nasi Goreng (Rs. 490) like this would be a good idea, but, I did and that’s how we ended up with this atrocity.
The spiciest of the lot, the seafood nasi goreng was a mix of prawns cuttlefish, rice and a heap of spice. Positively packed with flavour, it’s easily enough to feed more than 2 very hungry humans and considering how spicy and oily it was, we’re gonna say it’s worth the cash. Because no matter how hard you try, you’re not gonna be able to eat the full thing which technically could mean that breakfast next morning is also sorted.
Jeff’s Kitchen fortes in mains. But, they do have a couple of sides up for grabs. And after seeing the glorious dish that was a giant portion of giant orange prawns, we decided to get a serving of their Devilled Prawns (Rs. 550) as well. Smothered in capsicum, onion, oil and sauce, this was the epitome of a solid devilled prawn. Plus, of all that we got, this has got to be our favourite. and that’s coming from someone who doesn’t even like prawns all that much.
Service
The staff at Jeffs Kitchen comprises entirely of the family of the owner and maybe a couple people working behind the scene, we don’t know. Fast-paced and very friendly, we had nothing to complain about.
Conclusion
We liked it. Sure, it’s not the ideal arrangement for dining in, but, the food is good, the prices, hella reasonable and judging by how fast they manage to deliver their food, it’s worth looking out for if you’re looking for some dinner on your way home.