Got the opportunity to spend some time at Texas Tower American Bar & Grill in Kharadi and enjoyed their hospitality and great food.
The restaurant is one of the biggest I’ve seen in sheer floor space. Spread over two floors with indoor and outdoor seating. It can easily sit a 100 people and has three bars. The interiors are very classic and reminiscent of American gentlemen clubs in the 60s and 70s. Wooden flooring, mood lighting, plush leather seats. Everything from the grand lobby to the interior design and layout gives the place a luxurious yet understated personna. It has a calm and laidback vibe. A great place to chill with friends or plan corporate lunches and parties. They have a broad menu which includes Indian, Mexican & Italian cuisines. The outdoor seating gives you a 360 view of the bustling city below and the star studded sky above. Come and check it out if you’re in the vicinity and looking for a great place to eat and party!
I tried a lot of dishes on their exhaustive menu. Here’s what I thought about the food.
American Corn Cheese Balls
Rating – 2.5/5
These cheese balls are a nice starter to kick off your evening. Made with cheddar cheese, creamed corn and herbs before being rolled into balls and deep fried. They are crispy and quite filling. They didn’t really endear to me but most people, especially vegetarians, should enjoy them!
Wok Tossed Paneer
Rating – 3/5
Soft fresh paneer diced and tossed with pepper in a soya and chilli sauce. This is a staple item on a most bar menus and a great starter. Spicy with a hint of tanginess. The heat from the pepper and the acidity from the soya sauce come together well. You get exactly what you expect.
Fried Mozzarella Fillets
Rating – 4/5
Delicious mozzarella cheese coated with Italian seasoned breading, deep fried and served with a spicy marinara sauce. Lip smacking good! The sticks are light, fluffy and super cheesy!! Order them without regret. Hits all the right spots.
Karara Paneer Kebab
Rating – 2/5
Ground cottage cheese laced with wheat wrap and deep fried. This is an interesting but difficult dish to understand. Apart from aesthetic value, it doesn’t add anything in terms of flavour to the dish. The crisp wheat shell is not the easiest to break into and the cottage cheese doesn’t inspire either. Unless you’re a hard core paneer fan and want to try something outlandish, I would give this a miss.
Loaded French Fries
Rating – 2.5/5
Golden French Fries topped with melted cheese and served with tartar sauce. Nothing really unique about this dish. What you see is what you get. I personally didn’t think much of it. When I hear the word ‘Loaded’ I expect exactly that. All this was loaded was with fries. No additional condiments or maybe protein or veggies, even the cheese was regular processed cheese grated over and melted. Melted needs to stay gooey and sticky. This doesn’t tick any of those boxes. The harissa dip is decent. Save yourself 15 bucks and go for the regular fries.
Chicken Barrah
Rating – 3/5
Barrah is usually associated with mutton but here the restaurant has used chicken to make this spicy, smoky dish accessible to those who might not eat mutton. But that isn’t the only reason to try this. The dish is marinated in hot, spicy and intense flavours, skewered and chargrilled. What is presented to you is a delicious, smoky and succulent Chicken Barra. Sink your teeth in and let the symphony begin.
Californian Pizza
Rating – 3/5
It said that after a long weekend only your body shows up for work on Monday and not soul. 😂😂 Can I entice you with a pizza? One with a tropical twist? I am usually not a big fan of putting fruits especially pineapples on a pizza. But this pizza works in its unusual way. Check it out if you’re visiting. It’s delicious and refreshing.
Tandoori Mushrooms
Rating – 4/5
This dish was probably one of the best things I tasted here. Mushrooms stuffed with creamed spinach, cheese and barbequed in the tandoor. Doesn’t the sound of that just make your mouth water? The mushrooms are succulent and oozing with cheese and spinach. The smokiness and char from the tandoor really accentuate the taste of the mushrooms. This is a must have and you should order this without blinking twice.
Drums of Heaven
Rating – 2.5/5
Crispy fried chicken wings tossed in garlic sauce. This is a nice appetizer if you don’t like your wings hot and spicy. The garlic sauce gives the wings some much needed tanginess and the dish overall is decent. Don’t expect too much and you will be satisfied.
Tandoori Raan
Rating – 3.5/5
Raan is basically a whole leg of Lamb or Goat marinated for 48 hours and then slow cooked until the meat is literally falling off the bone. This dish is an interesting take on the original. Here the meat has been removed from the bone and then seasoned, spiced and plated. So it takes a little of the romance away from the eating of the meat. Having said that the dish is delicious. The meat is tender and ozzing with flavour. It goes a little overboard with the spices as you can’t discern the flavour of the meat. I prefer to retain some of the meat’s original taste. But for the average diner, this should be a real treat and will go great with drinks!
Fish and Chips
Rating – 3.5/5
I know fish and chips is more a Friday treat than a Saturday indulgence but who the heck cares right? It’s fish and chips and it’s outright delicious. It’s as you would expect. Nothing fancy or over creative. Simple, satisfying comfort food. Yes to this one!
Paneer Shashlik Sizzler
Rating – 3/5
If you’ve ordered a sizzler, the drama of the sizzle and the smoke comes complementary. This is no different. The paneer was soft and well seasoned and the dish overall hits all the right notes. Nothing out the box, but sometimes being predictable is a good thing.
I also tried:
- Loaded Nachos
- Alfredo Pasta
Flambe Gulab Jamun
Rating – 2.5/5
The first dessert I tasted was the flambe gulab jamun. It’s your humble gulab jamun served in a cocktail glass, drizzled with rum and then set aflame. It’s definitely a visual spectacle and a great way to present the dish. However, call me a purist but when it comes to taste, I like my gulab jamun the good old fashioned way. Great on optics, not so much on taste.
Chocolate Brownie Sundae Sizzler
Rating – 3.5/5
The theatrics (and there were quite a few) spilled over to this dish as well. A chocolate brownie paired with a generous scoop of vanilla scoop topped with chocolate sauce and served like a sizzler. The drama worked it’s magic here. The dessert looked appealing and tasted great too. Definitely one to try for the family. The kids will love it!
The Hungry Hermit 