The restaurant-bar-club opened near Laxmi Lawns, Magarpatta, about one-and-a-half months ago and The Cult — Terra has already become a hit with the local crowd. Even on a Saturday evening when it was pouring cats and dogs, it was abuzz with customers who braved the rains to get there to have a good time. The decor was bright and welcoming, though the cold metal chairs might give you a slight sting at first.
Dinner began with Sriracha Tofu Bao, which came as a surprise because it wasn’t your usual steamed bun with stuffing. It was more like a pita pocket, with a filling of diced tofu coated with mild Sriracha on a base of lettuce (not the Crispy Spinach as promised on the menu) held inside a flatbread made with lotus flour and potato starch. This format helps the chef quickly make a fresh fix with the various fillings according to the customer’s order.
The bartender is a friendly party-starter. She moves from table to table encouraging people to leave their worries behind and celebrate life with her experimental cocktails, all concocted keeping the drinker’s likes and dislikes in mind. My love for drama was presented in a gin-based cocktail with a dash of pomegranate and hints of basil and garam masala, in a martini chiller that gave off thick, aromatic vapour for a little while.
The menu is adventurous with the fusion options. We played along by ordering the Hyderabadi Biryani Dumplings. The meat was parcelled into dumplings and served on a bed of biryani rice. The dumplings were lip-smackingly spicy, and the rice was delightfully flavourful, but we preferred eating the two separately.
Another daring innovation is the Rajma Chawal mini bites. The chef has managed to take the unassuming meal and make it into a fascinating gourmet dish. The rajma is made into melt-in-your-mouth galouti kebabs, which are placed on top of delicately crispy coin-sized tikkis made of jeera rice and garnished with a spiced ring of an onion — this is nothing less than absolute genius.
The kebabs at this joint are tender and juicy, flavoured, marinated and roasted to perfection. We tried the Shish Kebabs, skewers of succulent chicken chunks, which came with a portion of hummus, vegetable sticks, Fattoush, and pita quarters. The slightly overpowering taste of white pepper in the charred kebabs gave it a pleasantly distinctive taste.
When it was time for the main course, we had an elaborate debate on whether to opt for another innovative recipe by the chef or try their signature items. After much contemplation, we ordered the Chicken Tikka Butter Masala. The quintessential chicken tikka was served in a creamy tomato-based gravy made rich with cream and butter. The light and crisp flatbread smeared with butter and sprinkled with chopped garlic proved to be a worthy accompaniment.
Stuffed because of their generous portions, we cringed at the thought of not having any dessert. After walking around the spacious restaurant, and visiting the fancy club where DJ Smitz was dishing out rad remixes of the latest Bollywood hits, we came back to our table and got ready to pick a dessert. And Tiramisu it was. Served in a shot-sized cup with creamy and spongy neat layers, and a strong taste of coffee that lingers on, the Tiramisu was all that it should be.
Considering you can see nothing but open fields when you come out of the venue, finding transport didn’t seem to be much of a problem. Within two minutes we managed to book a cab and found our way home without any hassle.