Though the trading hours on the door suggest Indian Mahal is open for lunch, it's not. This lively eatery is open for dinners only, but they're good ones. Take time to enjoy some in the colourful dining room of this quaint cottage.
Egg pakoras are an unusual entree, with chickpea batter giving a nutty flavour to this golden fried mix. Moving on to the main event, jhinga Kashmiri is a medium hot prawn curry with green chillies, tomato and cauliflower; while more delicate palates might prefer palak murgh, which translates to subtlety spiced chicken fillet cooked with cashews in spinach sauce. For red-meat eaters, there's a shahi (lamb) korma with highly textured spices including cardamom, saffron and garam-masala; or cutlets of beef madras bathed in hot coconut milk laced with spices.
Proprietor and chef Lilian Caraca has high ethical standards about vegetarian cuisine. She believes you cannot honestly offer a dish as vegetarian unless all aspects of its preparation do not involve meat. Challenging the standards of those who do otherwise, she does not use meat-based stock in what she presents to customers as vegetarian.
To mop up all that virtuous cuisine, 13 varieties of naan, roti and paratha bread rise to occasion. Peshawari is plumped with sultanas, almonds and cherries, while the golden deep-fried yoghurt bread, bhatura, may also serve as a sneaky dessert.
Roz Taylor
Community
5 Favourites
