PROFILED BY DE GROOTS MEDIAThe no-standing sign outside Indian Mahal makes it difficult to dash in and out of this restaurant quickly. So, take this as a sign to park your car in the lot out the back and reserve a table to make the most of Indian Mahal’s well-formed menu. Marshmallow-coloured walls are the backdrop for an assortment of tapestries, tasselled cushions and lively puppets evoking a cosiness similar to the feeling of a friend’s home cooking.
Dishes in the vegetarian section of Indian Mahal’s menu are entirely that – meat free and prepared in vegetable-based stocks. They include beauties such as bangen ka bharta, consisting of eggplant grilled over charcoal, mashed and then cooked with fresh tomatoes, onion and spices. The Tandoori platter is the perfect opportunity to enjoy all of this oven’s treats, weighed down with chicken tikka, seasoned fish and king prawns marinated in homemade spices. The lamb chops sound so good they tempt you to leave the platter’s bounty for them alone. Marinated in garlic, ginger and freshly ground spices they sizzle with succulence in the tandoor. Curries, chutney, pickles and raita are waiting to be soaked up with your choice from the 13 styles of roti and naan breads. If your tummy allows, finish the night with some gulab jamuns, a sweet honey dumpling made with full cream milk and licked with scented syrup.
Roz Taylor