PROFILED BY DE GROOTS MEDIASmall, intimate rooms, interesting Indian wall hangings, nick-knacks and open fires; family-run and magic indeed. On entering, Madame Sharma’s smile lights your welcome and the pungent spiciness of the air sets the juices flowing. The menu runs the fairly normal gamut of samosas, pakoras, tandoori breads, tikkas and kebabs through chicken, lamb, beef, seafood and vegetarian to a selection of biryanis, pulaos, saffron basmati rice and side dishes, all appropriately marked mild, medium or hot. But it’s the quality of the spicing, the authentic sourness of the vindaloos, the wonderful rustic mustiness of the home-made things, like the mango seed pickle, that sets Magic Curries apart from other Indian places around town.
Plus the more unusual dishes like Aloo-Chana (chickpea curry with potatoes), Kadahi chicken (capsicums, onions and fenugreek), Goan fish curry, mushroom-muter (mushroom and green pea curry in yellow garam masala sauce) and the variety of stuffed and flavoured naans. Order ahead and they will do you a veritable Punjabi feast – aloo tikki, fish Amritsari, okra cooked with onions and spices, a wonderful melting and spicy eggplant bhartha, dahi lamb (yoghurt-based cardamom, garam masala and cinnamon curry), shahi chicken, naan, pratha and side dishes of boondi raita and that not-to-everyone’s-taste-but-I-love-it musty mango pickle.