Taste of India’s fine cuisine
OUT AND ABOUT
Fire season is with us, providing on the plus side, dramatic sunsets through the smoky haze, and on the down side pollution from the pungent smell of burning plastic in many city streets. A friend is still coughing a couple of weeks after helping divert a fierce fire which swept through woodland and narrowly missed thatched buildings on a farm just outside the city. At this time of year fires can easily get out of control with unexpected shifts in the wind and I have been conscious of a busy fire brigade — often encountering fire engines with sirens screaming through the city streets. People are burning rubbish as well as thick vegetation on property borders perceived as hideouts for thieves.
Luckily the fire brigade appears to be on the ball with full bowsers. My son reported a hedge fire raging in an Avondale West backyard — about to consume a wooden shed and leap to the main building via a Zesa pole. Fire brigade was on site within 6 minutes of his call — to 112 on the cellphone network — and fire doused and safety restored within twenty minutes. An encouraging story. Hope the city manages to continue providing a prompt fire service.
No thick vegetation surrounds the Spice Lounge, newly established on the corner of Lezard Ave and Prince Edward Street near Kensington Shops Another Indian Food outlet, the name is a nice one for a restaurant — conjuring up tropical scents and textures. The boundary fence railings allow a view of what promises to be a lovely garden once the plants grow more luscious. It’s a big place with a large indoor dining room as well as a lovely spacious verandah. Doesn’t feel quite finished and could do with some more tropical foliage on the verandah (palms and plants in bronze planters come to mind) as well as something on the walls.
For the moment the bar/lounge area is not yet complete and a couple of other rooms are still storing boxes.
Menu is extensive and nicely designed. Mostly featuring dishes from the Punjab — North Western India — there are also a couple of southern specialities, including a hot Goan lamb vindaloo. Starters look interesting — mostly around US$7 but many of them are prepared in the tandoor — garlic chicken, fish tikka, lamb chops, vegetable kebabs and perhaps the tandoor was not fired up for lunch — as tandoori chicken was not an option.
Although the restaurant is not yet licensed the menu features a US$5 corkage charge apparently hastily withdrawn after complaints!
All the food was nice enough but on the whole felt expensive, and with all side dishes — papadoms, raita, salads, chutneys and pickles charged extra — price mounts up quickly. I had prawn biryani (US$16 on the menu but US$17 on the bill — which I only noticed when referring to it for the write up.) And there weren’t that many prawns for US$17 — half a dozen at most — and very tiny! Rice was flavoursome and I liked the caramelised onions on top.
Lamb Karahi (US$17) was good as was the chicken tikka. (US$16). Rice was US$2 a portion — probably enough for two — but we ordered buttered nan — US$2 for three pieces. Desserts would have pushed the price per person over US$25 — rather a lot for a casual lunch. Sweets included chocolate and pistachio brownie served with ice cream (US$6) and an interesting flavour combination of mango and jeera (cumin) icecream (US$4).
Service is charming if a little tentative and food took a while. There’s a nice ambience but needs more attention to finishing details and some pricing revision to be competitive.
– g.jeke@yahoo.com