WHEN you stare at the Bhandaris North Indian restaurant’s logo, two images seem to fight for prominence; a tiger looking to the right and a woman wearing a turban looking the other way. In a story which seems to make The Spice Wars seem simply like a skirmish, the restaurant partnership owning Bihari with branches in the far North and deep South, parted ways.
Bhandaris is the new name for Bihari in Westlake Lifestyle Centre. If you’ve been there before, you’ll still feel right at home. Even the bathrooms have retained their fabulous automatic water-jet toilet seat attachments.
There is a change in the kitchen though. Since dining at the exquisite Bombay Brasserie restaurant at The Taj Hotel, Cape Town the already high bar of Indian cuisine available in our town has been lifted heavenwards so the fact that Bhandaris was able to impress, is all the more impressive.
Although there were only a handful of tables the Saturday afternoon we dined there, sitting on the balcony with the sun streaming in while we looked up at the glorious mountain was a perfect moment improved only by the arrival of lunch. Our mixed meat starter (R110 for two) was sensational.
The samoosas (two chicken and two mince) were what a starter should be – crackling pastry with a generous, spiced filling that is balanced in flavours and with just enough heat to excite the mouth for more.
There are times when the junk food I want to eat is a corner-café samoosa so full of oil that it dribbles down my chin. These, however, were elegant triangles with not even a smudge of excess oil.
Chicken kebabs cooked at furnace temperature in the charcoal-fuelled tandoor come flavoured with tikka spice, pesto (for a little cross-cultural fusion) and cheese while lamb gets the boti treatment with cinnamon, cardamom, cumin and turmeric before hotting up with pepper and cooling with yoghurt.
I might have been well satisfied with such a dish as a single plate lunch, as it delivers in flavour and texture everything I want to eat.
When our selection of mains arrived to the table, the warm sun was shining onto our white tablecloth like a search light.
The last time I saw such vibrant colours was in Jaipur, India while looking at iridescent jewels in a Haveli – a grand merchant’s home beautifully decorated with fresco paintings. The green of the palak paneer (R65) (home-made cheese cooked in spinach sauce) looked like emeralds, while the rich navratan korma (R65) glowed like piles of gold bangles.
This was my favourite dish and I guarantee that anyone who won’t eat their vegetables will eat these cooked in a creamy cashew and ground nuts gravy flavoured with mace and cardamom.
The ruby red glow of the Tandoori Chicken reminded me of those pyramids of spices in the old market in Delhi where the swirling smell of chili and pepper chokes the throat and makes the eyes water.
With three breads between us, a butter naan, garlic naan and layered and flaky Laccha Paratha (all R20) we weren’t able to finish our main courses or sample the desserts.
While the name is different, the cuisine is as good (possibly better) than when we first dined here. Although alcohol is available, the kitchen is Halaal.
Bhandaris, Westlake Drive Tokai.
021-702-2975.
When Brian Berkman isn’t spicing things up, he assists clients with PR campaigns. Email Brian@BrianBerkman.com to have your restaurant featured here.