Yesterday the family went to Kashi, an Indian restaurant in Annangrove, that my boss Sridhar recommended last week. The initial attraction lay in the knowledge that the place offers Jhal Muri - that delectable variant of bhel puri, spiked with a dash of mustard oil that any sometime resident of Calcutta would know well.
The place seemed aptly named, for driving there was a mini Kashi Yatra. Kashi is about 21 km from our home in Carlingford, nestled deep inside Sydney's Hills District, and one has to drive through miles of deserted road flanked by huge farmhouses in Kenthurst and Annangrove to get there.
The first impression on stepping inside is a very favourable one. The place is expansive with lots of room to spare. The theme is earthy and the settings dominated by hues of brown and rust. Strains of a 70s Kishore Kumar song in the air, and a few strategically placed Indian artefacts complete the desi mood. We were there on a Saturday afternoon, and it was quite empty, but I guess the place must be a lot busier at dinner. On Sunday nights, they have live music on as well.
The kids had chicken tikka, which they loved. Their more discerning parents noted that the tikka pieces were of that familiar reddish orange colour that most Indian restaurants seem to favour. It is a mystery to us as to why desi restaurants are so generous in colouring their tikkas. In our experience, only Billus in Epping seems to exercise any restraint with colour. Their tikkas are a more seemingly healthy off-white colour, and (I believe) taste as good, if not better.
I'll say this for Kashi - the food comes across as freshly prepared. It is not the standard out of a frozen tin can and into a hot saucepan fare that one gets at many a desi joint. I liked the yellow dal and the Aloo Dum, which were both tasty, although the latter was a trifle oily. The rotis and Nans were soft, although again helped along with a bit of grease. The tamatar ada chatni (tomato ginger chutney) was good too, although I seem to remember the chatni from my childhood Durga Poojos as being more dense and intensely tangy. The Gur Payas (a kheer with rice and date jaggery) was tops.
Overall, the Kashi experience was rewarding, and definitely recommended. I must go back someday for the Jhal Muri, which I missed this time.
About the service: It was very efficient and unfailingly polite.
P.S: During my meal at Kashi, I overheard this engaging conversation between the restaurateur and a patron, about the recommended mode of killing a crab. More on this in another post.
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