“Interesting Indian Style Cuisine” at the Royal India Restaurant at the Intermark on Jalan Tun Razak .
For our January 2012 function, the International Wine & Food Society Kuala Lumpur opted for “Interesting Indian Style Cuisine” at the Royal India Restaurant at the Intermark on Jalan Tun Razak.
This promised to be a new experience in a number of ways. The cuisine of India does not appear to have featured strongly in previous IWFS functions, so an opportunity to sample well prepared food in a newly opened top class restaurant proved alluring. Further, the event would feature a number of home grown wines from the vineyards of India. A total new experience and what better opportunity to pair wines that in all probability would otherwise never get tried?
Secretary Jeremy started out the invitation emailer with best wishes to all for a very ‘Happy New Year’ in the hope that it "bring not only good health, happiness, prosperity but also great dining with fine wines to imbibe." And the members responded in kind, with a turnout of 48 members and guests coming in to support.
The Royal India blurb holds that the restaurant has been "conceptualised to bring back the flavours and taste of the Maharajah’s dining from the grand old days." Visions of draping silks and plush velvets were quickly dissipated in the cool ambience of the bar and dining areas. I found them a bit modernist with its clean warm wooden look and resulting feel. More New York than New Delhi for me. Neatly dressed waiters brought a Silver service Canape tray of Kate roll, which were mixed vegetables rolled in traditional Roomali Roti bread. Quite a pleasant canape, went well with the welcoming glass of bubbling fizz pressed into our hands as we arrived. We all congregated in the bar area which proved somewhat style cramping given its narrowness. Indeed, it became a bit of a squeeze to get to our tables, literally bumping into old friends as we navigated the narrow passage. If the designers were trying to emulate the Khyber Pass, they definitely succeeded here.
Appetiser was Reshmi Kebeb, or Tandoor grilled juicy chicken breast marinated with yogurt and honey, and served with chutney. Whilst the spice was there, those of us who know our tandoori know it to often have a bit of carbon char on the meat to add a bit of crunch to the morsel. The offering was pleasant, reasonably succulent, and… okay. Paired with the "seductive and flattering" Alsatian Hugel Gewurztraminer 2010, the almond and lychee tamed the spice nicely enough with enough acidity to provide a good cut through the chicken on the finish. Lovely aroma, got a lot of spice and rose, drinking nicely.
Starter was Yakhni Shorba, or Mutton broth with fresh herbs and cream, followed with Lamb Samosa, and paired with a Grover Art Collection Sauvignon Blanc, Nandi Hills, India.
Grover’s Vineyard was founded in 1990, Grover's is the only family owned winery in the country. Headed by Kapil Grover, the winery boasts 400 acres of vineyards on the foothills of the Nandi Hills, which is on the outskirts of Bangalore. Michel Rolland acts as the consultant to the winemakers here.
The broth felt somewhat thin, whilst the samosa was a textural delight - thin crisp delicate pastry with a decent mouthful of not too spicy filling. It was billed as a "meatier twist to the classic samosa by filling with minced lamb harmonised by aromatic spices and fried to perfection." It certainly worked. The pairing with the Sauvignon Blanc worked okay, partly because the SB felt more Chardonnay peach than SB green. We had been informed that the acidity was quite low, which was probably just as well - any higher or grassier and the Samosa might have got overwhelmed. Nice perfume of floral grapefruit on the nose, but texturally more medium than dry.
First main Course was Saffron Pulao (Dum Basmathi rice cooked with Kashmiri Saffron and herbs) paired with Rogan Josh Kashmiri (Lamb curry cooked with Kashmiri Masala) and Vegetable Jalfrezi (fresh garden vegetables with onion & tomato gravy). Again a wine from the Grover selection, Grover La Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon/Shiraz 2010 had been selected to match. The winemakers get quite lyrical and poetic on their website, saying La Reserve is produced from a hand picked selection from some of the oldest Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz vines and "created with passion and reverence for tradition". Tasting notes say it is matured six months in French oak barrels, having a powerful bouquet of luscious ripe red and black fruits with an exquisite hint of spice and combining "grace and splendour on the palate" and a finish that "is long, ample and almost magical".
Well, and maybe, but the magic somehow missed me along the way. The Cab/ Shiraz blend traditionally makes for a potent tongue and palate buster, and that indeed was evident in this representation. The downside was that the herbs and delicate spice in the food got trampled underfoot by the boldness of the wine, whilst I found the tannins and the youth of the wine overpowering the food. Not even a silent "abracadabra" could tame this wine. Maybe in two or three years when the tannins soften, perhaps the magic might appear more strongly. On the night, it didn't do it for me.
Final main course was the Prawn Curry Leaf, which was fresh Tiger prawns cooked with fresh curry leaves and a variety of aromatic Indian spices. Along with Pudhina Paratha (traditional Indian multi layered bread with mint) this was sensibly paired with Hoegaarden Beer. Hoppy and fresh, light and pleasantly cold, it proved the perfect partner for curry and bread. Sometimes in our quest for new experiences we overlook the fact that some simple things truly remain the best. This was a pleasant reminder that curry and beer is one of these.
Head Chef Rakesh Prasad came out briefly to say hello with the dessert of Phirnie (blended Basmathi rice boiled with fresh milk and served with cashew nuts, pistachios and saffron, which strangely went quite well with the beer). With over a decade in culinary experience having worked in hotels in Mumbai and Jakarta, Chef Rakesh joined the team at Spice Of India in 2005 before his present residency at Royal India. I thought he did well. The food was pleasant and not too over spiced, the preparation and presentations were fine, not over ornate or too nouvelle. We were told that all ingredients are imported to preserve the authenticity of taste. Certainly the tastes were…. okay. My guess is that as a hotel restaurant there is a need to be "safe" and to offer a cuisine that is all things to everyone - but ultimately not offensive to a wide range of palates and so avoid perceptions of negative dining experiences. All hotels that offer "exotic" cuisines tend to labour under this self imposed apprehension with the result that, at least to palates more used to the fire and spice of banana leaf on the Malaysian roadsides, the food comes across as a bit bland. Good and well prepared and presented, with excellent ingredients, but ultimately lacking the spark of the street. Perhaps it was this that was missing, It all felt a bit constrained. Maybe the maharajahs needed to go to the hawker stalls once in a while.
Overall, the experience was enjoyable. Never before had we had the chance to sample cuisine paired with wines made in India and this was . Having done it, though, I'm not sure I'd be desperate to repeat it. It's a cute destination for wine buffs, but once might be enough. Been there, done it, strike it off the list kind of thing. For me, the downside is two fold - the safeness of a hotel restaurant coupled with a new wine from a country in its viticultural infancy. The food was fine but not spectacular, and in Malaysia, we can get great tasting Indian cuisine on the street for a fraction of the restaurant price. Sagar in Bangsar is a great represenation of North Indian cuisine and the buffet lunch is fantastic value. For the vintner, growing grapes and producing wines does not a classic winemaker make. It will take time, and playing catch up with the best of the world is a hard destination requiring decades. That will need vision, persistence and luck - for the Grover family, I hope it will be good.
Please click here to view the invitation and menu.