Saturday, February 1, 2020

Indian at a Touristy Spot

We took a spin up to The Peak one evening recently - it's a spur of the moment thing and God knows since when was the last time we did that - and checked out a newish restaurant that serves "Anglo-Indian Cuisine" up there. Rajasthan Rifles is a sister restaurant of the lovely New Punjab Club on Wyndham under the same group and the supervision of the same chef - so that gave us some assurance of its quality despite its peculiar location of being in a touristy spot and the somewhat cliche setting of an "Anglo-Indian Mess Hall" with wait-staff dressing like Indian military officers in the colonial days.


The proposition of fusion cuisine between British and Indian led to a menu of "split personality". I was bewildered by several items that seem to have nothing remotely to do with Indian food, such as the Club Sandwich and Fish and Chips. But there were still enough choices even when we stayed away from those. And no wine or hard liquor for me since I was a responsible driver.


The plate of mixed papadums was the first to arrive, served slightly warm, crispy and with a touch of spice flavor. It's good - if only they were less stingy on the condiment that came with it (only a tiny bowl of chutney) Two of us shared one dish from the Tandoor plus one curry with naan as our main courses. The beef seekh kebab was served on a plate with mint sauce and salad green in bowls on the side. The flavor of the ground beef chuck done in a roll was fine with rich cumin flavor in the marinate, except I prefer my seekh kebab to be a bit more grilled on the outside. On the menu it said it's loaded with cheddar but I didn't get any of that taste. Still that's my favorite of the evening.

We went for the "Hurry-burry" Chicken Curry and it came in generous portion. The sauce was slightly spicy and rich though I prefer that to be slightly thicker. Not the best piece of chicken I have tasted but it's okay juicy and tender, and it came with chunks of potatoes too. We had two types of naan - the plain naan was what just as how it's described, plain, and I usually prefer a bit more charred. But at least it's served hot from the tandoor oven. The butter naan fared a bit better, but again, I could live with more buttery flavor.

Nothing particularly interesting in the dessert menu so I just went for a cup of masala chai for something sweet to conclude my meal with. Well, we are spoiled with decent options for Indian food within our reach so this one may pale in comparison despite comfortable atmosphere and friendly services. That said, considered the lack of choices in this touristy neighborhood, this may still be a winner in a weakened field, and we did enjoy the fun drive up the hill on a random night through the quiet road with a meal reasonably priced and reasonably decent.

When? January 2 2019
Where? Rajasthan Rifles, Shop G01, The Peak Galleria, 118 Peak Road, Hong Kong
Menu Highlights? Beef Seekh Kebab
Web: www.rajasthanrifles.com


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