posted by Savanah on Jun 16
A good Indian meal requires an expansive table set outside under the shade of a mango tree surrounded by a lush garden. The dishes are countless with chapatti’s with melting ghee; a variety of hot or mild dishes where the smells alone transports you over tender moments of exquisite tastes. But, staying at Johannesburg Boutique Hotels makes all that seem to be a hopeless fantasy. Yet, I remained diligent and through asking the concierge and the locals I managed to find a few Indian Restaurants that met my wildest dreams.
The first India Restaurant I was steered to was the Shani Khana . A vegetarian friendly affair with outlet strewn throughout Johannesburg. Stepping into a Shahi Khana, I was pleasantly surrounded with Hindi cinema songs and the patrons were mostly local Indians. I could even speak Hindi to my waiter and feel right at home. On my table was a complimentary cucumber raita, pudina ki chutney and papad. And the meal I ordered, Paneer Jalfrezi with buttered naan and Kashmiri pilaan was completely delightful.
For dinner that night I checked out Shahi Shayona, which is strictly vegetarian. Their menu is simple and offers the perfect dishes. I ordered the deluxe 3 curried rice, dal, and papad served with a salad. Shahi Shayona also has complimentary samoosa and kachori with methi bhaji filling. I was overwhelmed with their delicate blend of spices. I found out from my waitress that Shahi’s dishes come from generations of family recipes focused with a devotion to the stirring and the mixing in the kitchen. She said it was pure meditation in the preparation of the dishes. I was thoroughly impressed with how they combined the sweet, sour, bitter, pungent, salty, dry and wet that all but consumed me. Truly a spiritual experience.
It was hard to go try another Indian restaurant after that, but I forced myself to Bombay Blues, vegetarian friendly and even alcohol is served there. I fell in love with the interior, tastefully minimalistic. But, what captured my eyes was the ‘staging’ of the food. The owner do a fantastic job of presenting each dish. I started with a sensational saundhe aloo prepared in the tandoori oven which I could see through into the kitchen and watch all the intrigue of the happenings amongst the head chef and the subordinates. Fascinating. Really.
I must say, Johannesburg’s Indian restaurants did not disappoint me, it only made me feel like I was at home in Mumbai.
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