Bukhara, Bombay Brasserie… Bukhara, Bombay Brasserie?
Imagine.
You’re stuck in boring old Cape Town and you fancy a good (authentic)
Indian. But you want the best. Weeell, the best, ladies and gentlemen,
is to be found at the Bombay Brasserie at the Taj Hotel on Wale Street.
A
bold statement we know (I can practically hear the pin drop) – but as
sure as God made sambals The Bombay Brasserie IS the premier curry
destination in Cape Town. And for all those Bukhara
faithfuls out there (myself included), fear not… it’s not that your
favourite curry house has gone south (in fact if anything, it’s
improved since the fire and subsequent renovations last August), no, my
fanatical friends, there is just a new BIG DOG in town.
So, up
to the challenge and buoyed with loads of advice on where we should be
storing our toilet paper, we headed to the top two Indian eateries in
Cape Town for a curry-off. Accompanied by 48 hours’ Brian Berkman and his partner JP we lunched at Bukhara and dined at Bombay Brasserie.
Not for the faint-hearted.
Bukhara: Always impressive.
The
starters were interesting with the new ‘street food’ section lending a
relaxed authenticity and something a little less pricy than the main
menu. The dosas (large, crisp potato pancake with different fillings)
were great and the salmon off the a la carte was heaven. The chicken
tikka arrived lonely and dry on the plate for R69 which we felt was
very un-Bukhara, whilst the Kastoori Jhinga (prawns in a mild chickpea
marinade) were luscious and large.
For the mains, the must-have
butter chicken was so more-ish that even when the top buttons had been
surreptitiously released, we could not stop our forks from dipping in.
The prawn biryani was an outright winner though, and we wowed and
ahh-ed when it arrived at the table, covered in a cap of naan. We cut
it open to reveal a steaming fragrance that was just beautiful and
wooed us into some serious non-stop fork dunking.
Starters: R44-R84 Mains: R109-R249
The Bombay Brasserie: Sensational.
The
ambience here is extravagant serenity with perfect lighting and
breathtaking blue Murano glass chandeliers. We felt like a couple of
Indian princesses whisked away on a magic carpet. The food experience
is just that, an experience. Because they offer silver service, it
allows you to taste the various dishes that were ordered at your table.
The spiced corn soup was a perfect start to the fragrance and
delicate spice journey that followed. The chicken kebab was one of the
most succulent ever tasted and huge perfectly done prawns are juicy and
delicately spiced.
A whole baby leg of lamb on the bone was
impressive and delicious and the vegetarian options shine as brightly
as the meat. Desserts are traditional with things like a creamy chai
crème brulee and a rich cardamom ice cream.
Starters: R55-R110 Mains: R60-R275
Not a day our tummies are likely to forget for a while. Check out Brian’s thoughts.
Now we’re sure there are some Kebab Mahal and Chandani
fans out there who will object to the lofty titles we’ve bestowed upon
these two places… so please, by all means, leave your comments below.