Though located within walking distance of Taipei City Hall and the shopping quarter in the glossy Xinyi (信義) District, life on the side of perennially-jammed Keelung Road across from the World Trade Center has been dull, mostly revolving around a few undistinguished food stands, motorcycle repair shops and a convenience store. But things have spiced up a little since Mayur Indian Kitchen launched business over a year ago. And with the arrival of Khana Khazana Indian Restaurant last December, more flavors from the Indian subcontinent are sure to wow local foodies.
Unlike its neighbor Mayur, which is basically a kitchen counter with several tables lined up on the sidewalk, Khana Khazana boasts a spacious dining environment thankfully devoid of gaudy travel photos of South Asian landmarks. Despite its uninspiring entrance that suggests otherwise, the interior, tastefully painted in ocher red and decorated with India-themed paintings, feels relaxed and inviting.
Service is casual and friendly. The smiling young wait staff, though not satisfyingly knowledgeable about the rich south Asian fare, is able to provide suggestions to navigate through the restaurant’s extensive menu that covers north and south Indian cuisine and contains everything from raita salads (NT$120 to NT$180), pakoras (NT$160 to NT$260), rotis (NT$80 and NT$100), paranthas (NT$100 to NT$160) and biryanis (NT$380), to a wide selection of tandoori barbecues (NT$320 to NT$490) as well as keema (NT$320 to NT$360) and paneer dishes (NT$320).
Photo: Ho Yi, Taipei Times
Most of the Indian subcontinent’s better-known curry dishes are also present, ranging from masala, vindaloo, dopiaza and jalfrezi.
Following the recommendations made by our waiter, my friends and I began our feast with tomato soup (NT$90) and multani daal soup, or lentil soup with herbs (NT$90). Deceivingly simple and plain, the dishes wowed with an aromatic explosion of spices and herbs. Appetizer choices are plentiful, and the chana pindi (NT$220), or boiled chickpeas fried with tomatoes, potatoes, chili, ginger and masala, looked healthy and tasted good, but didn’t make a lasting impression.
For Indian barbecues, the tandoori mixed grill (NT$490) has chicken, lamb and fish all on one plate. Served with onions, cucumbers and plenty of lemon slices, the meat was properly charred but was a little bit too dry to my taste.
Photo: Ho Yi, Taipei Times
Moving on to the curry section, which comprises choices of chicken, lamb, fish, shrimp and vegetables. The first item that arrived was the Mughlai chicken (NT$370), which is said to be a famous dish from the Mughlai cuisine served at the imperial family’s dining table in north India. It was creamy, pleasantly mild and there was really nothing not to like about the tender tandoori chicken in cashew nuts sauce.
The chicken tikka jalfrezi (NT$370), another north Indian dish, features boneless tandoori chicken first roasted, then fried with onions and red and green peppers in capsicum curry sauce. It was good and mildly spicy, but all curry dishes can be made more pungent based on customer request.
South Indian in character, lamb tikka masala (NT$360) is made up of tandoori lamb tossed in coconut sauce and makes another smooth and creamy curry delicacy.
Among the restaurant’s array of vegetable dishes, we had the sag paneer (NT$260), which is made with homemade paneer, or Indian cottage cheese, cooked with freshly pureed spinach, ginger and spices. The paneer lent the curry a luscious zest and made it my favorite dish of the night.
Other vegetarian options that come highly recommended include aloo gobhi (NT$280), or cauliflower and potatoes cooked with herbs and spices, and mixed vegetable jalfrezi (NT$300).
For an extra NT$60, diners can have naan and a bowl of pilau rice sprinkled with plenty of cumin seeds to go with main courses. Khana Khazana’s rendition of the Indian flatbread is moist and chewy and comes in seven savory or sweet flavors (NT$40 to NT$120).
For dessert, the restaurant offers homemade cashew nuts-flavored kulfi, or Indian ice cream (NT$120 for two scoops), among the usual gulab jamun (deep-fried milk balls served in sugar syrup, NT$120). Lassi (NT$90 to NT$140) is remarkably yummy and comes in five flavors ranging from salted, mango to peach.
I ended my meal with Indian masala tea (NT$80, NT$120 cold), a great drink to have during cold winter days when it is served steaming hot with cinnamon, cloves and ginger.
According to our waiter, the team that manages Khana Khazana Indian Restaurant comes from the beloved Bollywood Indian Restaurant (魔力屋) in Taichung City. Judging from the quality food it serves, the north spin-off may soon become as popular as its counterpart in central Taiwan.
Behind a car repair business on a nondescript Thai street are the cherished pets of a rising TikTok animal influencer: two lions and a 200-kilogram lion-tiger hybrid called “Big George.” Lion ownership is legal in Thailand, and Tharnuwarht Plengkemratch is an enthusiastic advocate, posting updates on his feline companions to nearly three million followers. “They’re playful and affectionate, just like dogs or cats,” he said from inside their cage complex at his home in the northern city of Chiang Mai. Thailand’s captive lion population has exploded in recent years, with nearly 500 registered in zoos, breeding farms, petting cafes and homes. Experts warn the
The unexpected collapse of the recall campaigns is being viewed through many lenses, most of them skewed and self-absorbed. The international media unsurprisingly focuses on what they perceive as the message that Taiwanese voters were sending in the failure of the mass recall, especially to China, the US and to friendly Western nations. This made some sense prior to early last month. One of the main arguments used by recall campaigners for recalling Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers was that they were too pro-China, and by extension not to be trusted with defending the nation. Also by extension, that argument could be
Aug. 4 to Aug. 10 When Coca-Cola finally pushed its way into Taiwan’s market in 1968, it allegedly vowed to wipe out its major domestic rival Hey Song within five years. But Hey Song, which began as a manual operation in a family cow shed in 1925, had proven its resilience, surviving numerous setbacks — including the loss of autonomy and nearly all its assets due to the Japanese colonial government’s wartime economic policy. By the 1960s, Hey Song had risen to the top of Taiwan’s beverage industry. This success was driven not only by president Chang Wen-chi’s
Last week, on the heels of the recall election that turned out so badly for Taiwan, came the news that US President Donald Trump had blocked the transit of President William Lai (賴清德) through the US on his way to Latin America. A few days later the international media reported that in June a scheduled visit by Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄) for high level meetings was canceled by the US after China’s President Xi Jinping (習近平) asked Trump to curb US engagement with Taiwan during a June phone call. The cancellation of Lai’s transit was a gaudy
RSS