LSW, KKH, Twin and I went to Little India for dinner. Our plan was to walk pass the row of restaurants along Race Course Road and pick the one the interests us. We stopped to read the menu of Kashmir restaurant and the owner came out to talk to us. The owner was friendly but not overly pushy. Since the prices looked alright, we decided to try the restaurant. It was a small restaurant and got quite noisy during our meal. I’m not sure whether it was because the restaurant was small or because there was a big gathering of over 10 people who excited to see each other and talked at the same time.
We were shown to our table and a waiter came with a pitcher of water and a bowl. Both the pitcher and the bowl were made of copper. At first I thought it was for drinking, then the waiter told us it was for us to wash our hands. We placed our hands over the bowl and the waiter poured water over them. This was the first time I got such a treatment at a restaurant and it made the experience felt pretty luxurious.
Kashmir
52 Race Course Road
Little India Conservation Area
Tel: 62936003
More on the food after the jump
Left to right: sweet lassi, mango lassi and salty lassi
For drinks we ordered all 3 types of lassis available. The salty lassi had some spices mixed into it and there was a strong yoghurt flavour. Twin likes salty lassis so she enjoyed it. The rest of us took a sip and concluded that it’s an acquired taste. The sweet lassi was a sweet version of the salty lassi and I felt the yoghurt flavour was counterbalanced by the sweetness so it does not come across as strongly. The mango lassi had the least yoghurt flavour and tasted like blended mango.
Butter and kashmir naans
We ordered 2 butter naans and 1 kashmir (fruit) naan. The kashmir naan was not listed in the menu but waiter informed us that it was available when LSW asked him about it. The naans came in a basket and wrapped up with cloth. The butter naan was warm and soft. I did not eat the kashmir naan but I managed to sneak a peep at inside. Instead of candied fruits, the chef added dried fruits. From what I saw, it looked like there wasn’t a lot of fruits in the naan. But LSW seemed to enjoy it so maybe it tasted pretty nice.
Bhuna gosht
We asked the waiter to recommend a lamb dish and he suggested bhuna gosht which was lamb cooked with onion, tomato and indian spices. It looked spicy but actually isn’t. The meat was tender and there was no strong mutton smell.
Palak paneer
The palak paneer is a popular and well-known dish among my friends. Whether we eat at an indian restaurant, someone would sure ask for it. This dish is pretty tasty and it was more like a thick gravy (without any vegetable taste).
Murg makhni (butter chicken)
The murg makhni or butter chicken is another favourite among friends. I’ve eaten this dish at a few restaurants and every restaurant cooked it a bit differently. Kashmir’s version had a thick, creamy gravy. It was a bit salty but it goes well with the naans. The chicken was very tender. KKH and I liked the gravy so much that we took a few spoonfuls to drink, causing LSW to laugh at us.
Spices to cleanse the palate
After we called for the bill, the waiter brought a small tray to the table. There were toothpicks and a bowl of spices. I was most intrigued by the spices and Twin said it works like an after dinner mint. KKH and Twin put some into their mouths. I had not tried it before so I only put a little bit my mouth. It was very effective and in a moment my mouth was filled with minty freshness.
Altogether we spent $64 for dinner.
