Divine India, Costa Taguise. It wasn’t the first choice, but nor was it a compromise. I had seen something on the menu that I wanted to try at Restaurante Spicy Affair; the Lamb Handi. I’ve never seen or even heard of Handi, a medium hot sauce with onion, curry, tomato, yoghurt, lemon, and spices. It was worth a 15 minute walk.
As it happened, however, Divine India was right by the hotel, and it was hot out, and our feet hurt, so we went there instead.
The menu was fuller than I had been given to believe by some of the reviews, and there a good selection of starters. Most of us had the onion barjis. I think we’re all burned out on the pickle tray and poppadoms thing. I noted from a neighbouring table that the pickle tray did not even come with the lime pickle, so what would be the point?
The pickles came with the starters anyway, so it was only the poppadoms we were missing.
The barjis were different to normal, still nice, but very orange inside, and a little stodgy, but still nice. Possibly a little bit more chilli
powder than I am used to.
First time eating at an Indian restaurant outside of the UK, so I will note that the beer came with bits of ice, and pre chilled glasses. Very refreshing.
The tableware wasn’t just clean. It glimmered. I have never seen such clean cutlery.
On to the main meal though. The main event. I was torn between the Methi, which is one of my favourite dishes and which I haven’t seen for a while, and the Rada, which I have never seen.
Lamb Rada, it had to be. I figured that if it was any good, we would come back for the Methi.
It came with a piece of tomato to garnish. I would describe it as a moderately spicy curry, with a thick gravy like sauce, the consistency of chinese curry sauce, or fish and ship shop curry. Nice, but not enough umpfh. It was just the chunks of meat in the gravy, it needed mushrooms or something to break the homogeneousness of the sauce, delicious as it was, but I thought this would be better served over chips, than as a dish of its own.
Subtle spices, but delicious. North India, Kashmir region. Sometimes uses slow cooked leg of Lamb rara. I looked up the recipe.
It is an easy, one-pot style dish.
Ingredients (for about 5 servings):
- ½ cup mustard oil
- 4 medium onions, sliced
- 4 Tbsp ginger-garlic paste
- 2 tomatoes, chopped
- ½ kg mutton (or lamb), cut into medium pieces
- Salt to taste
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp red chilli powder
- 1½ tsp garam masala
I had this with the butter naan, which came pre sliced in a basket, which makes it essier to share. Was also delicious. Naan bread has to be made fresh, store bought isn’t just not the same, its nothing like.
The wife and kids all had some variant of the tikka masala, and all looked good, and all would go back, but next time, I’m having the Methi.
We walked back to our hotel room under the heat of the setting sun, fully satisfied with our evening meal, not even room for even one beer.
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