Kinara: Authentic Indian cuisine in royal ambience<\/p>\n
Susanna Tjokro, Contributor, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Kinara restaurant is breathtakingly beautiful, attracting the
\neye with its distinctive Indian charm. Stepping into Kinara is,
\nindeed, like being transported to a foreign land -- well, to
\nIndia, to be precise.<\/p>\n
I felt like I was in a medieval maharaja's palace, somewhere
\nin Rajasthan. A lot of effort has been put into bringing the
\nIndian charm to life. The impressive 400-year-old ancient gates,
\nwhich add historical interest to the interior, actually were the
\ngates of a maharaja's palace in Rajasthan.<\/p>\n
Romantic and elegant best describe the ambience. The room is
\nilluminated by the warm glow of candlelight. The soothing sound
\nof water tickles your ears while Indian music infuses the air.<\/p>\n
The word kinara is translated as \"the edge\" in Hindi and
\n\"riverbank\" in Punjabi, while it also means \"shoreline\" or
\n\"meeting point\".<\/p>\n
First established in Singapore, Kinara Jakarta opened in
\nAugust 2002. It has won some prestigious awards, such as \"The
\nBest Indian Restaurant in Jakarta 2004\" (awarded by the magazine
\nJakarta Java Kini, which will publish this year's winner in July)
\nand \"Highest Points in Review for Indian Restaurants in 2004\" by
\nAmerican Express Dining Guide.<\/p>\n
Kinara employs three Indian chefs and one Pakistani chef. Each
\nchef has his own specialty: tandoori, curry and dessert, while
\none is the head chef. Kinara serves authentic Indian cuisine; the
\nchefs do not tone down the spices, but they can do spicy on
\nrequest.<\/p>\n
\"The word spice in general does not mean hot food. Spice does
\nnot mean hot or fiery. Spice can mean sweet too, like cinnamon
\nand nutmeg, they're spices and they're sweet, not hot. Actually,
\nspice is something that has aroma, smell, color and flavor. Some
\nflavors can be sweet, bitter, hot or sour. In Indian food, when
\nwe call it spicy, it does not mean hot or fiery, it's about
\naroma, color and full of flavor as lots of ingredients are used,\"
\nsaid general manager Vivek Singh Deora.<\/p>\n
\"We specialize in Mughlai and Peshawari cuisine. Mughlai is
\nIndian cuisine which has been influenced by the Arabic people
\ncoming to India, cooking their staple foods. They all came in the
\ninvasion of the Mogul emperors. Actually, Mughlai cuisine is very
\nsimilar to Turkish and Moroccan cuisine.<\/p>\n
\"Meanwhile, Peshawari cuisine didn't get much influence from
\nthe invasion. It's a traditional cuisine that originated in
\nIndia. Well, with modern cooking it has changed a little bit, but
\nnot much as the basics remain the same. True, we put more
\nemphasis on the north, but southern Indian food is also available
\n-- other restaurants only focus on north Indian cuisine.<\/p>\n
\"The spices used in north India are quite different from south
\nIndia, but the cuisine is equally delicious. During the Sunday
\nbrunch, you can taste a combination of north and south Indian
\ncuisine, as well as cuisine from Bengal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh
\nand Nepal,\" said Indian and British educated general manager.<\/p>\n
Before or after dining in Kinara, you can drop by Club Fez, a
\nMoroccan-inspired club complete with two pool tables and three
\nbig screen TVs. You can also smoke a shisa at the club.<\/p>\n
While I waited to dig into my meal, a basket filled with warm
\nPapandum arrived, accompanied by mint chutney as well as mango
\nchutney. The Kachumber Salad arrived shortly after, made up of
\ndiced fresh vegetables served cold with a tinge of lemon and
\nmint.<\/p>\n
The creamy Mango Lassi was my drink. This rich, luscious blend
\nof yogurt and mango smoothie is an ideal drink to balance a
\nspicy meal.<\/p>\n
My starters were Kozhi '65 (Rp 35,000) and Samosa (Rp 30,000).
\nThe Kozhi '65 was delicious, aromatic little red chunks of spicy
\nchicken flavored with curry leaves and mustard seeds. I was
\nafraid those red chunks of chicken would be too fiery for my
\nliking, but I was wrong.<\/p>\n
The dish was perfectly spiced, with no overwhelming flavors,
\nand it had a mild sour tinge that was just right to tickle your
\ntaste buds -- simply irresistible. The chunks of chicken were
\nsimply succulent -- one bite and I was hooked.<\/p>\n
The Samosa was made with spiced potatoes stuffed in flaky
\ntriangular pastries and deep-fried until golden crisp. Kinara's
\nSamosa was named the fifth most popular food item in Jakarta by
\nthe American Express Dining Guide.<\/p>\n
Dal Ka Kamaal (Rp 35,000), Tikka Bemisal (Rp 57,000), Bazabata
\n(Rp 35,000) and Karhai Paneer (Rp 37,000) were main my courses.
\nThe Dal Ka Kamaal was black lentils, tomatoes, ginger and garlic
\nsimmered overnight on a slow charcoal fire and enriched with
\ncream. The Tikka Bemisal was mouth-watering chunks of char-
\ngrilled chicken served in velvety tomato gravy enriched with
\nhoney and pungent in flavor.<\/p>\n
Bazabata, an Indian version of fried rice, was made from
\nfragrant Indian long-grain pulao rice cooked with aromatic herbs
\nand fresh vegetables. The Karhai Paneer was cheese and red
\nonions, tempered with roasted whole aromatic spices blended
\nperfectly with tomato puree and sprinkled subtlety with green
\npeppers.<\/p>\n
Paneer is a tofu-looking Indian cottage cheese. The Paneer, an
\nexcellent vegetarian source of protein, did not look particularly
\nappetizing but it was delicious, not bland, and simply melted in
\nmy mouth.<\/p>\n
I ended my dining experience with a Kesar Kulfi (Rp 30,000), a
\nsmooth and creamy homemade Indian saffron ice cream, garnished
\nwith pistachios and almonds (Kesar means saffron). Although the
\nsoft, creamy texture of the ice cream tasted slightly weird on
\nthe first scoop, it turned out to be a unique and tasty dessert
\nand it did not slip down my throat, but cling to my tongue --
\nvery refreshing.<\/p>\n
Kinara also has a wine cellar. Thumbing through the wine list,
\nyou will see wines from Australia, Chile and Italy, as well as
\nvarious champagne, like the Veuve Cliquot Ponsardin (Rp
\n1,100,000).<\/p>\n
If you're looking for authentic, delicious Indian cuisine
\nserved in a royal ambience, drop by Kinara. You will be forgiven
\nif you think you're the guest of a mighty maharaja. Just let
\nyourself be amazed by the old-world charm of Kinara --
\nbreathtakingly beautiful.<\/p>\n
Kinara<\/p>\n
To see pictures of Kinara<\/p>\n
click on www.kinarafez.com<\/p>\n
Lunch 12 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.<\/p>\n
Dinner 6:30 p.m. - 10:30 p.m.<\/p>\n
Fridays & Saturdays 6:30 p.m. - 11 p.m.<\/p>\n
Live romantic music every Thursday - Saturday (dinner)<\/p>\n
A promised theme food festival every month<\/p>\n
Kemang Raya 78-B Jakarta<\/p>\n
Phone: 7192677 Fax: 7192654<\/p>\n
The writer can be reached at s_tjokro@yahoo.com<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/kinara-authentic-indian-cuisine-in-royal-ambience-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }