Kinara: Authentic Indian cuisine in royal ambience

Kinara: Authentic Indian cuisine in royal ambience

Susanna Tjokro, Contributor, Jakarta

Kinara restaurant is breathtakingly beautiful, attracting the
eye with its distinctive Indian charm. Stepping into Kinara is,
indeed, like being transported to a foreign land -- well, to
India, to be precise.

I felt like I was in a medieval maharaja's palace, somewhere
in Rajasthan. A lot of effort has been put into bringing the
Indian charm to life. The impressive 400-year-old ancient gates,
which add historical interest to the interior, actually were the
gates of a maharaja's palace in Rajasthan.

Romantic and elegant best describe the ambience. The room is
illuminated by the warm glow of candlelight. The soothing sound
of water tickles your ears while Indian music infuses the air.

The word kinara is translated as "the edge" in Hindi and
"riverbank" in Punjabi, while it also means "shoreline" or
"meeting point".

First established in Singapore, Kinara Jakarta opened in
August 2002. It has won some prestigious awards, such as "The
Best Indian Restaurant in Jakarta 2004" (awarded by the magazine
Jakarta Java Kini, which will publish this year's winner in July)
and "Highest Points in Review for Indian Restaurants in 2004" by
American Express Dining Guide.

Kinara employs three Indian chefs and one Pakistani chef. Each
chef has his own specialty: tandoori, curry and dessert, while
one is the head chef. Kinara serves authentic Indian cuisine; the
chefs do not tone down the spices, but they can do spicy on
request.

"The word spice in general does not mean hot food. Spice does
not mean hot or fiery. Spice can mean sweet too, like cinnamon
and nutmeg, they're spices and they're sweet, not hot. Actually,
spice is something that has aroma, smell, color and flavor. Some
flavors can be sweet, bitter, hot or sour. In Indian food, when
we call it spicy, it does not mean hot or fiery, it's about
aroma, color and full of flavor as lots of ingredients are used,"
said general manager Vivek Singh Deora.

"We specialize in Mughlai and Peshawari cuisine. Mughlai is
Indian cuisine which has been influenced by the Arabic people
coming to India, cooking their staple foods. They all came in the
invasion of the Mogul emperors. Actually, Mughlai cuisine is very
similar to Turkish and Moroccan cuisine.

"Meanwhile, Peshawari cuisine didn't get much influence from
the invasion. It's a traditional cuisine that originated in
India. Well, with modern cooking it has changed a little bit, but
not much as the basics remain the same. True, we put more
emphasis on the north, but southern Indian food is also available
-- other restaurants only focus on north Indian cuisine.

"The spices used in north India are quite different from south
India, but the cuisine is equally delicious. During the Sunday
brunch, you can taste a combination of north and south Indian
cuisine, as well as cuisine from Bengal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh
and Nepal," said Indian and British educated general manager.

Before or after dining in Kinara, you can drop by Club Fez, a
Moroccan-inspired club complete with two pool tables and three
big screen TVs. You can also smoke a shisa at the club.

While I waited to dig into my meal, a basket filled with warm
Papandum arrived, accompanied by mint chutney as well as mango
chutney. The Kachumber Salad arrived shortly after, made up of
diced fresh vegetables served cold with a tinge of lemon and
mint.

The creamy Mango Lassi was my drink. This rich, luscious blend
of yogurt and mango smoothie is an ideal drink to balance a
spicy meal.

My starters were Kozhi '65 (Rp 35,000) and Samosa (Rp 30,000).
The Kozhi '65 was delicious, aromatic little red chunks of spicy
chicken flavored with curry leaves and mustard seeds. I was
afraid those red chunks of chicken would be too fiery for my
liking, but I was wrong.

The dish was perfectly spiced, with no overwhelming flavors,
and it had a mild sour tinge that was just right to tickle your
taste buds -- simply irresistible. The chunks of chicken were
simply succulent -- one bite and I was hooked.

The Samosa was made with spiced potatoes stuffed in flaky
triangular pastries and deep-fried until golden crisp. Kinara's
Samosa was named the fifth most popular food item in Jakarta by
the American Express Dining Guide.

Dal Ka Kamaal (Rp 35,000), Tikka Bemisal (Rp 57,000), Bazabata
(Rp 35,000) and Karhai Paneer (Rp 37,000) were main my courses.
The Dal Ka Kamaal was black lentils, tomatoes, ginger and garlic
simmered overnight on a slow charcoal fire and enriched with
cream. The Tikka Bemisal was mouth-watering chunks of char-
grilled chicken served in velvety tomato gravy enriched with
honey and pungent in flavor.

Bazabata, an Indian version of fried rice, was made from
fragrant Indian long-grain pulao rice cooked with aromatic herbs
and fresh vegetables. The Karhai Paneer was cheese and red
onions, tempered with roasted whole aromatic spices blended
perfectly with tomato puree and sprinkled subtlety with green
peppers.

Paneer is a tofu-looking Indian cottage cheese. The Paneer, an
excellent vegetarian source of protein, did not look particularly
appetizing but it was delicious, not bland, and simply melted in
my mouth.

I ended my dining experience with a Kesar Kulfi (Rp 30,000), a
smooth and creamy homemade Indian saffron ice cream, garnished
with pistachios and almonds (Kesar means saffron). Although the
soft, creamy texture of the ice cream tasted slightly weird on
the first scoop, it turned out to be a unique and tasty dessert
and it did not slip down my throat, but cling to my tongue --
very refreshing.

Kinara also has a wine cellar. Thumbing through the wine list,
you will see wines from Australia, Chile and Italy, as well as
various champagne, like the Veuve Cliquot Ponsardin (Rp
1,100,000).

If you're looking for authentic, delicious Indian cuisine
served in a royal ambience, drop by Kinara. You will be forgiven
if you think you're the guest of a mighty maharaja. Just let
yourself be amazed by the old-world charm of Kinara --
breathtakingly beautiful.

Kinara

To see pictures of Kinara

click on www.kinarafez.com

Lunch 12 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.

Dinner 6:30 p.m. - 10:30 p.m.

Fridays & Saturdays 6:30 p.m. - 11 p.m.

Live romantic music every Thursday - Saturday (dinner)

A promised theme food festival every month

Kemang Raya 78-B Jakarta

Phone: 7192677 Fax: 7192654

The writer can be reached at s_tjokro@yahoo.com