This new fine dining Indian restaurant has international roots but offers average fare
This new fine dining Indian restaurant has international roots but offers average fare
Smack in the heart of 100 ft road in Indiranagar, amidst residential complexes, stores and restaurants if you happen to suddenly spot a heavy, ornate, Rajasthani-styled door, you will know that you have come to Kinara.
The latest offering in fine dining Indian cuisine all the way from not Delhi or Jaipur but Singapore.
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Kinara claims to be an international chain of restaurants first established in Singapore and now has opened its heavy haveli doors to Bangaloreans.
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As you enter, a pleasant little garden welcomes you but go deep into the interior of the restaurant you will find yourself in a faux fortress like space that's trying to pass off as an ancient haveli.
Gaudy chandeliers, flimsy curtains, jharokha style windows with miniature paintings and ornate wooden furniture share space cheek-by-jowl in a towering brick structure and will remind you of a Bollywood film set.
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The only saving grace is a coconut tree in the centre of the restaurant that has not been given the axe and allowed to raise its head through a hole in the ceiling.
The restaurant is supposed to be all of three floors, but when we went for dinner only the ground floor was functional.
We settled for the Kekra Fry (Rs 205), crabs crumb fried with masala and rawa andu00a0Shabnam ke Moti (Rs 200), mushroom stuffed with cottage cheese and grilled in a tandoor which came recommended from the chef.
The crab was tender to bite into through the layer of crunchy, spicy rawa. However, it was the crabs themselves that were responsible for the dishes' downfall.
The crab meat did not taste fresh and sweet but reminded us of those poor sea creatures that are often frozen for days before making it to someone's dinner plate.
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The stuffed mushroom was grilled perfectly and tasted delicious.
For our mains we decided to take the risk of ordering a Nalli Gosht (Rs 285), a traditional Mughlai dish where lamb shanks are simmered in a spicy gravy for 24 hours before serving it hot for breakfast the next day.
u00a0 We decided to try the Nalli Gosht along with some Dal Kinara (Rs 150), a kaali dal cooked with tomatoes, onions, ginger and garlic and heavily garnished with cream.
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Lachha Parathas (Rs 35) were recommended with the Nalli Ghosth, so we settled for that along with some Lasooni Naan (Rs 45).
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The lamb gravy was a disappointment. Even though the lamb shanks were tender and falling off the bone just the way we like it, the gravy missed out on all the robust flavours usually associated with a Nalli Gosht.
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The Lasooni Naan with its flakes of garlic and fresh coriander was perfect for eating with the aromatic and creamy Dal Kinara. It was however, the Lachha Paratha that took forever to come to us from the kitchen.
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We finished our garlic naan, we spooned in some meaty gravy and dal into our mouths but the paratha just wouldn't arrive. It finally made an appearance twenty minutes later when our appetites were already long dead.
Kinara is new and has just opened its doors in the city.
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Perhaps that's the reason why their service might be so slow. Even our wait for our tab was a long one; long enough for us to forgo any kind of dessert because of the fear that it would take ages to come along.
At 100 ft Road, Indiranagar
Call 4349 4349
Meal for two Rs 1000
Kinara didn't know we were there. The GUIDE reviews anonymously and pays for meals.
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