The Indian food at this five-star leaves you satiated, not full

FOR all my love for Indian cuisine, especially the Mughlai variety, I rarely find myself enjoying it at a restaurant. At most of the 'Indian' food places I have been tou00a0-- ranging from hole-in- the-wall places to the sometimes-overdone ones in five-star hotelsu00a0-- I have been stuffed, even sighing (or burping, depending on the place) at the end of a meal, but never fully satiated.


Aman has the quintessential elements that make Indian food Indian

The trouble, socio-economic strata notwithstanding, is two things: Oil and masala and cream and cheese. It is as if chefs around the country in their collective memory have decided to erase the quintessential elements that make Indian food Indianu00a0-- spices and (the process of) cooking.

Which is why I was very pleasantly surprised with the kebab platter that was served to me by executive chef Narayan Rao at The Aman Restaurant.

KEBAB KI KAHANI
Firstly, the chicken pieces were reasonable-bite sized: something I always complain about is having to cut up a kebab, which is not a seekh kebab. But let me begin with the seekh kebabs. I am not too fond of them because somehow there is a perception that these need to have strong spices. But these were succulent, at the right temperature (very important) and had just the right amount of spices.

What really made me happy was the absence of cheese in the malai kebabs andu00a0-- the very north Indian and irritatingly omnipresentu00a0-- chaat masala in the chicken tikka. But the piece de resistance is the chef's specialty dahi ke kebabs served with an innovative papaya relish, and I am a hardcore meat eater. In fact, Chef Rao has another simple yet delicious curd-based dish in the main course, the dahi tadka, which I was surprised to find on the menu.

QUITE SIMPLE, ACTUALLY
But most of the dishes in the main course fall in the same category as the dahi tadka: simple yet delicious. The murg hara masala hadu00a0-- apart from the complete absence of creamu00a0-- a refreshing coriander taste. I could make out that the potatoes had been mixed with the masala for a long time before they were cooked into achari aloo. But what I liked the most was the bhuna gosht, which has the distinct taste of caramelised onions.
The best part about the meal was that as I waited for the dessert (kheer the way my mother makes it), I had eaten a lot and instead of feeling full I was satiated. Like you feel after those special home-cooked meals we rarely have the time for these days.

The Aman
Food: Delicious
Service: Good
Ambience: Good
Where: The Aman, Lodhi Road
Timings: 12.30-3.30 and 7-11.30
Ring: 43633333
Price: Rs 1800 plus taxes
(without alcohol)