286 Duckworth St.
Ph. 753-6006
The intoxicating aromas of Indian cuisine stimulate my
senses and my imagination like no other type of food. When I’m dining on Indian
food my mind develops images of spice markets in Jaipur or spice plantations in
Goa. I see row after row of open burlap sacks filled with spices in bright red,
yellow, orange, green, brown and so on. When used properly, in correct amounts
with appropriate ingredients, India’s popular spices provide an almost magical
enhancement to simple foods like carrot or chicken. Sometimes, depending on the
skill of the cook, it’s like wizardry. Fortunately, we still have one
full-fledged Indian restaurant in St. John’s for those times when you’d rather
eat somebody else’s vegetable biryani than your own.
India Gate has been a part of the St. John’s restaurant
scene for many years. For a long time it was in competition with another
downtown Indian eatery. However, several months ago the competition folded its
tent leaving India Gate alone to serve the needs of diners craving “Indian.”
India Gate has a broad menu with several items featuring
meat or seafood, as well as tandoori and vegetarian dishes. You’ll also find
ten different types or flavours of bread at India Gate from Peshawari naan -
white bread dressed with fruit and nuts - to allo parantha - whole wheat bread
filled with spiced potato.
When I visited India Gate recently I found the atmosphere
relaxing. Despite it size - it has several tables, as well as a backroom for
private dining - I have never found it to be a noisy restaurant. The lighting
is low but most of the darkness of the room comes from the mahogany stain on
the paneled walls and a burgundy coloured ceiling. Fans quietly swirled above
our heads as my companion and I assessed the plants sprouting from a nearby
planter. “Are they real?” I asked.
“Well, they haven’t grown an inch since we were last here,”
came the slightly sarcastic reply. Indeed we hadn’t been there in several
months.
Plants aside, there were plenty of other adornments that
grabbed my attention as I swiveled in my paisley print upholstered chair. For
example, there was a fascinating framed picture on one wall depicting long
legged Indian elephants on parade. They were wearing colourful headpieces,
harnesses and ankle bracelets. The same picture also showed a group of horses
pulling some sort of elaborately covered chariot. Curio cabinets displayed
several Indian or Asian items, like a beautiful Himalayan or Indian teapot that
caught my eye. It was tall with a narrow base, fat belly and long neck. On one
side there was a large ring handle and on the other, a long upturned spout.
We began our meal with complimentary pappadums served with
spicy carrots and mango chutney that came in small stainless bowls. The chutney
was sweet and predictable but I found the spicy carrots more appealing. They
were very spicy hot and redolent of cumin, coriander, chili and turmeric. I
spooned several small portions onto bits of pappadum and munched away while waiting
for our appetizer of “Gate special snacks.”
The snack platter contained an oversized samosa along with
onion bhajia and vegetable and chicken pakora. I prefer small samosas because
then the tasty deep-fried covering seems more in proportion to the potato
filling. Indian Gate’s samosa seemed overloaded to me, although I liked the
spicing of it. You could easily pick up notes of garam masala and cumin seed. I
liked the onion bhajia with its chickpea batter coating - to me deep-fried
onion is addictive. However, the vegetable pakora was dull and the chicken
pakora was overcooked and dry.
From the “Tandoori Delights” section of the menu we ordered
the kebab platter. It offered a “mixture of chicken tandoori, seekh kabob,
malai chicken tikka, prawn, lamb curry and a nann.”
We also ordered a mild prawn nilgiri and vegetable biryani.
Wine does not compliment Indian cuisine in my opinion but that did not stop me
from ordering a glass of Lindeman’s cabernet after my companion requested a
glass of Lindeman’s chardonnay.
A wooden platter arrived with cast iron insert piled high
with the various tandoor meats, grilled sweet peppers and tomatoes. There were
large delicious chunks of white boneless smoky chicken in rising steam. They
were tender, juicy and scented with ginger, garlic and lemon juice. The seekh
kebab also stood out. Ground lamb that had been mixed with garlic, onion and
spices - like garam masala, cardamom and coriander - was wrapped around a
wooden spoon to form a kebab and cooked under a hot grill. Then it was sliced
into several juicy pieces and piled onto the platter with the other meats.
The prawn nilgiri was very enjoyable but it was more like a
prawn vindaloo. Several prawns swam in a creamy, buttery, spiced sauce. Either
someone misunderstood the order or that’s the way India Gate prepares the dish.
At any rate, the prawns did not appear to have been “cooked in a slow fire with
mouth watering Mughlai spices” as the menu stated.
The lamb curry offered generous sized pieces of meat in a
thick, delectably fruity, hot sauce. I’m not sure what gave the sauce its
fruity flavour. Perhaps, pineapple or another fruit juice was added. It also
tasted of garlic and lots of cayenne. I thought the lamb curry went
particularly well with the vegetable biryani and the naan. The biryani was a
sensational, mildly seasoned mound of basmati rice studded with a variety of
vegetables like snow peas, red pepper, celery and zucchini. The warm naan
flatbread was incredibly fresh and fragrant. I could have made a meal of it
alone.
To end the meal we had a bowl of kulfi. It’s an Indian ice
cream, very different from Hagen Daaz. I loved it. It’s made with evaporated
and condensed milks, cream and nuts. The mixture is frozen in a pan and then
cut into small rectangles and served. Ours came piled in a tall frosted dish
with mango sauce drizzled on top. The rectangles were icy and crunchy but at
the same time creamy. Nuts gave the dessert texture and the mango sauce,
sweetness.
Finally, over an amazingly good cup of chai I tried to
mentally “sum-up” our India Gate meal. I suppose the question I was really
asking myself was, “Did the meal and the experience make me feel I had tasted
something authentically Indian?” The
answer was, yes. India Gate may be the only restaurant of its kind in St.
John’s but if it has to be just one, then I’m glad it’s India Gate.
Our meal for two at India Gate - including aperitifs, wine
and tip - cost $115.55.
Best Points:
Very good food.
Areas for Improvement:
Some servers need to learn a little more about Indian
cuisine.
Ratings Category:
India Gate gets 8 out of 10 points.