Relief for diners starved of curry

Press, 28 July 1989, Page 32

Relief for diners starved of curry

By

PRAMIL MASIH

Shahee Tandoor means “great oven,” but ’’Christchurch’s only Indian restaurant" is bordering more on goodness than greatness. Lovers of spicy food will welcome this latest addition to the Lyttelton eating scene, which offers authentic Indian cuisine. Finding the eatery -in the port town is not easy. It is under a, dairy at 17 London Street, but the entrance to the car-park is from Canterbury Street. A sign on Canterbury Street could promote a smoother passage. Our team of four was greeted by a waiter in a music-less room. The pleasant decor had an Eastern touch. Taped music soon enveloped the scene as we settled in front of a carnation. I must confess that the red one on our table was on the wilting side. We were adamant that we would try the hottest offerings and we did not leave with blushes. The restaurant also caters for those who prefer the very mild. We began with entrees — vegetable pakoras ($4.50), vegetable samosas ($5) and papadoms, which were served with tamarind and chilli sauces. The samosas were a healthy size and very filling because of the potato stuffing. The pakoras were delectable

SHAHEE TANDOOR 17 London Street Lyttelton Phone 288-038 8.Y.0. Open seven days Smoking permitted

and papadoms are always papadoms. Beef is off the menu because of religious beliefs, so we settled for lamb vindalo ($12.50), murga (rooster) masalam ($14.50), pork curry ($l2), king prawn masala ($l5), alu ghobi (potato and cauliflower, $10.50) and raita (yoghurt sauce, $3.50). Prawn is the only seafood on the menu, but otherwise the range is wide, with 13 chicken dishes. It was a surprise that rice and chapatti (bread) did not accompany the main courses, so we had boiled rice ($4), mattar (peas), rice ($5), chapatti tandoori ($1.50) and plain paratha ($3). By now, the Hindi film music selection had done its rounds and after a 1 flminute interval, classical sitar music was welcome. The mattar rice was well presented with the use of turmeric, this inducing its yellow colour. Full marks for the murga masalam. This was the only dry meat

dish we encountered, and the masala was used sparingly and with skill. In contrast the lamb, pork, prawn and vegetable dishes were perhaps a little too heavy on the curry powder, and thus lacked character of their own. The telephone at the reception needs toning down, too. The lamb vindalo, as expected, was the fieriest of the lot, but the main disappointment of the meal was the king prawn masala — hardly a royal dish with four mediumsized prawns dangling in thick masala gravy for $l5. The raita side dish was refreshing after the overpowering masala combination, and one could not complain about the chapattis. Having cashew nuts in some of the dishes is new to traditional Indian cooking and must be applauded as a substitution. Maybe a touch of potato with meat has potential to cater for the Kiwi taste buds. The waiter was knowledgeable about the food and we are told none of it is pre-cooked. It would have been better if he had brought out plates before the main courses. The bill for the four of us was $118.60, an average of nearly $3O each, without sweets. There is also a special package meal for $2O which offers dhall, alu ghobi, rice, saag or raita, papadoms and chapatti or puri. Lamb or chicken curry can be added and saag or raita dropped. Overall the food is good, but some subtle touches would boost the restaurant’s ranking because those little things matter a lot. Side dishes of chutneys and pickles might make it more attractive. The lassi (milk drink) is recommended. Shahee Tandoor is an attractive proposition for the curry-starved residents of Christchurch. Worth a try.