Being averse to spicy food, we usually steer clear of Indian restaurants (fact check: out of our 800-plus posts in the past two years, only eight featured Indian cuisine). Nevertheless, Royal India had a trump card to tempt us: a long list of cocktails.
More on the booze later, but to kick off, can't go wrong with crunchy papadum.
Mulligatawny soup. An Anglo-Indian favorite, made creamy with lentils and aromatic with a blend of cumin, coriander, cloves & cinnamon.
Nandu rasam. Alas, terrifyingly spicy, but generously infused with crab meat.
Tandoori jhinga (charcoal-grilled jumbo prawns in an ajwain-flavored mix of yogurt, red chillies, turmeric & garam masala). Springy enough to recommend, though less satisfyingly smoky than we had anticipated.
Murgh Makhanwala, a tangy, mouthwatering Punjab recipe of grilled chicken gently simmered in a thick tomato, butter & cream gravy. Terrifically tender meat in the most sinful of sauces.
Briyani Tajwar _ lamb marinated with yogurt, brown onions & spices, then cooked with basmati rice in a sealed handi (earthen pot) with saffron & cardamom. Fluffy, fragrant and fabulously flavorful, but too steeply priced at 60 ringgit.
And finally, the main attraction: Bailey's Shake (bailey's, kahlua, milk) & Moon River (bombay sapphire gin, apricot brandy, cointreau, galliano, lime juice).
Cocksucking Cowboy (bailey's, butterscotch) & Colorado Bulldog (vodka, kahlua, milk).
Embassy Royal (bourbon, drambuie, martini rosso, orange juice) & Brandy Fizz (brandy, sugar syrup, lime juice, club soda).
A complimentary creative cocktail: lassi with vodka & galliano.
Oyster Bay Pinot Noir.
Royal India,
Vista Tower, The Intermark,
Jalan Tun Razak, Kuala Lumpur.
Tel: 03-2163-3280
I've passed by this area before. They actually have a countdown thing that tells customers in approx. how many minutes will the restaurant be opened for service!
ReplyDeleteMichelle: oooh that's kinda cool! U must have walked past pretty early in the morning! :D
ReplyDeleteHaha, seems like you drank more than you ate this meal :D 3 different types of food but 2 soups and 5 drinks!
ReplyDeleteThis is indeed a rare thing - u eating at a spicy joint, lol! The drinks seem to be the main feature here ;)
ReplyDelete"(Fact check: out of our 800-plus posts in the past two years, only eight featured Indian cuisine)"
ReplyDeleteThat means less than 1% of your consumption - we need to take you out for more Indian food lah! :D
I checked out their menu after going to Hanare, portions look like a decent size from your pics since prices are quite high for curries.
ReplyDelete60 bucks briyani?? ;p
ReplyDeleteI stil rmbr our very first meeting! Indian food! Heheh..
With cocktails like these, who needs rasam to spice up the proceedings! I think this will be quite the party theme - come as your choice of post-colonial complex!
ReplyDeletetiming: heheh, the drinking was more fun than the eating! :D
ReplyDeletepureglutton: ya, i used to be able to handle spicy food easily. but sometime in the past five years, i've lost that ability! probably forever!!!
lfb: nooooooo, i refuse! notice that there've been 74 japanese entries and 76 italian entries? you know what my heart beats for :D
baby sumo: yeah, i'd say the food is priced about 30 percent too high here. not sure if they'll be able to attract a consistent crowd in the long run...
tng: yaaaa, and i think that restaurant is still going strong! though i haven't been back there since, heheh :D
min: omg, that's a theme that would leave many of us puzzling for weeks over what to wear! i might just throw my hands up in despair and come in a saree :D
I'm more into Japanese than Italian, but glad these are your top two! :)
ReplyDeletenice indian food for a change! and i absolutely love the gayish name of cocksucking cowboy - yeee hah!!
ReplyDeletelfb: yeah, some nites i crave sashimi, other nites spaghetti. but nearly never shishkebabs :D
ReplyDeleteeiling: heheh, it's fun to say that name out loud! :D
My oh my! Look at the glorious cocktails! I am drowned!! Hehe
ReplyDeleteiamthewitch: i would mind taking a bath in cocktails! hehe
ReplyDeleteAh, it's a pity you can't handle spicy food. I don't go out for Indian (as generally I get better food at home!) but I am on the lookout for good Indian restaurants as I have a very good friend flying in in Sept and he loves Indian food. He is a bit sticky re: hygiene, so I am not going to take him to Mamak! Sigh....maybe I'll take him here. Oh, Mum makes mean nandu (crab) rasam. Slurp. :) BTW, Sean, any idea what happened to California Pizza Kitchen?
ReplyDeleteDr Bahma: yeah, my tongue loves the beautiful complexity of Indian food, but the rest of my body rebels against its spiciness! :D luckily there are lots of reputable Indian restaurant in KL ... Bombay palace, vansh, and yep, royal India. Hope your friend enjoys his eating expeditions here! =) CPK at klcc? That one has moved to Fahrenheit 88 at Bukit bintang...
ReplyDeleteYes, Sean, thank youuuuuuuu for that info about CPK.....we love the food there, they have a wide range and even vegetarians can enjoy a good meal. I miss their Key Lime Pie and when I asked the people at KLCC's information their whereabouts, they did not have a clue. I have been receiving mixed reviews about Bombay Palace. Frankly, I am looking for South Indian food rather than North Indian. Maybe I'll take him to Royal India and get him the nandu rasam - that's South Indian - and scare the beejesus off him. Hahaha. *evil laughter*. Thanks again. :D
ReplyDeletedr bahma: yeah, CPK is an oldie but goodie, rite. love their generous portions, though i always end up getting too stuffed there :D i've only been to bombay palace once, in 2005, and i liked it, but my forte isn't indian food =)
ReplyDeleteIt's okay, like I said, when I go out personally I don't do Indian restaurants. Usually I come and check your blog for a nice place to go. So I thought I'll check on Indian restaurants - Royal India seems ok, my mouth is watering at the cocktails and not at the food. LOL. Thanks Sean.
ReplyDeleteDr Bahma: always glad to be of any assistance! =)
ReplyDeleteHi Sean,
ReplyDeleteKindly be informed that this post has been reprinted on JoinMe.com.my, thanks. ^^
P/S: We have put your name and link credit back to this article.