LUCKNOW: A North Indian Fix

I almost gave up on the idea that Dhaka would ever have the perfect Indian eatery. Too many options for the same cuisine have mightily reinstated quantity over quality, leaving unsatisfactory results. But thankfully, on the night of my parent's anniversary, I was pleasantly proven wrong!

As I walked in to Lucknow, my eyes were cheerfully lit witnessing the spacious and cleverly adorned interior of this contemporary Indian restaurant. With a semi-formal setting, large windows, Mughal paintings, soothing Indian instrumentals, and typical thali and metal pots, they give you the quintessential Indian feeling. There's also an outdoor sitting arrangement which is equally as roomy and would be an apt choice for cosy lunches with your loved ones. 

The menu is mostly North Indian, traditional Lucknowi food which I'm crazy about! Just as we sat down to eat, we were served complimentary papad that were done to perfection. It was the right kind of crisp without being oily. There were six of us, and we went all out! We ordered the Chicken Butter Tikka Masala and Beef Boti Kebab, among the non-vegetarian dishes. The former was priced at Tk 475, and the latter at Tk 450. The chicken was exactly what its name suggested it'd be – buttery, full of masala and delicate enough to melt in your mouth. The beef was good too but could have been sliced in slightly bigger pieces according to my preference. 

Among the vegetarian dishes we ordered the Stuffed Aloo Dam, Daal Makhani and my most favourite Indian curry of all time, Kadai Paneer. They were all priced at Tk 300. The Stuffed Aloo Dam was definitely the highlight of the meal. Only two stuffed potatoes come on a single thali which may seem like a rip-off, but it really isn't. The potatoes are stuffed with a generous filling of fresh, un-ripened curd cheese, green chillies, onions and various spices. It also comes with rich, delicious gravy that is just "heaven in a pot" for potato lovers like me. I wish the potatoes were a tad softer though. Their Daal Makhani is somewhat different from that of other places, as they use red kidney beans or rajma as an additional ingredient, much to my pleasure. This gives it a brick red colour with just the right amount of consistency. Keeping aside the differences, it's just as rich and hearty as it ought to be. Lastly, I'm not going to declare that the Kadai Paneer is the absolute best dish at Lucknow, but I'm blatantly biased.  The mouth-watering combination of paneer, capsicum, tomato and traditional Indian spices cooked in ghee makes me weak-kneed. But, if you want a softer texture, I suggest you go for Shahi Paneer or Paneer Butter Masala, instead. Keeping aside all these deliciousness, I wish they had better salad options to cut down the richness.

To help us gulp and soak all of these wet curries we ordered Aloo Paratha, Keema Paratha, Garlic Naan and Rumali Roti. The first three was priced at Tk 90, Tk 120 and Tk 90 respectively. Each Rumali Roti was priced at Tk 50. The Garlic Naan stole the show among the bread items as it was soft, light and, thankfully, not doughy. Also, the aroma of garlic filled all of Lucknow every time it was brought out – stimulating our senses.

Lucknow makes you fall in love with Indian food all over again, it might be a little pricy but the food is excellent, soulful and a beautiful amalgamation of traditional and innovative cooking. The gap between the hits and misses is so little that it makes me wonder how many restaurants would I be able to say the same about. 

Address: 60 E, Kemal Ataturk Avenue, Banani, Dhaka.

Rafidah Rahman is a teeny-tiny Hulk, she's always angry and she's always hungry. A cynical dreamer and a food enthusiast, she's your everyday entertainment. Correspond with her at www.facebook.com/rafidah.rahman.39 or rafidah_topaz@hotmail.com