Food: Alex Dodd
Having grown up in Durban, I’ve often found Indian restaurants in other places a sorry attempt at living up to the cumulative memory I have of superbly subtle curries served by mustachioed waiters in cummerbunds.
I remember the extra-hot prawn curry we’d eat on Saturday afternoons in the slightly shabby dining room of the yacht club overlooking the industria of the harbour; the ridiculous array of atchars, chutneys and sambals at the Ulundi with its whirling ceiling fans; the golden arches and pink tablecloths of my father’s favourite curry spot in some hectic arcade off of Grey Street …
It was thus with immense joy that I recently tucked into my green masalawala with roghani naan (soft bread sprinkled with sesame seeds, herbs and special spices) at the Taj Palace Restaurant in Fordsburg. Firmly opposed to the notion that life’s greatest pleasures should remain closely guarded secrets, I would like to entice you too to indulge in some of the superb genuine Pakistani and North Indian cuisine on offer at what has to be one of the finest restaurants in Johannesburg.
For nostalgia’s sake, I ordered a passion fruit and lemonade to go with our shared selection of delights. The Delhi-style lamb korma is an expertly prepared recipe with yoghurt, chilli powder, dhania powder, black pepper, cloves, small cardamon, brown onions and kewra water. Far from the shoddy and heavily disguised canned veggies that have known been known to pass for a vegetable curry, the Taj Oriental vegetables were a fresh and original blend that included cashew nuts, coriander leaves, colonjee and turnips. We also went for the dhal palik which combines lentils and spinach in a yoghurty sauce with ginger, tomato and lots of garlic.
When a spicy dish is good you can actually taste each of the myriad ingredients that make it what it is. From an unexpected exploding sultana to a welcome hint of ginger, it is a true adventure for the tastebuds.
At the Taj Palace everything from the attentive service to the fine pastry of their samoosas is top class. The interior, with its bold Taj Mahal mural and gold chandeliers with flame globes, has that eccentric but calming atmosphere that any good curry place should boast.
And to top it all, judging by the prices you might as well be in Bombay. My entire meal cost me only R50, including tip. One of life’s sweet moments when the present transcends a stronghold of happy memories.
Taj Palace Restaurant, 21 Bree Street (cnr Mint Street), Fordsburg, Tel: (011) 836-4925/6.