When I heard about Shamiana’s current food festival, I was more than a little curious. After all, as an Indian I thought we were the ones who specialise in curry. Who could really do curries better than us, right? Well, at the most other Asian countries could give us some competition. That’s why I was thoroughly amazed at the selection of curries on the Curry Up menu of the Taj coffee shop.
Featuring curries from Spain, Japan, Brazil, Guyana, Korea, Peru, South Africa and more, the carefully crafted menu offers something for everybody. There are six varieties of non-vegetarian dishes and another four vegetarian ones, so you have plenty to choose from.
A quick skim through of the menu and a chat with the chef led us to choose the Khoresht e Gheimeh and the Guyanese Crab Curry. The former is a Persian-style saffron-flavoured lamb and split peas curry served with polo (rice), while the latter is a mildly flavoured crab curry with African, East Indian, Portuguese and Chinese influences. A thin gravy, this one is served with wild rice and hot pepper relish.
Our meal took a little while to arrive given that curry preparations are more elaborate, but it was certainly worth the wait.
The rustic and fragrant lamb curry and rice had a Middle Eastern earthiness and a distinct flavour of dried lemon. It made for a hearty meal complete with mint yogurt, French fries and fresh herbs. But the crab curry really bowled us over. For one, the crab was so large, it could easily serve two; and the wild rice complemented the curry to perfection. What made this dish even more delightful was that in addition to the one huge crab, there was more crab meat topping the curry bowl. If you’re up to cracking up some crab at a five-star restaurant, then look no further than this scrummy dish.
The portions at Shamiana’s Curry Up festival are certainly worth a mention and we think the place is ideal for a family night out. So give in to those curry cravings and head over to Shamiana at the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel before July 8.
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