Indian beef curry

Yes, you read the title correctly.  I had the words "Indian" and "beef" in the same sentence.  And yes, I did have that for lunch today.

About a year ago, the Rubberman created a fuss in Hong Kong when it awarded a macaron to a place called Hin Ho Curry Restaurant (恆河咖喱屋).  Many of us have never been to this place - I had never even heard of it - and there it was, with a coveted Michelin star.  No doubt it was part of the publication's effort to go downmarket and try to award some more "cheapest Michelin star on the planet"...  I, along with many others, uttered the usual "WTF" at the news.

One year on, and the restaurant received a star for a second year.  Thanks to the publicity and the additional business, the owner had made enough money to open a second branch.  And my friends and I collectively uttered another round of "WTF".

But, as we have been discussing for the last few months, one isn't entitled to criticize the food at a restaurant without trying it first.  As I was in town this weekend, I hollered on Facebook and rounded up a few friends so that we can all try it for the first time.  As people were replying to my call to have some "Indian beef brisket curry", one of my Indian ex-bosses from London chimed in with the comment that "Indians don't eat beef"...

You're fired!

Four weeks after the last Lunch Club meeting, we reconvene for our first Indian food outing. I would have never thought about going to Jashan, since at first glance the sign downstairs doesn't look that impressive. But our fake Indian member insisted that they serve good food. And the place did garner a Bib Gourmand rating from the people at Michelin...although I have to say that a couple of places on that list looked dubious.

We forgo the economical lunch buffet and order a la carte instead. Before he started ordering , we specifically told our fake Indian friend that he should order well, and that he'd be fired from Lunch Club if he ended up ordering the same dishes that tourists like us would. Well, out of the five dishes he rattled off I could have ordered three of them in my sleep...

Murgh tikka - HELLO?! Any bozo can order this dish on their own including me. But all kidding aside, it's classic because it is just so good. Tender chicken marinated in spices and yogurt, then stuck in a tandoori oven and served on a hot plate. Yum!

Goan fish curry - this was one of the winners. I normally don't have fish curries at Indian restaurants, but I must admit that this was pretty good. Maybe it is because the sweetness on the palate.

Dhansak - another pleasant discovery, this is chicken cooked in lentils and pumpkin. The texture is pretty interesting, and one of the few times I actually liked something cooked with lentils.

Palak paneer - the typical cottage cheese cooked in spinach. I love the way spinach is cooked in Indian cuisine into a soft paste.

Together with the basmati rice and a garlic naan, the food was pretty filling. We had to have dessert, of course. We order the gulab jamun, ras malal and kesari kulfi. I'm only somewhat happy with the sweet gulab jamun...

I have to say that the food was pretty decent. It's been a while since I've had Indian, and I'm happy to have found another restaurant I can go to.

By the way Mr. Fake Indian, you're sooooo fired from Lunch Club... Just kidding.