Indo-Chinese dishes to dip – not fork – into
Mali’s Indian Restaurant 77 Smiso Nkwanyana (Goble) Rd, Durban Phone: 031 312 8535 Hours: Tue - Sat 12.30pm to 3.30pm; 5.30pm to 10pm, Sun: closes at 9pm
WE HAD been told the food was good and the prices reasonable at this restaurant. We needed no further encouragement.
On our arrival we were pleased to be ushered into the gated parking area behind the restaurant by an efficient security guard.
We had not booked but were quickly shown to a table for two.
We had arrived quite early but there were already several tables of diners and others ordering takeaways. The atmosphere was relaxed and comfortable.
Our efficient waiter offered my wife a freshly squeezed lime and soda (R30), with a choice of sweet or salty. She ordered the salty version but eventually stopped drinking it. I ordered a Millers (R20).
The menu has a good range of starters and main dishes and a fair selection of vegetarian dishes.
A foodie friend had suggested trying the Mushroom Manchurian (R77) starter, a recommendation of the chef, described as an “Indo Chinese preparation of deep-fried mushrooms coated with a mix of various Chinese sauces”. Another chef’s recommendation starter was the Dragon Chicken Sweet and Spicy dish (R88), consisting of eight pieces of spicy batterfried chicken marinated in a sweet and spicy sauce.
They were both delicious and suitably spicy. I loved the mushrooms, but my wife preferred a similar dish done by another popular Indian eatery. There was no arguing about the chicken, which was tender and full of flavour from a great marinade.
We soon had glasses of cold water.
For our mains we chose the Chicken Biryani (R98), with lovely subtle flavours and Lamb Hyderabadi (R110), also recommended, of boneless lamb cooked with onions, tomatoes and ginger in special house spices. This was another satisfying dish.
We ordered some garlic naan bread (R16) too.
My wife joked about me ladling the delicious lamb chunks and sauce on to my naan bread and eating it with a knife and fork. That was not the way it was done, she said. I should dip the bread into the sauce.
I triumphantly pointed out another diner doing the same and she pointed to someone behind me doing it the way she suggested. She rolled her eyes when I said I did not want to get sauce on my fingers.
Although not a lover of lamb, she dipped some of the bread into my sauce and praised the flavour.
The helpings were generous and our waiter quickly scooped the remainder of the starters and the biryani into takeaway containers.
We left happy that we had found another good restaurant to frequent and to bring out-oftown visitors looking for good Indian cuisine.