Mehak Indian Kitchen & Bar
It’s not that Mehak Indian Kitchen & Bar is particularly big. The eatery comfortably seats 75 in a bright, casual space with crisp paint — cornsilk walls with ochre trim — enlivened by multicolored little umbrellas dangling, like trippy stalactites, upside-down from the ceiling.
What’s big about Mehak is its menu (a fairly common trait among newer Indian restaurants). Although enormous, Mehak’s primarily Northern Indian, Punjabi-leaning menu was skillfully executed during my visits.
That’s largely because there’s a veteran in the kitchen. Chef Ravinder Sharma — who founded the place with his son Banesh — trained in India and cites (on Mehak’s website) 20 years of professional experience that includes working with strong-performing, popular Aab India restaurant in Grandview.
If poring over a huge menu sounds daunting regardless of execution, the shareable-by-two and terrific Mehak Indian special thali ($20) is a veritable buffet dinner that precludes making multiple decisions. Its lengthy description lists aloo tikki and pakoras, but the only fried appetizer I received — this alteration was unannounced by Mehak’s friendly staff — was a big, flaky, goodtasting samosa with a simple but pleasing ground-beef filling.
The meal-deal thali (a recommended “medium” spice level supplies a threatening, but not overpowering, sting) arrived in a compartmentalized silver tray and also included nice basmati, spot-on naan, plus delicious lamb curry with tender meat and a rich, spicy and intense gravy; cut-above dal, the ubiquitous Indian lentil dish; a smoky and juicy leg of very good tandoori chicken; a creamy, spicy vegetable curry (matar paneer) with planks of impressive
Where: 5720 Cleveland Ave, Northeast Side
Contact: 614-392-4070; mehakindiankitchen.com
Hours: 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily (lunch); 5-9:30 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays; 5-9 p.m. Sundays (dinner).
Price range: $13 to $20
Ambience: Multicolored little umbrellas enliven a roomy, bright and casual space with friendly, if inconsistent, service.
Children’s menu: no
Reservations: yes
Accessible: yes
Liquor license: none yet (one has ostensibly been applied for)
Quick click: Very good Northern Indian food is served in this new restaurant with a veteran chef and a duly popular lunchtime buffet.
The Columbus Square Shopping Center is like a restaurant theme park. A deceptively modest-looking, sizable Northland-area shopping plaza that has long offered multiple dining options, Columbus Square counts Somali, Chinese, Middle Eastern, Brazilian, Italian, Vietnamese and pizza eateries among its roster. ● Until recently, though, Indian food — something fairly easy to find all over town — was not featured in any of Columbus Square’s many restaurants. That changed in a big way when Mehak Indian Kitchen & Bar opened last autumn.
house-made paneer cheese, caramel notes and loads of peas; uncommonly fluffy and good, cardamom-tinged gulab jamun.
On another visit, I began my meal with dahi bhalla ($6), which isn’t offered often enough around town, in my book. The chaat-style snack consisted of bhalla — falafel-like lentil fritters similar to doughnut-shaped “vada” (more commonly seen in local restaurants) — drenched in dahi (yogurt) tweaked with seasonings and minty chutney and evoking raita. I wish the fritters hadn’t been so stiff, but this was still a nutty, tangy and fun dish.
I’ve had my share of so-so biryanis that are dry and/or taste like extras added to, but not fully incorporated into, rice with rote seasonings. Mehak’s recommended chicken biryani ($16) distinguished itself from the lackluster pack with hefty lumps of zesty good boneless meat, sauteed onions, cashews and golden raisins convincingly integrated with basmati fragrant with clove, cinnamon, chile and cilantro.
Kudos to Mehak, too, for serving its excellent lamb choley ($17) in proper Punjabi-style with bhatura — fried, puffy flatbread rocking a big air pocket and crinkly exterior. The thick loaf accompanied basmati and a deeply delicious curry dish of tender lamb and chickpeas in a nuanced, tomato-based gravy that could make plastic taste good. It’s even better with Mehak’s righteous mango lassi ($5), which can help you forget the restaurant doesn’t have its liquor license yet.
Like many entrees here, the kadhai paneer ($15) — a standout vegetarian dish featuring the eatery’s good fresh cheese — was moderate-sized and served in a shiny metal pot. The firm yet malleable paneer had been stir-fried in a wok-like pan (the “kadhai”) with onions, peppers, seasonings and chiles to create a smoky, spicy and slightly sweet triumph.
Mehak went three for three for flatbreads with an order of lachha paratha ($4). The super-flaky, attractively brown-spotted round loaf, which arrived glistening with ghee, was a great match for my kadhai paneer and every last drop of its tomatoey sauce.
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