We are always on the hunt for good authentic Indian food - and we do mean Indian from the sub continent, not Cape Malay or Durban curries (which we like) but Indian is our favourite. Lynne's 27 years in London made her a firm fan and John is also very keen. Friends who live in Hout Bay kept raving about their local so, as we were in the neighbourhood, we decided to give The Indian Oven a try. It is at No.18 on Main Road, the road that leads to Chapman's Peak Hotel and thence Chapman's Peak Drive. Up a few steps, it is one of a few shops in this row. We found parking outside. It only took us 20 minutes to drive through from Sea Point and there is a bus route as well, so we might take the bus for lunch another time
Nice and modern inside, not a fleck of flocked wallpaper anywhere and we liked the tented ceiling
Some of the usual Indian atmosphere. Our local friends are vegetarian
and there is a very good choice for them
and there is a very good choice for them
We ordered two Windhoek Draughts; it goes so well with curry.
They brought Poppadoms to the table without being asked.
These came with a green chutney and a mix of vegetables
They brought Poppadoms to the table without being asked.
These came with a green chutney and a mix of vegetables
They have a really good system for trying out the curries on the menu, and there are quite a few.
It is called the Trio and for R185 you may order smaller portions of any three curries on the menu
to share between two people. A lovely idea and we can see ourselves working through the menu
over time, sampling different Trios. You then order rice and or Naans to accompany the meal.
We ordered one steamed rice (it was perfectly cooked) and a garlic naan;
more like a roti than a thick Nan, but very enjoyable
It is called the Trio and for R185 you may order smaller portions of any three curries on the menu
to share between two people. A lovely idea and we can see ourselves working through the menu
over time, sampling different Trios. You then order rice and or Naans to accompany the meal.
We ordered one steamed rice (it was perfectly cooked) and a garlic naan;
more like a roti than a thick Nan, but very enjoyable
Our choices were l to r Prawn curry, Methi Chicken and a Rogan Josh. All really good dishes with completely different and correct sauces, with plenty of meat and certainly enough for the two of us. The prawn curry had four large peeled prawns and was rich and flavourful with hints of tamarind and southern spices. The Methi chicken is one we love and you don't often find it in the Cape. Methi is the herb grown from the fenugreek seed. The chicken was tender, not dry or overcooked and the sauce was herbal from the fresh methi leaves and spicy with tomato, onion, ginger, garlic and yoghurt at the same time. John will always go for a Rogan - a staple of Kashmiri cooking and he rated this one very highly. It was tender; pieces of lamb in its richly spiced tomato sauce. You can command your heat level, we usually go for a medium and these were at the perfect heat level for us; nice and warm, but not causing us to call for an extinguisher
John's plate of the three curries. One of the owners came over to chat to us - she and her husband are originally from Pretoria, but they lived in Malaysia for four years and love Asian food. When they moved back to South Africa, they came to settle in Hout Bay and wanted to open a business; this is what they bought. The chef who made this food is such an asset. It has been a real success for them
RETURN TO MENU
The bill. We had very good service from our waiter Prince
© John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2018
No comments:
Post a Comment