(I visited this restaurant about a year back as a full paying customer)
Address: Strada Mureșenilor 3 Brașov 500026, Romania +40 721 305 261
Google location map:
My blog address: http://indianrestaurantsworldwide.blogspot.in/
Tuesday, November 25, 2014
'Taj Mahal in Brasov, Romania' by K.J.S.Chatrath
Source of the following photo: Internet
Before I took this bus trip in Romania, I had never heard of Brasov. So visit to this lovely little town turned out to be a very pleasant surprise. This is a place where a number of Germans had settled quite some time back.
During this trip I had decided not to look for Indian restaurants and to try to survive on the locally eaten food. But while taking a walk around the lunch time I noticed a board 'Taj Mahal', and could not resist myself.
Located centrally in Brasov's old town, the Taj Mahal is just 50 metres from the Council Aquare and 150 metres from the Black Church. It offers two terraces as sitting spaces for the restaurant. However the passage leading to the restaurant was narrow and not very attractive.
budapest-etc-june-2013-1278-450-80-jpgI was the only guest in the restaurant at that time. The pleasant looking young Romanian waiter brought the menu. It was a professional job and various Indian dishes had been well listed out.
I decided to play safe and ordered 'Butter Chicken' and 'naan'. Then I struck a conversation with the waiter and asked him who the proprietor of the restaurant was. It belongs to a lady. She is from India, I prodded him. No Sir, she is a Romanian lady. Then is her husband from India, I asked hopefully. No Sir, he is a German. Still not giving up, I tried the last one, 'Do you have an Indian chef?'. The reply again was, No Sir, he is a Romanian but he is an expert in Indian cooking.
Soon he served the lunch. The 'naan' turned out to be a stiff 'pappar' like stuff. The Butter chicken looked and tasted pathetic. The chicken was not fully cooked.
But all this was more than compensated by the rice served. It is complimentary with the chicken dish, informed the waiter. The size of basmati rice was long and the aroma excellent. There was just a dash of 'tej patra' and a bit of saffron had been delicately added. It was one of the best rice dishes I have had in my life.
Both the chicken and the rice had slight sprinkling of sliced almonds.
I left the restaurant happily musing how in this far away land, a Romanian lady had decided to set up a restaurant serving Indian food. ...
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Yes I have heard from other people that they have had ghastly Indian chicken dishes in other countries as well. There should be a concerted effort on the part of say the Indian Culinary Association to help restaurants perform better. The Spices board could take a lead in this as it would help popularity of Indian spice if more genuine cuisine is served.
ReplyDeleteThat is a good idea. And maybe the Indian Embassy in Romania could do something in this.
DeleteWhat a surprise discovery of an Indian restaurant in a MoST unusual part of Romania. Just shows Indian cuisine is the best. Very difficult to keep naans moist but there must be a technique which some one. can forward to her. I am sure if she can make such wonderful rice, than naans must have been good at the point of cooking.
ReplyDeleteWhat was equally interesting was that hardly any Indian tourist goes to this part of Romania and the demand is generated by the locals and the (non-Indian) tourists. About naan, well it was more like a roti than a naan but one hopes that the quality improves.
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