Currylicious

What happens when Indians want to eat good Indian food away from India? Well, the answer is rarely exciting. More so in Jeddah, where restaurants claiming ‘authentic Indian food’ are experts in doling dishes that are as close to Indian food as pizzas are to the Chinese.

But when a friend served us some malai kofta (bought from Shezan restaurant) for dinner at his place this weekend, we were left wanting for more. So plans were made to hit Shezan as soon as it opened the next day:-)

Well, the lazy weekend morning forced us to postpone the lunch plan to dinner, but we were there nevertheless.

Shezan restaurant, located in Faisaliyah district in Jeddah, looked gorgeously traditional with its beautiful green-minarets. Despite the old exteriors, this stand-alone restaurant appealed to us. We were told later that they have three more locations within Jeddah itself.

Once inside, we were ushered to the family seating area on the first floor where we were allocated a corner table for the two for us. Some Indian popaddums, accompanied with mint-yoghurt dip and pickle followed soon. We were handed over the crisp and clean menu cards to decide our order in the confines of our own cabin. The menu was quite inexpensive, for vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike. So far so good. What struck me as odd, though, was the lighting - it was too dull and sombre for a family place. But hey, the malai kofta from the day before's dinner was merrily dancing on my taste buds.

Since it was only the two of us, it was a purely vegetarian affair. And so it would be, for you tooJ

Although there were some interesting appetizers on the menu (like the prawn puri for my ‘fishy’ friends – something I’ve never seen in any menu card before!), we decided to skip the appetizers and get down to our real business. For main course, we ordered aaloo gobhi and of course, the malai kofta with stuffed paratha (potato and peas filling) and tandoori roti. “Spicy?” the waiter asked us. An emphatic, “Yes please,” promptly followed (from my wife).

The food took good 15 minutes to arrive, but I was happy to see that the malai kofta looked exactly the same as the one we had the day before. The aaloo gobhi looked a bit disappointing. We were told it would be in a thick gravy, from which my wife safely construed that it would be a semi-dry masala gravy. What we were served, however, looked like potato pieces and cauliflower florets in a thin orange gravy, and tasted as if it was prepared in coconut milk. This was not the Indian aaloo gobhi from any angle.

Anyways, we decided not to be skeptical till we had had our fill. Aaloo gobhi is a no-no at this place, and ‘butter kofta’ (as they call it there)?? Some more please...

The breads were served hot and were wonderfully fluffy and soft.  We were a happier couple by the time we finished our dinner. The sumptuous dinner pinched us by SAR 85/ USD 23 only.

The prices are very reasonable. Their small but comfortable cabins ensure perfect privacy for families or friends on a night out. Would we visit the place again?  Definitely yes, but only when the heart yearns for some more ‘desi’ khaana.