MALABAR Cuisine: Indian & Nepalese
Address: 2/40 Tuwharetoa Street, Taupo
Phone: 07-376 5454
Drinks: Fully licensed, some interesting Indian drinks
Reservations: a good idea for dinner
There are many Indian restaurants in Tauranga, where I live and normally eat, but I have heard it said - and not without a certain degree of truth - that we actually have many branches of the same Indian restaurant. And while I enjoy several of them it is undoubtedly true that most serve exactly the same dishes with only tiny variations.
So Malabar, recommended by a bunch of good people on the
Taupo Noticeboard Facebook page, was a breath of fresh air, offering a distinctly different take on the regular Indian fare courtesy of their Napalese heritage. I hear their Momos (Napalese dumplings) are famous in the area and we ordered those and other things I haven't seen elsewhere. There was a lot more on the menu that I'd love to try. The influence of the Chinese end of the Spice Trail, the hint of Sichuan flavours, was fascinating and it was great to explore something a little different. There is also a big menu of regular Indian curries, dals, and more
- MOMO NEPALESE DUMPLING – Minced
stuffed in homemade pastry and steamed served with tomato chutney –
Vegetable $12 | Chicken $12
- CHICKEN CHILLY - Indo Chinese style
stirs fried chicken with capsicum & onion $22
- MALABAR PRAWNS - Two way cooked prawns
chefs special recipe $26
- HIMALAYAN KUKKAD CURRY - Nepalese home
style chicken curry and deep fried chicken lolly pop $24
- STEAM RICE $3
- NAAN $3.50
To start with, the Momo were great - I can see why they are so highly thought of. That the two flavours came in different-shaped dumplings was a classy touch. The dumpling dough looks a bit heavy in the pics but it really wasn't. To my surprise I actually preferred the vegetarian filling which was a moist finely-chopped mix of all sorts, from mushrooms to spring onions. Even the "tomato chutney" that came with the Momo was unusual and delicious, spiced with a couple of things that were new to me.
The Chilly Chicken got great props, definitely showing its Chinese heritage, a bit like a good Sichuan stir-fry, but not too hot and with slightly different spicing. We could have eaten it twice!
It hadn't occurred to me that we'd ordered two curries that both came two ways but it was great to try more things. The chicken curry was very good. The curry
itself was most unusual and quite mild, again with spices that seemed
unfamiliar and a slightly grainy texture. And if (when) we go again we'll
definitely order the accompanying chicken lolllypops in greater quantities. Yum.
The prawn curry on the other hand was a bit like a butter chicken but with less tomato. It was creamy and mild and enjoyable. The fried prawns on the side lasted about 30 seconds.
Even the regular things - the complimentary papadoms, the naan - were done particularly well with my dining companions declaring the raita that came with the former especially good (it was sweet and minty) and the naan the fluffiest they remember. I should also mention the terrifically welcoming service and some really cool Napalese music on the stereo.
Last time I was in Taupo we ate at
Vine and enjoyed it, and all I can do is say thank you to everyone who recommended Malabar. It's open seven days a week, only closed for Monday lunch, and I'm pretty sure the reason it was so quiet (see the first pic at the bottom) is that it was late when we passed through. They were about to close I think, but still welcomed us without hesitation. Kudos.
There was one curious thing I must point out. It is a restaurant of two halves. If you look from left to right it is totally different from looking right to left - different chairs, light fittings, wallpaper, everything. You can see it in the pic. It's weird. I had the idea that this might be to reflect the dual Indian and Napalese cuisines. But the guy serving us seemed surprised and said it was just the way it worked out...
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