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Expensive standout

Paying the price at Iron Gate's new Indian destination
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By Dave Faries
Staff Writer, The Prague Post
February 7th, 2007 issue

RENÉ JAKL/THE PRAGUE POST
Rajesh Raikwar (left) and Askash Singh on the line.
Great Indian food is an elusive thing in this part of the world. Many restaurants serve adequate examples of regional specialties and British derivations, but one lacks traditional bread, another mutes spices in deference to local tastes and so on.
At Khajuraho, a cozy Indian spot hidden inside the boutique Iron Gate Hotel, it’s the price points. Even Kampa Group restaurants would envy main dishes starting in the 500 Kč ($23) range. A small bottle of Pilsner Urquell is set in the tourist-zone stratosphere.
Such prices buy consistency, if nothing else. The kitchen, staffed by Rajesh Raikwar, Askash Singh and Harish Anurag, wavers just above the culinary timberline, neither faltering much nor stretching too far toward the peak. Case in point: tandoori chicken, the famous Punjab/Mughlai dish often known for its bright patina of yogurt and fiery spices, here marinated in a gentle garam masala dominated by ginger. Subtle flavors struggle to poke through the bittersweet twang of smoke. Nothing wins out, although the residue of soot permeates deep into the dry but tender meat. It ends up as an extraordinarily simple presentation: three pieces of chicken and a lot of backyard barbecue nuance riding on a bed of lettuce. 
Khajuraho Indian Restaurant

Michalská 19 (inside the Iron Gate Hotel)
Prague 1–Old Town
Tel. 225 777 333
Open daily 11 a.m.–11 p.m.

Food HHH
Service HH
Atmosphere HH
Overall HH

Food
Service
Atmosphere
Overall
The restaurant focuses on northern cuisine — Punjabi, Mughlai and Kashmiri, more specifically — with a few nods toward other regions. One of the latter is gosht masala dosa, thin, savory rice pancakes rolled around a filling of moderately spicy pork. Again, the seasoning mulls into an indistinct, snarled pastiche, albeit rich and resonant. Paired with a brackish version of sambar, sans lentils, and a bowl of bittersweet coconut chutney, the experience — alternating between a near-perfect masala dosa, an acrid soup and a gritty condiment — is like subjecting your tongue to a series of category 2 hurricanes, with moments of calm as dollops of chutney soothe the palate, contributing a creamy essence to the next bite.  
Sambar ordered from the appetizer menu has an entirely different character, compact and earthy, backed by a wallop of cumin. Behind this lurks a sinus-clearing dose of hot pepper. Yet it’s not really a combative soup. The toor dal and vegetable mélange manage to hold their own against the torrent of cumin and chili — a very compelling, hearty broth.
Another interesting starter, and one more in line with the restaurant’s orientation to northern cuisine, is aloo tikki. Balls of mashed potatoes, meekly seasoned, molded around an equally timid filling of lentils and peas before a turn in hot oil, seemingly betray the golden, caramelized beauty of fried potatoes. They are crisp on the outside, mushy inside — so just right, in terms of texture, but almost devoid of flavor.
From the Menu
  • Aloo tikki 195 Kč
  • Sambar 180 Kč
  • Tandoori murg 540 Kč
  • Gosht masala dosa 560 Kč
  • 0.33 l Pilsner Urquell 110 Kč
Really, however, this snack exists to provide a reassuring crunch to your choice of sauce. The mild combination of bland potatoes and murky lentils allows aggressive chutneys room to tear wildly across the palate. Street vendors traditionally serve aloo tikki with cilantro-mint and/or tamarind chutney. At Khajuraho, the mint is inexplicably silenced in a crudely imbalanced concoction that runs from sour to husky, but washes out quickly. The tamarind, on the other hand, transforms from a simple sharp and tangy mix to a complex and lasting cascade of flavors when applied to the aloo tikki. And the kitchen throws in a third option — introduced at the table merely as “tomato” — that unleashes a furious undercurrent of heat.
In all, this is more intriguing Indian cuisine than one expects to find in Prague, prepared with sincerity and a clear sense of tradition. Despite the all-too-typical eagerness to soften flavors for a Western market (and a quiet location tucked out of sight), it stands out in this market.
Khajuraho is a good — not great — restaurant. But the prices warrant greatness.

Dave Faries can be reached at dfaries@praguepost.com


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