Spoiled for choice

Palmovka feels a lot farther away than it actually is. By metro, it's only about 10 minutes from Můstek on the yellow line, and yet its gritty house fronts and roaming youths seem so removed from the cosmopolitan city center. But with the opening of Curry House, one of the latest additions to Prague's range of affordable Indian/Bangladeshi eateries, there's actually a reason to venture to the neighborhood.

Curry House blends in with its surroundings because it almost looks like a herna bar. The doorway leads down a few steps to two sparsely decorated rooms, lit brightly from above. Oil candles help to add some atmosphere, but the real focus here is on the food.

It's as if the management is avoiding sensory overload by keeping the place so stark, as the curries and tikkas on offer truly pack a punch that visitors should be well-prepared for when selecting items from the menu. These dishes aren't dumbed down for a spice-timid country, and several are for true chili-hounds only, such as the phall, which earns the menu's top spice rank of four chilies, and the jalfreisi, which has three. Curiously, the spice level of items across the board was tempered slightly when we ordered in Czech - order in English, and they know you mean business.

Ordering in English, even the chicken madras, ranking a respectable two chilies, was very hot, but delicious. The red, steaming gravy - an intricately blended mix of turmeric, anise, ginger, paprika and a host of other ingredients that rise together through the heat of the ground chilies - will make some people sweat and others swoon.

Most of the dishes are available in either chicken, lamb or beef versions, and there is an impressive number of vegetarian options, as well as several items with prawns. One such starter, the prawn poori, is simply excellent (although really, the same can be said of everything at Curry House). A delicate base of tiny shrimp mixed with spring onions and cilantro, scooped on top of a feathery, floury disk, just thick enough to wrap around the contents and pick up.

The paneer pakora was surprisingly light for what is in essence fried cheese. Five bite-size rectangles of the curd cheese were quick-fried in an aromatic batter and served with a raita-esque dipping sauce, leaving one licking oil from sticky fingers and wishing for more.

Another starter, the shish kebab, was addictive: amazingly flavorful minced lamb rolled into logs, sprinkled with fresh cilantro and carrying a resonant heat. Cucumber slices on the side of all the starters were a nice touch and served as a good palate-cleanser if picking from several dishes.

Look out for the descriptions of each dish: Only the special items are delineated with chili ratings; others describe the level of spice, such as "a medium-hot curry" or "a very hot dish."

For those with a lower tolerance for spice who nonetheless treasure the flavors of Indian and Bangladeshi cooking, there are several mains that are tasty without being spicy. Curry House's korma, a yogurt-based gravy that braises meat or vegetables, for example, is especially creamy and sweet.

The rezela, which is marked with one chili, is a good mix of creamy and spicy. The roasted chili peppers are whole and hunking in the bowl, so can be avoided or approached to taste. The bhuna, a personal favorite, was tasted in its lamb incarnation, the meat tender and splitable with a fork. The slivers of onion and peppers add depth to the thick-sauced curry.

A side of Pulao rice was fluffy and a perfect companion for soaking up sauces. Naans, on the other hand, were nothing special but serviceable for scooping. A range of chutneys are available for sides, as well as raita, a yogurt sauce to lower the heat.

It's a good thing the food is so good at Curry House, because the service can be as lacking as the atmosphere. Granted, the usual competent staff of three was down one on a recent Friday visit, and the level of neglect - long waits to order, the server apologetically dashing off to answer a phone mid-ordering, dishes left uncleared - was only made acceptable by what we knew was cooking in the kitchen.

But Curry House is worth any wait. And the downtrodden area of Palmovka certainly has reason to thank the restaurant; judging how quickly Curry House fills up most nights, many people think it's worth the trek.

Fiona Gaze can be reached at
fgaze@praguepost.com