Moti Mahal falls short of a nawab's feast

Food and love have much in common. When we are hungry, we fantasise about grand meals, cook up a feast in our heads, mentally salivate over food not easily accessible to us, like perfectly grilled lamb chops or spicy prawn curry. (I don't know what Freud would have to say about it.)

The joke amongst my friends is that I would spice my spices if I could. And they couldn't be more right. It takes every ounce of control I have not to add garam masala to pasta sauce and cardamom to iced tea. I love food but of all the food in the world, it is Indian food, with its abundant use of spices, that I love most.

On a Thursday night, in a fit of nostalgia, I went to Moti Mahal in Karama, eager to relish the meal I imagined. The informal eatery sees the chef exploring Mughlai cuisine by way of a culinary journey, with several detours along the Grand Trunk road (Indian and Pakistani cuisine). My hopes soared when the preface of the thick leather-bound menu book interestingly referred to Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, a political leader of the Indian independence movement, suggesting to the Shah of Iran that while in India, he must visit two places — Taj Mahal and Moti Mahal. Well, here, the menu proposes dishes you'd actually want to taste. The sheer volume of choices offered on tandoori dishes is an apt reflection of Mughlai cuisine.

Entrees skew toward the (relatively) familiar. We started off with you-can't-go-wrong paneer pudina tikka (Dh25) — cottage cheese marinated in mint and fenugreek paste and grilled to perfection — and burra kebab (Dh32) — lamb chops rubbed in spices and roasted in tandoor (a clay oven). Suffice to say, the appetisers we had didn't do much for me, each bite of paneer pudina tikka was completely off the mark — flavour and taste was missing, Burra kebab, which ideally should be succulently tender, taking kebab experience to new heights, was chewy with underdone spices.

Lip-smacking

Not to worry, all was not lost. I have heard my friends wax poetic until the cows come home about the legendary Moti Mahal in old Delhi, particularly noted for its lip-smacking chicken butter masala. Foodies drool over this dish with unabashed abandon and a visit to a Mughlai restaurant without ordering it is akin to blasphemy. Here the chef livens up the dish. With little discussion as to whether or not it's an "authentic" butter chicken, we savoured the creamy chicken curry, which blended well with butter naan. No wonder, 90 years after their creation, butter chicken continues to rule the roost.

Apart from butter chicken (Dh40), if I were to pick an all-time favourite prawn dish, it would undoubtedly have to be the Amritsari jheenga (Dh38) — fresh prawns gently cooked in a creamy curry tempered with mustard seeds and curry leaves. But here it failed to pack a punch — the-thicker-than-usual gravy couldn't lure me for a second helping.

The highlight of my road-trip was this classy act — rogan gosht (Dh30). Lamb so tender and finely spiced that it tastes as though it took a whole pantry to produce.

To finish off with a sweet note, traditional desserts included gajar ka halwa (carrot pudding) and acquired-taste gulab jamun (sweet milk dumplings) among others.

Like the rest of the meal, it treads lightly on the palate — not a showy finale. If I had to sum up my experience, I'd say it's just another Karama restaurant, not making the familiar strange, but rather the labour showing more than the love.

Where: Moti Mahal, KaramaTel: 04-3365676

Must-haves: Rogan gosht and chicken butter masala

Decor: A mix of ethnic and modern style.

Ambience: Informal