Incredible India
Where:
Pearl Walk, 6 Lagoon Drive, uMhlanga
Call:
031 837 3731
Open:
Daily, lunch and dinner
A friend told me of Incredible India, one of the few eateries in uMhlanga’s Pearls complex that I hadn’t tried. As the dinners to date ranged from the mediocre to memorable for all the wrong reasons, I was only too happy to join her.
Incredible India is tucked
away on a mezzanine terrace on the land side of the sprawling Pearls development. Inside it’s a long low room with views over The Oceans building site across the road, the open kitchen on the one side.
It’s an echoing space that could do with some sound cushioning as I could hear every word at the table two down from us. And the upbeat Hindi pop did little to aid digestion.
We took some time to peruse the extensive menu that takes in an Indo-Chinese section, and a range of dishes rarely seen on Durban menus. There’s a page of vegetarian dishes, one devoted to rice dishes and another to breads.
A starter may include chicken or fish tikka or any number of kebabs or a mixed platter. Tandoori mushrooms or brinjal finger chips sounded good. We settled for the paneer tikka and the pepper gobi dish of cauliflower in batter fried and coated in a pepper and celery sauce. It’s one of those great dishes that could be easily missed on the menu. The paneer was pleasant, although it could have been marinated for longer.
For mains, there is chicken or lamb korma, or kadai, or vindaloo, or saag (spinach) or jalfrezi (pepper). House specialities include Parsi-style lamb or chicken served with crispy potato strips.
My friend chose the Goan prawn curry, which was packed with prawns and had a good if not overly hot flavour. This was a more tomato-based version of the Goan style which relies heavily on coconut milk, and was better for it. I had the lamb dopiaza, or lamb with two onions. Here onions go in the sauce and are fried later and added to the dish. It was an enjoyable if mild and slightly sweet curry, washed down with a paper-thin roomali roti.
A friend who couldn’t join us had a takeaway lamb vindaloo, which he enjoyed but thought a bit chewy and tomato heavy.
While ambiance and decor could do with a bit of attention, and the service, while competent, could be more forthcoming, the food was the best I’ve eaten at the Pearls complex.
Ratings
(out of five)
Food:
31/2
Service:
3
Ambience:
3