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2012-04-12
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I came here on a weekday knowing full well that it got pretty crowded. They told us there was a private party in the restaurant, but they sat us in a side room (you had to exit the building and go next door into what looked like what used to be a doctor's waiting room. The space was cramped, and it was easy to overhear the other tables (luckily no-one talks in English, so I'm unbothered by it). Still, it was nice of them to seat us somewhere rather than just telling us "Sorry, the whole restaura
One of the other reviewers said that the waitstaff was all Indian. I won't say that's racist necessarily... but it's certainly a little dense. There are lots of hints that the restaurant is owned and operated by Nepali. First, there are Nepalese dishes on the menu, and Nepalese beer. Second, there's a big mural of the Himalayas on the wall and the place is called "Shangri La Curry House". Third, there are awards on the wall from the Hong Kong Nepalese Society (or something like that). And finally, their facebook page says "Owned by Mr. Krishna Khadka, a Nepali resident in Hong Kong, Shangri La Curry House HK is a traditional Nepali/ Indian cuisine restaurant located in a New Territory of Yuen Long". So no, the waitstaff is not Indian, they're Nepali.
Moving on... here's what we had.
First, there were free poppadums that came with a white mint/ coriander chutney and some sort of pickle. I want to guess "pickled carrot" but I couldn't really tell. Anyway, I thought the poppadums were flavorful, if not as crunchy as I like; the chutney was very good; and the pickle was also pretty good... not nearly as sour as some Indian pickles one finds.
For an appetizer we ordered some samosas. They weren't very big, but that's a good thing-- I like having room for the rest of my food when the appetizer is done. The crust was crunchy and flaky but also chewy... perfectly done. The filling I thought was a little bland, but luckily I had all this great chutney on the table that I could drizzle over the samosa. I'd say... 7/10
We got two main dishes, a lamb saagwala and aloo gobi. Saagwala (also called 'saag') is a Punjabi specialty, which is sometimes too bitter for me (when its made with mustard greens, for instance), but can also be creamy and delicious. This time I thought it was pretty plain. The lamb had been cooked in a tandoor and this imparted a very 'smoky' flavor to the dish that sort of overpowered whatever other subtler flavors it might have had. I didn't hate it, but I wouldn't have it again. 5/10
The aloo gobi was a real treat. In the past, I think every aloo gobi I've had has been 'dry'-- not a lot of sauce or no sauce at all. This was more of a curry aloo gobi, with a spicy gravy and lots of crunchy minced veggies (scallions and that sort). It had a nice level of spice (we asked for "very spicy"), a tasty sauce, and a nice texture (firm potatoes and cauliflower, crunchy smaller bits, and a silky sauce). I was a fan. 9/10
We had naan and rice too. The naan was denser than I'm used to... it was more like the scallion pastries you get at the bakeries around here. It wasn't bad, but it also wasn't good at a sopping up the sauce. Maybe 5/10. The rice was better. Plenty of peas, which I'm big on. 7/10.
In summary, I thought the food was good but not great. Maybe I ordered the wrong things. I'm definitely going to go back here because so many people have recommended it to me and it has such great reviews. I think you can get better Indian in TST, but if Yuen Long is closer to you (or you live there) this place is pretty good. 7/10
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I gave low scores to "environment" and "service" at this place because they stuck me in the "dentist's office room" and there often weren't servers around to help us. I feel it's necessary to give low scores to be honest, but I should tell you that it's likely that your trip will be much better.
(The above review is the personal opinion of a user which does not represent OpenRice's point of view.)
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