Avinash Mohan and Deepak Sarath (of Mantraa restaurant in Dublin 2) took over the Indian Brasserie in Rathfarnham Village in 2010 and, judging by the perennially full restaurant, local diners are very happy with the new management.
The ‘new’ Indian Brasserie pays homage to the South Indian cuisine of Kerala, as this is chef Avinash Mohan’s homeland. But you will also find dishes from the pink city of Jaipur, from tranquil Kashmir and even from the hills of Nepal on the menu.
The restaurant is warmly fitted out in beige, brown and gold tones with plenty of natural light flooding in to the dining room. And you are sure to be welcomed with warmth and professionalism by Deepak Sarath and his team.
Once seated, diners are treated to a small glass of homemade lassi; perhaps infused with mint, ginger and subtle Indian spices it makes a wonderful introduction to the excellent meal to come.
In the South Indian Ayuvedic tradition, food is valued for its vital therapeutic values rather than simply as fuel for the body and this ethos shines through the food at Indian Brasserie, where every element of the meal is treated with respect and care.
This Dublin Restaurants menu is appealingly concise, broken up into 10 starters (featuring popular street food of India), 10 mains, 6 vegetarian dishes and a selection of accompaniments.
You will be hard pushed to choose between equally tempting starters such as succulent Bhukhara Chicken Tikka (boneless leg chicken kebab, double-marinated and cooked in the tandoor, served with mint chutney, chat masala and yoghurt, about €8).
Delicately spiced Lamb Gilafi Kebab (rolls of skewered lamb kebabs, spiced and coated with onions and peppers, about €9); Squid Churmura (crispy squid marinated in sea salt, laal mirch, lemon and freshly ground black pepper, about €9) and the Tandoori Sunehara Jhinga (marinated jumbo prawns, freshly-ground spices, mint and lemon, €11.95).
Whatever you opt for is sure to please - elegantly presented and perfectly cooked, with layers of sumptuous flavour.
To follow, you might try a South Indian dish of Kerala Pepper Chicken (tandoor grilled chicken, roasted coconuts, tempered with mustards, curry leaves and laal mirch, finished with fresh coarsely ground black pepper, about €15) and a lamb dish of Koh-E-Awadh (tender meat infused with cloves, pyaz, bayleaf, almonds and cream enriched with cardamom and fenugreek, about €17).
Not overly creamy, both will be perfectly spiced and good enough to suggest a return visit to taste other treats including the tempting Aad Chettinadu specialty from Tamil Nadu (lamb cooked with roasted fresh coconut and 12 aromatic spices, tempered with curry leaves and mustard seeds, about €17).
Beef varathathu (tender strips of beef, deep fried in a flour-coated base, peppers and onions, crushed black pepper in a chatpata sauce, about €18; and one of a range of appealing vegetarian dishes, Pindi Chana Masala (Punjabi home-style chick peas, tomato and onion flavoured with dry mango and cumin, about €10) among the many other delectable sounding dishes.
As is often the case in Indian restaurants, the desserts tend to be western favourites, but the savoury food is good enough to make up for any weakness in the sweet section. There is a short but well priced wine list with bottled of house wine starting at €18.50.
Indian Brasserie offers excellent value for food and service of this calibre and, in addition to the à la carte, there’s a generous Early Bird menu.
Seats 70; D daily 5-11pm. Early bird D €1650, 5-7.30pm. Set D €35; also à la carte. House wine €14.50. fully wheelchair accessible; children welcome (high chair, children's menu). Closed Good Fri, 25-26 Dec. Amex, MasterCard, Visa.
