A taste of North India in the bay

[caption id="attachment_237433" align="aligncenter" width="630"] Namak Indian Cuisine’s pepper gobi is one of a kind[/caption]

When the recently opened Namak Indian Cuisine restaurant at the Boardwalk held a media dining evening, the Xhosa saying, ubushushu bukhutshwa ngobunye (heat is relieved with/by more heat), came into play.

Specialising in North Indian cuisine, this cosy new eatery offers a wide range of Indian dishes, accommodative of both meat lovers and vegetarian patrons.

While the restaurant brings an experience of the Indian kitchen to the heart of the Bay with dishes such as tadka dhal, biryani, onion bhajiya, lamb rogan josh, chilli chicken, chicken samoosas and many others, what you will not find anywhere else is its special pepper gobi (cauliflower), created by restaurant owner Ivan Govender.

“The pepper gobi was created by me while I was playing around in the kitchen because, as a chef, you get bored of eating and serving the same thing all the time. I came up with the pepper gobi and liked it,” Govender said.

Govender’s special pepper gobi ingredients include fresh celery, soya sauce, tomato sauce, black pepper, rice flour and chickpea flour to give the crunchiness.

“I created it as a starter and when I recommend it to patrons they are always surprised when I tell them it’s cauliflower after they’ve tasted it,” Govender said.

With samoosas being the traditional fare of most Indian eateries, Namak restaurant offers an oval(ish) shape which differs from the traditional triangular samoosa and identifies the different flavours with different colours.

The samoosas are offered in chicken, lamb, vegetable, and cheese and onion flavours.

The Boardwalk Namak Indian Cuisine, which officially opened in December, is the first branch of the chain in the Eastern Cape and the fourth in South Africa, with the three others in Gauteng.

Of the Gauteng branches, one is known as Namak while the second is Spiceburg and the third is known as Dosa Hut.

• Find Namak at the Boardwalk’s restaurants hub, next to News Cafe. Bookings are not essential. Contact the restaurant on 071-139-3989.