Rang Mahal

Rang Mahal set new heights in Indian haute cuisine when they started in 1971 in the now demolished Oberoi Imperial Hotel. This was the place that I had my first taste of fine Indian food in the late 80's and fell in love with. Occasion was the wedding of a pair of friends from different races, an indian guy and a chinese gal. The poolside was lined beautifully with oil lamps, together with the flowers, incense, costumes and excellent food, it was indeed magical.

Fast forward, we received an invitation to check out their newly done up restaurant by an award winning architect. We finally had the chance to when our guests picked Indian as their preferred dining choice. This new place is the epitome of what fine dining is all about. After being greeted at the door by a very professional manager, you are asked if you wish to wait at the very elegant lounge for some cocktails before your guests arrived. The passage leading to the dining area is flanked on the left with a water structure that provides an immediate calming effect. Lighting in the restaurant is soft and adequately lit, promising an intimate dining experience. Decor is superbly elegant, contemporary and stylish.

We were given an amuse bouche of pani puri before the starters. I had a Masala Chaas which is a slightly salty concoction of light yoghurt, coriander, ginger, cumin and chilli. I likened it to a cold soup served in a tall ceramic mug, finding its complexity pretty interesting but my partner turned up his nose (blame it on the wine). We had:

Starter:
Meat Sampler
Vegetable Sampler
Hot Stone Lamb Chop - fabulous, divine!

Mains (not too spicy in consideration of guests):
Nalli Goshtqorma (Lamb Shank)
Murgh Masala (Chicken Masala)
Methi Aamgam (Spinach)
Makai Dhingri (Baby Corn & Mushroom)

Dessert:
Coconut Ice Cream
Rasmallai

Accompanied by appam and an assortment of naans, all the dishes were scrumptious with a right balance in the spices used. Serving portion was big, sufficient for 6 persons.

Service was an odd mixture here. While good most of the the times, we noticeably counted 5 instances of bungling: (1) The airconditioning was too cold (2) The sommelier got our wine wrong; (3) The staff who took our orders rambled off in very heavy indian accent that nobody could understand; (4) Within 1 minute, 3 different service staff came to ask how we liked our food; and (5) The moment the dessert menu was placed, we were instantly asked for our selections - Now, wait a minute, we have not even looked at it yet!

Will definitely return to try the Chef's signature fusion dishes such as Tandoori Oyster, Fragrant Briyani with Truffle Oil, Blue-cheese Stuffed Breads, Bengali Fish Curry and the more spicy dishes. Price is right up there but if you could go in a group of 6, it is definitely more affordable.

For those of you blessed with the ability to speak Indonesian, you will know that "mahal" means "expensive", and by some happy coincidence, so is this place.

The decor is very elegant, I am not sure that I particularly liked it though. The staff were very attentive and quite keen, and smartly turned out.

We ordered a tandoori sampler, which consisted of a piece of chicken tikka, salmon tikka, a black pepper prawn and a lamb kebab of some sort. I was jolly glad we chose this as I had been tempted by the description of the lamb kebab, and nearly chose that instead. The thing was quite revolting, like a messy lamb burger made from very muttony meat - I like my lamb to have a milder flavour, it's supposed to be "lamb", not some ancient ram! The chicken was OK, nothing special, and my companion was similarly underwhelmed by his two aquatic offerings.

I nearly forgot to mention the amuse bouche, some sort of chickpea puree, but it was nearly forgettable.

Mains to follow, a chicken tikka masalah and a lamb curry dish that I had never heard of which was a mix of lamb mince and lamb chunks in a thick curry gravy, rather like a rogan josh. It too suffered from being too muttony, although the sauce itself was quite tasty, although a bit too mild. CTM, again, OK, but not a patch on Kinara on Boat Quay.

The breads were fairly good, we had one with Roquefort in the middle, which was the best tasting dish of the night.

Unlike previous reviewers, we found the service almost faultless, and the speed of delivery was spot on. By the time we left, the place was reasonably full and everyone appeared to be enjoying the same standard of service.

The beers were nice and cold, so that was good.

On balance, I left somewhat disappointed. I had been once before a few years back and thought it had been good, but there are much, much better Indian restaurants out there. And a sight less "mahal"!

Situated on the 3rd floor of the Pan Pacific Hotel, Rang Mahal is tucked away in a corner, hidden by the bright lights and colourful lamps of Summer House next door. The restaurant is warm and welcoming, packed full with the after office crowd on a mid-week night. As you are ushered to your table, you can't help but take in the sights and smells of creamy curries, freshly made naan and a variety of spices....

Despite the crowd and the many tables fighting for their attention, the staff were attentive and cheerful......... though I found the menu a little limited in selection, the food that came was amazing..

We ordered a couple appetizers to start, with the Banno Kabaab my favourite for the night.... the samosa's were ok, and the tandoori chicken yummy.... but what had me running for a second and third helping was the naan...hard to believe, but of all the food that was served, which included a host of curries and dal, the naan is what impressed me the most.... we ordered both the plain and herb and garlic naan, and they were both deeeelicious! they were light, fluffy, tasty and just... well, reeeally good.... you HAVE to try them if you go... really, they are to die for....