Rang Mahal Indian Restaurant In Bangkok, Thailand

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Rang Mahal Indian Restaurant In Bangkok, Thailand

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You might not put Indian food high on your list of priorities when taking time out to sample the culinary delights of Bangkok, but one taste of any of the stunning array of curries on offer at the Rembrandt Hotel's Rang Mahal Indian Restaurant (Sukhumvit, Soi 18) would most probably make you want to throw your priority list out of the window.

The Rang Mahal takes its name from the traditional pleasure house frequented by the Maharajas when they needed time to relax from royal worries and enjoy good food, wine and music. True to its name, the Rang Mahal provides all of these in ample proportions. Located on the hotel's 26th floor, it offers panoramic views of the city and was designed in traditional Indian style with comfortable lounge seats and high back chairs, marvelous drapes and intricate wood carvings imported from the sub-continent. The restaurant plays host to many a western businessman including the local "curry club" who eat there once a month, members of Bangkok's high class Indian community and locals with a more adventurous taste in food.

With chefs and musicians flown in from India you have the perfect setting for enjoying one of my favorite styles of food -- the curry. The simple curry at Rang Mahal comes in so many different flavors, textures and colors that, although most dishes will carry some of the same spices combined in different proportions, the chefs at the Rang Mahal turn this simple dish into something much more majestic. 

We whet our appetites on imported Kingfisher beer and poppadums and sat back to enjoy the talents of Mr. D.C. Sharma & Party performing traditional Indian music while we waited for our appetizers -- King prawns, mildly flavored and Murgh Malai Kebab, chunks of chicken with cheese, both grilled in a Tandoori oven.

I had never eaten a curry-flavored dish with cheese before, but so enjoyed the chicken I will certainly be ordering more cheese dishes in Indian restaurants in the future. However, the real star of the show for our first course was the Tandoori King prawns that were lightly spiced, tangy with lemon and just delicious.

For our main course, we ordered a selection of five curry dishes, Murgh Makhanwala, more succulent chicken chunks, although this time cooked in fenugreek and tomato sauce. We also ordered Bhuna Gosht, lean chunks of mutton roasted with dry Indian spices, Bhindi Do Piaza, lady's fingers (okra) fried with onion slices, Palak Aap Ki Pas and, spinach with mushrooms, and the finest Dal I have ever tasted. Our curries were accompanied by saffron rice, Tandoori bread and a hearty bottle of Brouilly 1993 chosen from the extensive international wine list to help with the consumption of this meal.

In fact, it turned out that we needed more than the wine to help us as neither of us could finish any of the dishes presented to us. Although they were all delicious, the portions of each were too large.

Apart from the dishes I have mentioned, Chef de Cuisine Rajan Mishra and Tandoori Chef Gopalla Pillai prepare a tantalizing mix of Northern Indian food from the cuisines of Mughlai to Nawabi and the fiery frontier specialties as well as a wide range of vegetarian food. The Rang Mahal is open every day for lunch from 1130-1430 and from 1830-2230. But with a capacity of only 125, including three private rooms, it is advisable to make reservations. Whatever time you go, just one visit to the Rang Mahal restaurant will have you writing a new priority list for your dining experiences during every visit to Bangkok.

See http://bangkokdining.ning.com/profiles/blog/list for info on restaurants in Bangkok and someother locations in Thailand as well.