Agra – Reviewed

by Anuki Premachandra

A trip to the Taj Mahal!

Agra is one of the best North Indian restaurants in Colombo. The prices are little escalated in comparison to most other places, but in our opinion, the food is a 100% worth the prices. It’s a beautifully decorated restaurant hidden behind the Colombo Racecourse and is on Independence Avenue.

The Manchester bar is right behind Agra, so it’s pretty hard to miss the place. Agra is definitely as Indian as it gets and is one of those places you’d want to go to – to celebrate a special occasion or take your partner on a special date – because it really adds something worthwhile to your dining experience.

Ambience

This dimly lit adventure into a Taj-Mahal inspired dining area really puts them on a pedestal.  The doors as you enter, are massive and have intricate metal carvings on them. You are greeted with a cheerful host dressed to grace their culture. The dining space is what I liked the most. The two far end aisles have super comfy sofas, but they are nothing less of royalty. There are white marble carvings, bejeweled cushion covers and three talented instrumentalists playing some soothing tunes on traditional Indian music instruments. You are nothing short of a trip to Bharat.

They offer a pretty good service. It’s best to ask the waiters what the star dishes are because they really guide you through what they have and pick what best suits your interests.

Food and Drinks

Appetizers: Chessi Tikki – Rs.  675

This was solely upon the recommendation of the waiter, and we loved every bite of these cheese balls. They were cheese cutlets – cheesy mini kievs rather – stuffed with paneer and other gooey types of cheese. The cutlets were super crispy, they were fried to a golden brown and the cheese was melted just enough to be the right texture of stringy. The cutlets were accompanied with some good but slightly dry coleslaw. The dish is more than enough for 2 people and one worth recommending and trying.

Mains: Chicken Kadai – Rs. 975, Khumb Mattar Masala – Rs.975, Cheese Garlic Naan – Rs.400, Subzhydrabadi biriyani – Rs. 775

Let’s start off with our favourite, the Chicken Kadai. The menu card said that this was definitely one for spicy lovers and we completely agree. In my opinion, this is a dish for someone who can’t make a choice between chicken tikka masala and butter chicken which is a decision that lovers of both the mentioned dishes are faced with constantly. This dish felt like the both of them had a flavor-filled baby and decided to name it Chicken Kadai. The thick curry was amazing on its own. The meat was succulent and the spices had drowned themselves all the way up to the bone of the meat. It did have a little more of tomatoes and onions than we would have liked it to have, but it contributed to the flavor and we’re happy it did.

Next we tried the Khumb Mattat Masala. This was a button mushroom curry with green peas and roasted spice. The curry was extremely good and as a fan of button mushroom, this was a perfect take on a perfect dish. See, if button mushrooms are boiled too much it gets too sloppy and if it’s not boiled just enough, it’s too hard. These mushrooms were boiled just right and marinated in some good roasted spices.

The cheese garlic naan really lived up to everything we’ve heard about it. It was some good flatbread stuffed with gooey cheese and brushed with garlic on top. At Rs.400, it is too expensive for a piece of flatbread, but once in a while, it’s okay to satisfy your gastronomical pleasures with some overpriced naan. Whatever said, the naan did taste really yummy and had a nice char taste to it you want your roti to have. This is the kind of naan you’d expect your arranged marriage wife (or you know… just your wife :P) to make for you.

The Subzydrebadi Biriyani was a vegetable biryani in yogurt and herbs. Usually, I would be very much against ordering vegetable rice or noodle dishes but I’m glad we opted for this one. Unlike usual vegetable rice dishes, this one was loaded on the veggies. There were florets of cauliflower and chickpeas folded into some super creamy rice. With our choice of curries, this rice worked so well overall.

Dessert: Kulfi – Rs.  575 and Khesari Kulfi – Rs. 900

The kulfi was pretty good. If you didn’t know, Kulfi is an equal to homemade ice-cream. An Indian classic, it was super milky loaded with whatever herbs and nuts in it. It wasn’t anything out of the ordinary, but it was a good catch.

Now the Khesari Kulfi did taste amazing but we felt like it was such a waste of our money. The only difference between this and traditional kulfi was the fact that this was saffron kulfi. It tasted so much better than the normal kulfi, but the escalation of price was not worth it at all.

Have you tried Agra yet? Let us know what you think in the comments below! Is there anything we’ve missed?

Tip: Don’t opt for the Saffron Kulfi.