Kathmandu:

Spices, The Restro Bar is on the corner of the road turning into UN lane in Patan. Here are offices and banks and NGOs, who all patronise the glass walled Spices that was named differently until recently. As you pass you can look into the restaurant, but what you can’t see is a basement pub and an upper storey dining area.

“I got the idea of a place to hang out while in Bangalore where I had been studying Human Resources. When I came here, a few friends and I started this together. But now I am doing it on my own. We have parties, and lunch times are truly busy,” said Raj K Gupta, the owner of Spices.

The menu at Spices has fast foods ranging from momos and pizzas to special executive lunches. “The Nepal Investment Bank has contracted us to serve them lunches”, said Gupta.

But the secret of Spices is an Indian menu that has some high points that will have you coming back for more. Like the Chicken Butter Masala, which is basically a tandoori chicken (“The king of kebabs,” according to Indian food writer Jiggs Kalra) in a rich butter and tomato gravy with dollops of cream. Smooth and full of the tastes of spices ranging form cumin (jeera) to ginger and coriander. In Spices, a little fenugreek (methi) adds a ripple of unusual flavour.

According to food writer Madhur Jaffrey, the gravy comprising single cream and unsalted butter should be made at the very last minute, and the butter should be added slowly

or it tends to separate.

Chef Raghu Nath Thapa had clearly heeded the advice and the result was delectable.

The Chicken Butter Masala is Raj’s favourite. Mine was the Shahi Korma, which was a white delicacy true to Camellia Punjabi, the writer’s vision of a White Korma for white themed evenings at the Taj in Agra.

All Kormas contain yoghurt or cream, or both. At Spices, there is a whipped cottage cheese that gives the dish depth and body. The taste and aroma are gentle — a hint of onion, some garlic, ginger, cloves and mild spices.

“Remember, Spices is new since I took over, and my vision isn’t youngsters, but families and executives. In a sense, we’ve turned down the music and turned up the food quality”, said Gupta.

The Aloo Jeera or diced potatoes with cumin is from Gujarat, India where it’s called Batata Nu Shaak (which is Parsi). According to Jaffrey, “This exceedingly simple dish takes just about 15 minutes to cook and is adored by everyone in our household. It may be served with most Indian meals — at picnics, it goes particularly well with breads, pickles and relishes.”

“At the moment what goes well is our fast foods like momos, pizzas, noodles, fried rice, but

we are working on making our Indian menu popular”, said Gupta.

Even the Dal Makhani, which is reddish and robust, is scrumptious with the soft naan. Spices gives the lentils with cream and butter a whole new meaning. Writer Kalra says, “The Dal Makhani for reasons unknown always tastes best after a day in the refrigerator, however, don’t splurge — the black lentil can cause quite a rumble.”

We risked the rumble and carried away Spices’s tastes with my friend and colleague Rajan Maharjan saying, “I remember the parties I used to come to here — they were always great.” Stick to the dishes we recommended here, and call 9841227750.