Refined Indian
dining in the traditional style from a family of chefs
The Qureshi name comes with some heft in Indian culinary
circles. The patriach Imtiaz Qureshi is
credited with reviving the traditional Dum Pukht cooking style associated with
the Nawabs of Avadh, a region in northen India. He is closely identified with
his signature restaurant in a 5-star hotel in India, and has cooked for royalty
and VIPs. His two sons Ashfaque and Irfan Qureshi have continued the family tradition.
The Qureshis have restaurants in India and the Middle East.
In July 2014, the first Qureshi restaurant in KL opened in the
Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club (KLGCC).
The KLGCC is an expansive place of rolling golf greens,
spacious, low-rise buildings with an embarrasment of marble cladding, and a car
park cluttered with expensive automobiles.
The Qureshi restaurant is located in the quiet East Wing with an outdoor
terrace overlooking the golf course.
Within, the ambiance is one of quiet and luxurious elegance.
About a dozen well-spaced tables with white tablecloths, dark upholstered
chairs with pale gold bands occupy the main space, with a couple of private
rooms at the corners. A crystal chandelier,
set in a shallow recessed gold dome in the ceiling, fresh flowers, a thick patterned
carpet in matching shades of brown and smartly attired waiters contribute to an
air of regal exclusivity.
The menu is quite extensive, featuring a selection of primarily
North Indian food with a smattering of other Indian regional cuisines.
To start off with, the Seafood Pakora (Rm45) was served neatly
stacked, small bite size portions of shrimps, calamari rings and mussels in
batter and deep fried. The Pakoras were
light and not at all oily, the batter adding a crunchy, piquant touch to the
fresh seafood.
The arrival of the breads and an assortment of curries
heralded the start of of some serious eating. The naans, served hot from the
tandoor, had an oily sheen to them. The
mushroom naan (Rm12) stood out for its refined texture and smooth subtle
flavour.
The curries were served in traditional clay or metal handis,
making for a colourful array of colours, from pale yellow to various shades of
red. Taste wise, they were similarly
varied, with the lightest being the pale-coloured Prawn Curry (Rm45), with a
surprising sweetness, and a delicate flavour not usually associated with Indian
cooking – and no wonder, since lemon-grass, lime and coconut milk contributed
to the dominant flavours.
The Goan Fish Curry (RM35) from India’s sunny south-western
coast, featured chunks of white fish in a thick bright red curry that looked
intimidating, but turned out to be quite benign, mellow and satisfying with
overtones of sourness and sweetness – a quite refreshing accompaniment to the
naan.
By way of contrast, the recommended Butter Chicken (Rm35)
was also a bright red paste, streaked with cream. Rather than being buttery, the curry was
rather creamy with undertones of tomato paste, overlaid with a subtle smoky
flavour, with pieces of boneless chicken.
The tempo picked up somewhat with the Mirch Baigan ka Salan
(Rm26), a brinjal and chili curry that had a grainy texture from ground nuts and
the hint of spiciness tickling the tip of the tongue. It was richly nuanced
with spices, less rounded in taste than the meat curries, with brinjal pieces
and fiery titbits of dark chili.
The last of the curries, the Dal Qureshi (Rm28) was a
traditional North Indian preparation of black dhal which had been cooked into a
dark mixture. It was thick and
unforgivingly rich to the point of being stodgy. The tomato paste notwithstanding, it wasn’t
as flavourful as the other curries and its heaviness rendered it the least
favoured of our curries that evening.
The highlight of the dining experience belonged to the
briyanis, which had been cooked in the traditional Dum Pukht style, which
involves sealing the rice and meat with a layer of dough and allowing it to
roast slowly so that the moisture is locked into the dish. There was still a rim of dough around the
handi when the steaming hot rice was brought to the table. These were the Dum Lucknawi Biryani (Rm45)
and the Murgh Bombay Bohri Biryani (Rm40), being lamb and chicken respectively,
both redolent with the rich fragrance of spices which had been allowed to seep
slowly into the body of the dish.
The briyani rice grains were long and slender, resembling
shortened noodles rather than rice, and imbued with a rich golden colour. The meat, cooked to fall-off-the-bone
tenderness was buried within the rice.
The briyanis tasted magnificent, complex flavours and hues from spices
and meat oozing from every mouthful. The
lamb briyani had a fuller flavour than the chicken briyani, as expected. Both
meats were moist and beautifully tender, with richly appetising chicken chunks
and no hint of gaminess from the lamb.
Both the dishes had a balanced, refined taste, with none of the
greasiness you sometimes find in lesser preparations of Dum Briyani.
We finished off the meal with two desserts. The warm carrot
halwa with pistachio kulfi (Rm15) was presented as two slabs of creamy iced
kulfi, a stub of halwa and strawberry halves.
The carrot halwa-kulfi combination was beautifully balanced, neither
being too sweet or rich, a suitably mellow ending with nutty highlights from
grated pistachio.
The classic Rasmalai (Rm20) was sweet with almonds, spongy
and milky, but somewhat eclipsed by the carrot halwa.
Qureshi is a welcome addition to the dining scene. The
understated yet luxurious ambiance within the rolling grounds of the KLGCC
provide a relaxed and worthy setting for the food. Solicitous service and
refined Indian cuisine make this a worthy destination for a quiet and intimate
evening out with friends or business associates who appreciate fine food when
they encounter it.
Qureshi
Restaurant
Ground
Floor, East Wing, Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club, Kuala Lumpur.
Opening
Hours: 12-3pm, 7-11.30pm daily.
Closed on
Mondays.
Tel:
03-20111007
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