With the nip in the air, the season is just right to relish a bowlful of greasy butter chicken or piping hot tandoori tikkas. Northern Spice, a new restaurant in Gurgaon, opens just in time to offer some interesting Indian and Pakistani dishes laden with warm spices, best suited for this weather. Set up by the owners of Oz, a popular Mediterranean restaurant in MGF Mega City Mall, their new venture Northern Spice is located at Central Plaza Mall and serves North Indian fare. “Gurgaon is dotted with restaurants serving international cuisines. I wanted to offer flavours from closer home,” says owner Daman Sodhi. The interiors at Northern Spice are a mix of contemporary furnishing paired with traditional Indian motifs. A collage of beautifully carved tiles is buttoned across the walls, adding elegance to the setup and tall wooden lamps add a distinct glow. The restaurant also boasts of a neatly furbished lounge area, which will soon serve a variety of single malts paired with tikkas, once the liquor license comes in. Must TryThe restaurant claims to hold fort in kebabs, and they serve them char grilled with smoky flavours. Our order of Lal Surkh Tangri (Rs 345) served four spicy chicken drumsticks laden with a distinct smoky aroma. Dohre Kebab (Rs 375) is a delicious starter with chicken mince wrapped in mutton seekh. Among the soups, you can try Dahi ka Shorba (Rs 175), a delicious broth of beaten yogurt tempered with cumin seeds and green chillies. The restaurant’s tall claim of serving exquisite Pakistani dishes falters a bit. There are a few pointers to Pakistani recipes with Balti Chicken (Rs 375) and Dal Gosht (Rs 395) in the menu, but both these items are common offerings at most Indian restaurants. At Northern Spice, Balti Chicken is a lot like kadhai chicken, but sumptuous, nevertheless. Dal Gosht excels with tender pieces of mutton in thick lentil gravy. Among entrees Mughul Khopra (Rs 375), cooked in spicy Kari gravy and creamed coconut, is interestingly different. Low on spice, the dish was a refreshing shift from the regular tomato-onion curries. Among vegetarian dishes, Paneer Tikka Lababdar (Rs 325) is exceptionally well done. Dal Makhanwali (Rs 275), with a tender aroma of charcoal fire, is lip-smacking. The restaurant also serves a variety of biryanis with Dum Gosht Hyderabadi (Rs 365), Dum Murg Luckhnowi (Rs 365) and Peshwari Biryani (Rs 325).Give a MissThe Boti Kebab (Rs 375) turns out to be a bit chewy and fails to offer any distinct flavours.
