Decent Indian

Posted in: Forums > Food & Drink • 14 posts • Newest

• • calyx
    September 26, 2006
    12 posts
  • Is there anywhere, anywhere at all in Kunming, to get Indian food, besides at Makyeame ( the Tibetan restaurant)? I mean not just "curry" in the Chinese Western Cafe sense. Will be very grateful for insights into this pressing matter.

• • hedgepig
    September 28, 2006
    275 posts
  • haaahhhhh, yes... a pertinent question indeed.

    i just visited Kunming from Shanghai, and while i enjoyed some Makyeame, it doesn't quite scratch where it itches... and i reckon the lack of "decent indian" food puts a city pretty much into the "unliveable" category.

    at the airport my interest was piqued by the number of indians i saw... this made me wonder about trade/tourism between yunnan and india, indian expats living in kunming and the likelihood of an indian restaurant showing up in the spring city sometime soon... here's hoping...

• • Ahmet
    September 30, 2006
    83 posts
  • After searching for nine months, I haven't come up with anything resembling Indian food here in Kunming. I just returned from a week in Hong Kong where we wound up eating Indian three times. Before we left, I made trip to a wonderful indian restaurant supply store in the Wan Chai district and loaded up spices. It'll have have to be home cooking until a few more Indian expats settle here in Kunming before we get some some delicious, fragrant food. By the way, if you headed to Beijing, Asian Star in the Choayang District has outstanding Indian food!

• • piers
    October 25, 2006
    147 posts
  • There was an Indian guy looking to start a restaurant in Kunming last year. I guess it didn't work out.

    Is there really a large enough market in Kunming for an Indian? Would the locals go for it and, if not, is the foreign community large enough to sustain it?

    There have been a number of foreign restaurants that started in Kunming only to close down within a few months. Le Cri de Papillon flopped. Shanti Shanti was Indian-styled and didn't last. Might a new Indian suffer the same fate?

• • chris
    October 26, 2006
    144 posts
  • Check out http://www.gokunming.com/[...] about Al Medina, a Bangladeshi/Indian restaurant across from the airport. Starting next week they'll have an Indian chef who's been working in England. Hopefully it will be as good as it sounds.

• • GoodThings
    November 15, 2006
    1 post
  • Has anybody tried Al Medina ?

• • geteven
    November 16, 2006
    15 posts
  • I have some second-hand info on Al Medina from some very hungry friends who said that the food was decent but overpriced given the small portions, and that the menu was still way too limited. This was as of late October. I'd love an update from anyone who has gone more recently... what happened to that new chef?

• • piers
    November 24, 2006
    147 posts
  • It's a bit of an open secret that a plan is afoot to start a new Indian restaurant somewhere on Wenlin Jie. Thanks to gokunming we can do a little research into local tastes. There are literally hundreds of different Indian dishes and the planned opening menu might only have 30 of them. My question to the good folks of KM is:

    What item(s) are a MUST on an Indian menu?

• • hedgepig
    November 24, 2006
    275 posts
  • get some kebabs in there - chicken/lamb tikka being the starting point. curries, well, where do i begin... madras, kadai, tikka masala, vindaloo, jalfrezi, korma... oooh, indian veggie is real good - jeera aloo, mutter paneer, samosas, dal... get yourself some lijaat popaddums too - seriously interesting story behind the brand... beer: kingfisher? sauces: lime chutney, that green stuff i forgot the name of, mango chutney. resham soup is good stuff too. i reckon the secret to a good indian restaurant is that the curries do not end up all coming out looking the same. good luck piers

• • geteven
    November 25, 2006
    15 posts
  • that green (coriander/cilantro) chutney.
    channa masala, dhal: delicious and vegetarian, which is worth catering to since many travellers and expats are.
    don't leave out the breads either (i would kill for chapati
    luckily it seems like lamb and chicken are both readily available in kunming.
    take advantage of stuff that's available locally -- seasonal mango chutney, fresh mango lassi, do something with tamarind
    sweet spiced rice deserts
    spiced ice cream (cinnamon, coriander, generic "chai" flavor) -- maybe salvadors would sell it to you?

• • huoxin
    November 27, 2006
    3 posts
  • palak paneer, all kinds of dhaal, nan and different kinds of chapati, bread...
    mmmmm..cant wait :)
    all the best

• • piers
    November 30, 2006
    147 posts
  • Hedgepig, Even, Huoxin, many thanks. If anybody has any more suggestions please feel free to post.

    I checked out Al Medina a little while back with an Indian friend and we were a little disappointed. The menu was basic and most of the dishes were Chinese-style curry (ga li) not Indian flavourings.

    Sadly, we've been hit by delays in our plans. Don't expect anything until the New Year. No Christmas Curries I'm afraid!

• • Bernie
    February 24, 2007
    100 posts
  • INDIAN?
    I have just returned from Shanghai where, in a decent, genuine, Indian restaurant, the manager told of his interest in opening a restaurant in Kunming. Being a foreigner, he would need a Chinese investor for a joint venture. If you know of an interested party, please let me know.

• • piers
    March 1, 2007
    147 posts
  • Within the next fortnight, Indian food will be available at Chapter One. We are flying a chef in from India very soon and hope to have a vast array of curries available soon.

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