Theater

Thursday, Dec. 13, 07

Chow

Delicious by Any Name

Ishq’s exotic Indian cuisine showcases culinary passion 

By Mark Goldberg

Can’t decide what to eat? Order the Indian assortment.

I love it when my spellchecker goes crazy. Extreme hyperactivity from my computerized sidekick means I’ve just experienced something new or long overdue. Often it’s an adventure in dining. You should see all the red squiggles beneath such words as dosa, goan, masala chaap, pakoras and kashmili. Here’s another: Ishq. It means passionate love. It’s also the name of the new Indian restaurant on Ocean Drive.

“That’s what we have for our food, a passionate love,” explains Executive Chef Kavita Kamlani, who co-owns Ishq along with her husband, Sham. Kamlani has no formal training in Indian food, except what she learned in the family kitchen. However, since she does have a degree from the French Culinary Institute, you won’t be surprised to discover the food is quite good. Much of it is traditional, but occasionally you’ll find a dish on the very busy menu that’s been spun just a bit.

For the most part, Ishq is an outdoors, dine-on-the-terrace restaurant, protected from the elements by giant white umbrellas and cooled by fans. Inside, there is an ornate, marble family table for 14 that looks in on a glass-enclosed kitchen with two tandoor ovens. More on those in a bit.

The evening was cool and breezy, so both the umbrellas and the fans were put aside. Our gregarious waiter — his name was Goldberg, how could he be anything but terrific? — hustled to our table and explained each of the 15 appetizers. We began with samosas ($5.95), which in this part of the world we call empanadas. These crisp and flaky puff pastries actually are a typical deep-fried Indian dish. Ours were stuffed with a blend of potatoes, carrots and onions. Another samosa is available with crab and baby corn for $8.95. Indian bread is called naan ($3.95). And whether you order it naked, or stuffed with garlic, cheese or even whole wheat, it’s exceptional, partly because it’s been baked in that tandoor oven at temperatures between 800 and 1,000 degrees. No wonder the bread bakes in a minute and a half. We also ordered the special dosa, a variety of breads made from rice flour; some stuffed with potatoes, onions and peanuts, others stuffed with ground turkey, served with assorted chutney dipping relishes. The chutneys ran from a very spicy chili with cilantro to a cooling mango. The Ishq Turkey Crêpe ($8.95) combines Kamlani’s French training, in the form of a delicate French crêpe, with her heritage of a highly spiced turkey stuffing, seasoned with cumin, coriander and garam masala (a blend of ground spices common in Indian cuisine, which literally means “hot”). The only appetizer that disappointed was the pakoras ($6.95), or artichoke fritters. A mix of corn, onions, ginger, garlic and turmeric, along with the artichoke hearts, breaded with bran flour, the fritters should have been vibrant. Unfortunately, they were flat and greasy. We didn’t taste artichoke or corn. All we tasted was oil.

But the Goan Snapper ($22.95) was beyond excellent. OK, goan means from the area of Goa in western India, noted for its spices. The snapper fillet was dusted with turmeric and poached in a spicy-yet-cooling coconut curry that kept the fish moist and flavorful. Bombay Baby Back Ribs ($23.95) were rubbed with a blend of masala Indian spices, then slow-cooked for three hours and dressed with tamarind barbecue sauce. The accompanying potato wedges are worth a mention; dredged, pressed and refried, they were crispy and delicious. The Masala Chaap ($22.95) was a very tender lamb chop, made so by a yogurt and ginger marinade, before it was braised in the tandoor oven. The Tandoor Plate ($24.95) is a great sampler of all the tandoori dishes, from tikka (small pieces of chicken) to jhinga (large prawns) to boti kebab (marinated lamb). Every piece was moist and tender, glowing with a redness that comes from the kashmili chili rub and the heat from Serrano peppers.

Don’t think of Kheer ($6.25) as rice pudding. It’s a delicious rice dessert, milkier than we’re used to, with a hit of Grand Marnier. The Chocolate Crêpes ($7.25) were light, as was their chocolate mousse center. Mango Pot du Crème ($6.95) was thick and rich.

Take a walk past Ishq some evening and let the unique aromas lure you in. Then go home and challenge your spellchecker. 

Comments? Email letters@miamisunpost.com.