Khana Khazana in Wan Chai serves up authentic, expertly done Indian vegetarian dishes

KHANA KHAZANA
1/F, Dannies House, 20 Luard Road, Wan Chai, 2520 5308

FARE Indian vegetarian.

AMBIENCE In the heart of Wan Chai, the restaurant is spacious with well-spaced tables and comfortable seating.

COST About HK$630 for two (à la carte), and a lunch buffet at HK$99 per head.

WHO TO BRING Weekday lunch buffets are packed with business executives from nearby offices. But dinner and weekends are filled with family and friends.

TURN-ONS A good Indian vegetarian restaurant. We went for south Indian starters paper plain dosa (HK$78), medu vada (HK$62) and dahi wada (HK$54). The dosa or crêpe made from rice flour was crispy and wafer thin and went well with the coconut sauce and sambhar, a watery spicy lentil. The dahi wada, or fried dumplings in thick yoghurt, was refreshing and tasty and the yoghurt was a good balance of sweet and sour. The dal Punjabi (HK$72) was rich and creamy and the yellow lentil was perfectly cooked. Mutter paneer (HK$82), or cottage cheese in chick peas, was tasty and went well with Hyderabadi pulao (HK$68), or rice mixed in vegetables and cashew nuts. The lachhedar paratha (HK$30), or Indian bread cooked in butter, was crispy and dissolved in the mouth as it was expertly prepared. According to the restaurant manager, the chef is from Kerala, a southernmost state in India, hence the sambhars and chutney tasted authentic. The service was excellent and the staff took the initiative to suggest dishes.

TURN-OFFS We missed the lunch buffet as we visited on a Saturday and they are from Mondays to Fridays only.

DRINKS Try the excellent masala chai or tea, plus there is a range of Indian and foreign beers.