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The Weekly Eater

By Nadine Kam

Thursday, April 13, 2000

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India House
reincarnates to
former self

DO you believe in reincarnation? Ram Arora vowed when India House closed its doors about 16 months ago that he would be back. The promise seemed to fade with each passing month as Indian food lovers began to accept another void in the culinary landscape.

Zaffron provided some compensation, and just about a month ago, I was glad to have found Maharani in Moiliili, the same neighborhood that was home to India House for 18 years.

Well, Arora kept his word. Retirement was out of the question after all. His customers simply called him at home to request his catering when they had cravings for Indian food. "They would scold me for closing," he chuckles. "I cannot refuse them."

India House

Food 1/2
Atmosphere
Service
Value 1/2

Address: 2633 S. King St.
Hours: 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., and 5 to 9:30 p.m. daily
Prices: Dinner for two about $30 to $45
Call: 955-7552

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Although he had envisioned opening a restaurant in Waikiki, the playful fates kept him going in circles until he ended up just across the street from where he started.

Now it's as if the restaurant had never been closed. The phone company even gave him his old number so patrons on the mainland and India have been calling to make reservations in May and June. They have no idea anything has changed.

There's a sense of deja vu as one sees art work from India House's past life, and the menus on Day 1 looked a good 5- to 6-years-old. And because they're the old menus, prices are also unchanged.

Here, I tend to skip the appetizers entirely to get to the savory curries, so thick, aromatic and intensely flavored they seem to be the result of hours of labor. India House is definitely not a place for timid palates. When Arora turns up the heat on his curries, they can be scorching.

Chicken Vindaloo ($10.75) is cooked with large chunks of potatoes in a creamy, slightly tangy tomato and yogurt sauce. This dish can also be prepared with lamb, which abounds here in the form of Curry ($9.95); Boti Kabobs ($8.95) served on skewers with onion, bell pepper and tomato; and a stew of pureed spinach ($10.95).

So skilled is Arora's hand at blending his spices that no one flavor dominates his masalas, although every now and then a bit of cardamom or anise makes its presence known above the strong requisite spices of cumin and coriander.

The Naan ($2.50) bread is great for soaking up every last bit of sauce, and I would have been content to do just that and spare some poor lamb or chicken.

While most of the menu is served a la carte, house specialties and combinations include Pullao ($3.75), riced cooked with herbs, spices, vegetables and a tiny dice of potatoes.

For a diverse sampling, the Maharaja Dinner ($21.50) features the Lamb Curry, Fish Tikka ($9.50 a la carte) and Tandoori Chicken ($8.95 a la carte), marinated in yogurt and spices. Of the three, I enjoyed the curry most. The chicken was drier than usual.

I've never cared much for sugar-saturated Indian desserts. However, if Arora were to offer Indian ice cream ...

Eat and do good

Kincaid's is inviting the public to make a $5 donation to Maili Elementary through April 23, and receive a $10 certificate to use at the restaurant through June 30, 2000.

Funds raised will assist with the purchase of a campus air-conditioning system, estimated at $4.6 million. Call 591-2005.

See a listing of past restaurants reviewed in the


section online. Click the logo to go!

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Nadine Kam's restaurant reviews run on Thursdays. Reviews are conducted anonymously and paid for by the Star-Bulletin. Star ratings are based on comparisons of similar restaurants:

-- excellent;
-- very good, exceeds expectations;
-- average;
-- below average.

To recommend a restaurant, write: The Weekly Eater, P.O. Box 3080, Honolulu, Hawaii 96802. Or send e-mail to features@starbulletin.com