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The Korma restaurant is situated close to the popular Indian Club in Manama and lies in a competitive catchment area featuring some of the neighbourhood’s favourite dining haunts.
The venue is sandwiched between two culinary options, a South Indian vegetarian haven on one side and a home-away-from-home kitchen on the other.
Korma stands proud in the centre with its mysterious shades and oriental lamps offering a sneak preview of what it has to offer inside. The restaurant features Indian and Chinese delicacies in the backdrop of a traditional Indian nobleman’s mansion.
On entering, the open kitchen comes into sharp focus and the delicious aroma wafting through the air is clear evidence of the culinary excellence awaiting diners.
The restaurant has both upstairs and downstairs seating and can accommodate up to 115 customers. One of the endearing features of Korma is its background music – hit tracks from Bollywood’s golden years and, for a fan of the industry, this helps compliment the many authentic Indian delicacies on offer.
The Chinese section also offers a wide variety of options to choose from.
Head Chef Chotey Khan explains that the dishes are sometimes altered to suit local tastes, especially for those diners who prefer a little less spice. He said: “Some of our most popular dishes are those that have a white gravy or cashew sauce base which is a less spicy alternative.”
Chef Chotey, 37, moved to the island from Saudi Arabia in 2007 to open Korma’s kitchen. Hailing from Uttaranchal in India, he has been in the hospitality industry for 25 years. He worked for several leading hospitality companies in various Indian metros before moving to the region. At Korma, he is assisted by a team of seven chefs.
The prices of the dishes on the menu are also worth noting for good value. For example, the restaurant offers a special ‘Maharaja thali’, a non-vegetarian choice and a ‘Maharana thali’ – a vegetarian platter featuring an assortment of curries, one sweet dish, salad, rice and bread. The platters are priced at BD1.7 and BD1.4 respectively.
For Eid, the restaurant will offer a set menu featuring two types of curries, sweets, starter or soup, salad, rice and bread for BD7.2 for two people.
Here Chef Chotey shares one of his favourite recipes with GulfWeekly readers.
