Named after a spectacular diamond found over 5,000 years ago, Kohinoor represents both Indian and Pakistani culinary traditions.
Popular with those on the hunt for authentic south Asian cuisine here, Kohinoor’s à la carte restaurant on Wesselényi utca’s perhaps the better known. It’s a vibrant gasto hub – frequented by Hungarian and Indian film stars, no less – where focus is on the combining of the eclectic meat dishes of Pakistan and the colorful, vegetable dishes of India.
Now, though, the Kohinoor brand’s made its way into the shopper’s delight, Westend Mall. Good news, if you’re looking for something a bit more interesting than a slice of pizza to re-fuel with on your retail mission, and to add a bit of spice to your snacking. It may not seem like a food court eatery would bode well in the culinary flair stakes, but its proud Indian chef prepares dishes with the same care and finesse as the guys over at the restaurant, with the selection obviously being smaller. There are dishes familiar to Indian food fans, such as the succulent spinach of Saag Paneer and the tang of Chicken Tikka, as well as introductions to the spices of Pakistan. Try Faisalabad’s Dahi Barey, a yogurt and chickpea appetizer; or Haleem Khass, a lentil and minced-beef stew, slow-cooked for hours. It’s also particularly veggie-friendly. During our visit, I went for a chick pea curry served with Gobi (a warm cabbage salad with tomato and Indian spices) and potato bulija (potato with Indian spices). My meat-eating other half went for the classic, chicken tikka masala, with rice and a garlic naan. The naan, by the way, was stand-out, served in the carefully put together shape of a tulip. McDonald’s this is not. We chose fresh mango chutney to accompany both, and a ginger drink with honey lemon and fresh ginger.
OK, so it wasn’t the most luxurious environment, but we were on the go, service was super-friendly, the selection was wide and the food was pretty much of the standard I’d have expected from a sit down restaurant. I won’t lie, it’s hardly important first date material, but if you’re looking for good value fare on the go but don’t want to compromise on flavor and quality, it’s a winner – as long as you can get past the plastic cutlery. If you have more time on your hands, head to the restaurant for a real lesson in the art of the fusion of Pakistani and Indian cuisine.
Kohinoor
Budapest Westend Mall
1069 Budapest, Váci út 1-3.
Tel.: +36.1.787.9105