Finding Indian food in 'alien' land

Indians travelling off the beaten track overseas will find Indian cuisine in surprising destinations

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Long vacations in the UK, US and south-east Asia no longer involve the culinary nightmares of 20 years ago for Indian tourists. When they tire of bland local fare, there’s no dearth of Indian restaurants, run by the vast Indian diaspora and reasonably authentic, to get a taste of home.

The news, though, is that these destinations are becoming passé. Increasingly, it’s to countries in Indo-China, the Balkans, West Asia (the parts that are still peaceful, that is) and South America to which rich and upper middle-class Indians are heading to spend the generous forex allowance the Indian government now permits.

But as a Vietnamese restaurateur once told me, “Indians no eat all foods; velly big ploblem”. True enough, Indians with their many particularities of diet can find mealtimes a chore in many countries off the regular tourist beat. Yet where many Indians go boldly, can Indian restaurants be far behind?

As the listing here shows, there are Indian options available in cities from Dubrovnik to Peru for tourists who are so inclined. The names can be misleading, however: Oh Calcutta in Auckland, an award-winning restaurant, bears no resemblance to the well-known Bengali restaurant chain in India.

The restaurant, run by a chef called Meena Anand, has the standard north Indian/Mughlai fare. This, sadly, is true of almost all the menus on offer — the infinite varieties of the Indian sub-continent are largely absent. In Luang Prabang, the stunning UN heritage town in Laos, Nisha restaurant will give you an authentic dhaba experience: it offers, among other things, aloo ghobi, aloo mutter, “Dhal Fry” and rotis. It could be a comforting break from a bewildering local menu that may contain: dog, frog and, yes, even beef!

A gourmet itinerary

Vietnam

Mumtaz Restaurant

Ho Chi Minh City

Foodshop 45

Hanoi 

Laos

Nisha Restaurant

Luang Prabang

Taj Mahal Restaurant 

Vientiane 

Cambodia

Dosa Corner

Phnom Penh

Taste Budz

Phnom Penh

Samsara

Siem Reap

Croatia

Royal Indian Restaurant 

Zagreb

Incredible India Cuisine

Dubrovnik

Iran

Taj Mahal

Tehran

Jordan

Tandoori Oven

Amman

Peru

Guru Kebab & Curry

Lima

Brazil

Taj Bar

Iguasu

Gopala Hari

Sao Paulo

Veggie Govinda

Rio

Mexico

El Tandoor

Mexico City

New Zealand

Oh Calcutta 

Auckland

Chilis Bistro and Tandoor 

Wellington

Maharaja Indian Restaurant 

Christchurch

The Spice Room

Christchurch

China

Masala Art

Shanghai

Punjabi Indian Restaurant

Beijing

South Africa

Royal Punjab 

Johannesburg

Bukhara 

Cape Town

Portugal

Passage to India 

Lisbon

Data courtesy: Ashish Chadha, group managing partner, Leisure Ways, New Delhi