Farah Baig savours the flavours of authentic Indian food at Bahrain’s next best Indian restaurant - Jashan
Bahrain has grown to be a gastronome’s dream – there’s no doubt about that. With that reputation, however, comes the ever-growing responsibility of restaurants to raise the bar when it comes to creative menus, exemplary service and an exquisite ambiance. This month, our quest for a delectable lunch saw us sauntering into Wyndham Garden Manama, located in Juffair, making our way to the hotel’s Indian restaurant – Jashan.
Jashan. The name itself is enticing as the Hindi word translates to ‘celebration’, so we were expecting nothing short of a feast. From the moment you step out of the elevator on the seventh floor, you are greeted by the unmistakable aroma of authentic Indian food. The restaurant’s décor is opulent with intricate designs, tapestry, embroidery and lanterns which contribute to the restaurant’s warm ambiance. After being seated at a corner table, we enjoyed the vibrant music and good conversation while our food was being freshly prepared by celebrity chef, Jainul Khan, and his culinary team.
Jashan is quickly growing in popularity for its terrific tandoori offerings and it’s all for good reason. To start our feast, we were served vegetarian and non-vegetarian Jashan platters – each with four kinds of scrumptious tandoori kebabs. The non-vegetarian tandoori platter was adorned by perfectly grilled hariyali prawns, malai chicken kebab, amritsari machi tikka and lamb seekh kebabs. Each item was perfectly cooked to retain its moisture and flavour but what we enjoyed most were the large, minty prawns and malai tikka which were bursting with flavour. It’s no surprise that Jashan, like most Indian restaurants, has a bounty of delectable dishes for vegetarians. What sets it apart, though, is the fact that each is very different from the next and in no way similar to what you find at your average Indian restaurant. The vegetarian tandoori platter made that clear with its spicy paneer tikka, dahi ke kebab, delicious potato cutlets and vegetarian seekh kebabs.
As most people know, the Dum style of cooking originated in India, so we were quite excited to try Jashan’s Murgh Dum Nawabi Biryani. The aromatic biriyani, which is served with a side of raita, is laden with generous servings of chicken cooked in a myriad of spices that are cooked in a traditional sealed pot. Sealing the pot ensures that the flavours of the chef’s lakhnavi spices penetrate into the basmati rice so you don’t lose any of those rich flavours. We loved that this biryani was divinely flavourful, light and fragrant but did not weigh us down.
To top off our mains we tucked into a variety of vegetarian and non-vegetarian curries. The curry that stood out to us the most was the delightlful Mutton Rogan Josh – a traditional Kashmiri dish with tender cubes of extremely tender lamb in a thick and fragrant gravy. The meat is perfectly cooked and tender enough to effortlessly break apart with a fork. This coupled with the restaurant’s fresh tandoori roti is a divine treat at lunch. We also thoroughly enjoyed the Dal Jashan which is a mix of black lentils, simmered overnight and finished with cream and butter. The rich Paneer Spring Onion Masala and chicken Bemisal were sure to have us coming back for more, too.
To end our meal on a sweet note, we tucked into some warm Gulab Jamoons and Kulfi Falooda. We enjoyed the flavour of the Kulfi Falooda’s creamy saffron and pistachio ice-cream which complemented the herb syrup perfectly.
Needless to say, Jashan’s decadent food, warm hospitality and beautiful interiors are sure to make every diner’s Indian feast a memorable one.