Invited : Trishna Authentic North Indian Cuisine at Hotel Istana Kuala Lumpur

I love Indian foods! I don’t care where it come from be it from the north or the southern. Both has its exceptional taste and characteristic that differentiate them. Most of the time, I got my Indian food fix either at Brickfield or PJ Area where the banana leaf foods reign. But then it is not presentable, noisy, stuffed, uncomfortable and packed. Now I am introduced to a restaurant reside inside Istana Hotel (5 stars) in the heart of KL.

You will think that it would cost a bomb to dine here but you are wrong. It is more affordable than you can think. The restaurant is around for more than a year and still staying strong and growing its regular crowds.

The place has its own bar that serve all the house pours and drinks.

The place were decorated with a very homey feel setting that resembles a big house dining setup. Each of the corner or table will make you feel you are always dining at home.

Mood lighting in the restaurant creates a comfortable ambiance for chill out after office hour.

Be spoilt for choice at KL brand new authentic Northern Indian Restaurant, Trishna. With over 100 dishes to choose from some of which India’s most popular dishes as Amristsari Fish, Nooraini Kebab, Aloo Tandoori, Palak Paneer and Paneer Tandoori just to name a few.

We were greeted with glass of refreshing Mango Lassi upon seated.  -RM8

Papadom with mint dip while waiting for the foods to arrive.

Not long after that, a vadai look starter reach our table.

Hara Bhara Kebab (RM18)

Crispy on the outside and fragrant in the inside for a start. I don’t taste this on any other Indian restaurant out there. It taste quite good when you dip it with the mint sauce that serve with the papadom earlier.

Afghani Chicken – RM18

Cashew Nut and Yoghurt marinated and then grilled in Tandoor results in tasty and tender chicken. I would recommend you to put the lime juice on to spice it up. The taste were close to tandoori but minus the spicy part. The onions is not just act as a plate decoration it does taste great paired with the chicken.

Fish Ajwain – RM18

At first we were thinking this is an alternate chicken dish. The presentation really a good one that you get to actually control how well you want your skewer of meat to be. In this case, I like it well done that has a crispier edge on every bite. After a bite, I was so surprise that this is actually a fish! Dory fish were used in preparing this dish and marinated with caraway seeds and then grilled.

One piece fall off and sit next to the charcoal. That piece were awesome and taste like Indian Char Siew.

Another way the Fish Ajwain presented. But I still prefer for the BBQ pit as it keeps my fish warm with the slow charcoal fire and getting my charred edge taste.

Bhindi Masala – RM15

Lady’s Finger Masala

Chicken Tika Masala – RM20

This is the UK National Dish. The chicken are tender and rich in taste from the gravy.

Mutton Rogan Josh – RM24

I am not a fan of lamb meat as the smell really kills my appetite. But this dish is simply fantastic. The mutton were tender and the curry is just perfect to go along with the rice.

I can tell you a plate won’t be enough if you are a mutton lover. You don’t get this type of quality else where. So far this is the best I had for a mutton rogan josh.

Saag Paneer – RM18

The saag paneer come with the pureed spinach combined with home made cottage cheese. Not many people can accept the acquired taste. To produce the cheese, lime were added to curdle the cheese and then pressed the water out to get the cottage cheese. The texture of the cheese resembles tofu without much taste in it. I would expect it to carry a strong taste of cheese but it does not.

Tarika Dal – RM16

Flavorful Yellow Dal

An assortment of fresh made bread.

Jeera Rice – RM9

Gulab Jamun – RM14

Overall the foods here is top notch! Don’t ever judge the food portion lightly. It is more than you can handle. Order the standard portion, try them out before heading for a big ones. It is very filling and rich in taste. I will be back for more with my Indian friend to try out more food here. It is simply awesome and service also is good here. The part that I like the most is their operating hour where they open till 12am everyday. It is not easy to find such a good quality Indian food other than Mamak’s at late dinner hour. Most were usually sold out or left not much choice. Here you get fresh prepared upon order food. Parking also charged per entry. Beneath this restaurant, there’s Oscar Club that having live shows every night. Pssstt! There’s pretty Indian Dancer show every night in the club.

Thanks to Benny and Neeta for hosting us.