When it comes to Indian cuisine, the spices are always what make it unique. But honestly, it is not just about the spices but also the balance of spices that make the flavours.
Le Mirch is an award winning Indian restaurant franchise from Washington DC that serves urban contemporary Indian cuisine. Le Mich in Kathmandu is its extension in Nepal. Explaining the real reason for why he wanted to run his own restaurant, Resh Maskey says, “When you visit an Indian or Nepali restaurant in America, the ambience of the place feels cold. There is typical music playing in the background, and Mughal paintings on the wall.”
So, the whole concept of Le Mirch is to showcase Maskey’s interpretation of Asian cuisines. Maskey knew what kind of restaurant he wanted to run but since he was not a chef, he went to France to learn the culinary arts.
There he not only learned to balance flavours but also presentation techniques.
“Le Mirch” is inspired by all that he learned from and the food he wanted to create. So the word ‘Le’ means ‘the’ in French and Mirch come from Hindi, which means chili!
After hearing about the interesting fusion, I really wanted to try the food there. The restaurant is on the third floor of Labim Mall, at Pulchowk. On entering the restaurant, you are welcomed by an impressive huge bar. The entire decor is wood, and there is a separate dining space if you want to enjoy the view outside. Maskey says, “The green used for the furniture and the wall stands for the jewelries that were worn by queens in India.”
I tried their in house special snack and main course.
I started with Le Epinards, a salad made out of flash fried spinach served with curd and freshly cut onions and tomatoes. The sweetness of the curd was not overpowering at all. It was the right snack for a hot day.
Next I tried their Ala crevette, shrimp curry served with in-house naan.
The beautiful shrimp curry was a perfect blend of extra-virgin olive oil, garlic, and pesto sauce. Taking a bite from the shrimp, you can taste the flavours of the sauce but it does not overpower the shrimp itself.
Maskey said, “Don’t be fooled by the ambience, you can use your fingers! Just dip the naan right into the curry sauce and take a bite of it.” I followed his advice. The curry tasted beautiful with the naan and the amount of oil used was perfect.
Then came the famous Chicken Tikka, marinated boneless chicken served with onion salad and mint sauce with a dash of avocado, ginger, garlic, and cilantro.
The aroma of the butter can be enjoyed from a distance and the pieces of chicken were coated with a generous amount of ‘ghee’. As I bit into the tender chicken dipped in the sauce, the taste was well-balanced as the sauce was light, while the chicken was well marinated.
Going to an Indian restaurant and not trying their biryani is almost a sin. The whole dining experience will be incomplete. So, I felt we just had to order their Chicken Biryani.
The Biryani in Le Mirch is different from other restaurants, as not only can you taste the different spices but you are left with a lingering sweetness.
The beautiful golden red biryani made with basmati rice was topped with fried onion and saffron. They also use almonds, raisins, dates, mint, nutmeg, cilantro, and rose water to achieve the final excellence. So if you are someone who loves biryani but cannot eat too much due to the spices, then this is the perfect biryani for you to try.
If you are looking for a fine dining place to try something different and delicious, then Le Mirch is the place for you to go to.
Contact Details:
Call: 01-5527437
Instagram: lemirch.ktm/ https://www.instagram.com/lemirch.ktm/?hl=en
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LeMirchKathmandu/
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