Taste of India in Cape Town’s Bihari: Rustling up a feast of butter chicken, biryani and more

Cape Town: The name is Bihari, the food not really. Instead, this restaurant dishes out all things tandoori - and a lot more too - and foodies thousands of miles away from the eastern Indian state just can’t get enough of it. So, there’s no litti chokha and no Champaran mutton but there’s a smorgasbord of virtually every dish that makes Indian food popular across the world. From butter chicken and bhuna gosht to lamb vindaloo and navrattan korma, it’s all on offer.

With at least seven varieties of naan in the tandoor, dal makhani on the pan and various kinds of biryani cooking on the hob, Bihari could be just any dhaba in north India. Almost.

With a huge artwork of the royal Bengal tiger at the doorway, wall stickers of Ganpati and old Bollywood songs playing in the backdrop, it’s a melange of India. Bihari is just a few metres away from Newlands cricket stadium and a favourite with players from back home in India and others.

If Graeme Smith has dined here so have Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Virat Kohli who have tucked in to get the taste of home.

Bihari,which promises diners and curry lovers the finest and authentic north Indian cuisine prepared by qualified chefs from India, opened its doors in April 2009 at the Southern Sun hotel in this picturesque South African town.

It all started when London-born Donna Ross went looking for Indian food and decided to open a restaurant when she couldn’t find it.

“Donna was crazy about Indian food in London but she did not get the same food here. When she got the opportunity to open this restaurant, it was like the icing on the cake for her. All the chefs here are from north India who have worked in many big hotels including the Taj Group,” restaurant manager Megan told PTI. "The Bihari group bears testimony to the ever magical experience of Indian dining amongst the city’s diverse locals. Food is prepared in authentic Indian style in the restaurant’s tandoor ovens on hot open coals, providing its distinctive flavour. Meals served on heated clay plates or in pots, are not only visually enticing but a culinary delight,” she added.

The name, though the menu does not reflect food from the state, was carefully chosen.

“It is the name of a popular state of India and also of a Hindu god (Krishna). We also found this is a widely searched word on Google, so we chose this name,” said Megan.

“Sunil Gavaskar, Dhoni and Kohli have also come here. Apart from this, Keshav Maharaj of South Africa ate here for a week. He is a vegetarian and he liked the dal makhani and paneer very much,” said chief chef Jitendra Singh Negi, who has come here from Uttarakhand.

Butter chicken, korma, grilled items, chicken malai tikka are the most liked items, he said.

The tandoor is set up right from the morning and stays busy till late. People also like lamb rogan josh, shami kebab, prawn korma, butter chicken and paneer tikka and samosa.

The Hyderabadi biryani is a top favourite and often has to be pre-booked. And just in case a discerning customer wants to know what’s really cooking, a glimpse of the larder provides the answer.

Spices like whole red chillies, fenugreek seeds, cinnamon, cardamom, bay leaf, basmati rice, desi ghee, jiggery, asafoetida and home grown atta all the way from Madhya Pradesh line the shelves.

“We prepare different gravies served spicy or plain according to the customer's choice. Earlier spices used to come from India only but now some are available here also. The tandoor is open from morning till late night in which seven types of naans (peshawari, butter, chilli, cheese garlic to name a few) along with snacks are prepared,” said chef Ravinder Singh, also from Uttarakhand.

“From Friday to Sunday, it is so crowded that customers have to wait for their turn. It is one of the busiest restaurants in Cape Town,” he added.

Anna, a local, is a regular customer. She loves Indian food and makes it a point to dine in Bihari every week.

“The lamb vindaloo here is my favourite. My friends also like this place very much and we come here often. Indian food is very spicy and flavourful which brings us back again and again,” she said.