Leela

Having tried Chaat a few years back we have good memories about the India cuisine Chef Manav Tuli has mastered. Hearing that he had left and now starting his own restaurant Leela, today we came to Lee Garden Three in Causeway Bay to see what magic he had prepared for us.Passing through a corridor the staff leads us to a booth located at a corner which offers good privacy. There are also tables along the windows looking down at the busy district.  Using plenty of wood in the decor and furniture, it has warmth and relaxing ambience, with lots of details of subtle luxurious sophistication.We order the Royal Experience Menu ($1,188 each) along with Saicho sparkling tea pairing ($260 each). To start, there is a complimentary papadum, made with wheat flour, having a nice crunchiness. On the side is garlic chutney for dipping, having good flavours and the yogurt helps give a bit of acidity to stimulate appetite. A good start.The first course is Rasam, a type of spicy Indian soup-like dish made with warming spices. There are noticeable flavors of tamarind, with good, refreshing acidity, which is highly appetizing, together with some fish cheek meat. The soup is also medicinal in properties, helping digestion and other health problems according to local wisdom.The second course is Vataka, which is an ancient dish without recipe. Through research, Chef Manav has re-created the dish. Essentially a deep-fried crab and lentil cake with tomato chutney underneath, it has nice flavors and does not feel any greasiness. The edible flower on top adds an extra layer of appeal on the visual too.The third course is Shishranga Murg. The dish is a favorite of Shah Jahan, the Mughal emperor who built Taj Mahal in memory of his wife. Virtually translating to ‘six-color’ chicken, it is like a dry curry, with the six colors coming from egg white, egg yolk, pistachio, almond, apricot, and raisins. Together with some lacha naan, the chicken is tender, delicious with complex flavors, and I can see why the emperor liked it so much.The fourth course is Aash-e-Bawardi. Served in the oval-shaped bowl are some delicious beef curry stews, with mint and other herbs plus some yogurt, and a beef and lentil dumpling on top. The dough of the dumpling is a bit thick if comparing with the Chinese version, but the taste is certainly amazing.   The fifth course is Kola Urandai, traditional mutton meatballs designed as food for the princes on the marching when they go to war. There is a poet which tells the story of a prince who fell off a cliff and survived while waiting for help for three days because of having this as provision. Looking like lamb croquette, with a crisp crust and soft inside, it has more spiciness from the masala mixed in the meat. Very good in taste.Then comes the main courses. Qaliya Shirazi is a Persian lamb stew, originated from Shiraz in Iran. The meaty lamb rack is braised to great tenderness, with the curry permeating appealing aromas of spice and ripe tomatoes.Lehsuni Palak is meshed spinach added with generous amounts of garlic, a very smooth and delicious curry to enjoy with bread. This is my wife’s favourite one.And Aashsham Khichdi is a stew made with barley and lamb kedgeree, with flakes of mutton and the barley providing different texture, and again very delicious with complex flavours.To go with the different main courses there are some freshly baked Naan on the side. One of the best Naan I have tried, the bread is soft, not drying out on the inside, and does not have any floury notes that will surface if the bread is not baked sufficiently. Really wonderful.The final course is Khaja, a type of Indian deep-fried pastry, with the chef piping some pistachio cream on top and decorated with edible flowers. The creamy smooth pistachio puree has good intense flavours, not too sweet, with everything in good balance.Service is good, with the staff friendly and eager to help, explaining the dishes in detail to make us more engaged with the dinner and the food. The bill on the night is $3,269 which is of good value. Perhaps next time we should also try its tasting menu to compare.…Read More

Many of the dishes here reminded me of Chaat and definitely showed how much Chef Tuli contributed to this restaurant. We tried the tasting menu, which was really fulfilling and so please prepare an empty stomach. It also left me wanting to try their Royal Experience MenuThe starters were already beautifully presented and the yogurt inside made it even more appetizing.The coconut seabass was so succulent with a delicate hint of coconut. The pork ribs were marinated with honey yet it was not overtly sweet. Despite we chose mild spicy, there was still a kick to it and when one of friends informed them, they immediately prepared some sweet yogurt dipping on the side, which still preserves its Indian flavor whie solving this problem.I loved all the subsequent mains but my favorite would definitely be the fish curry. Surprisingly, this one is actually less spicy while still being aromatic from the spices.I tried a bit of each for the desserts and overall for both aesthetics and matching the overall theme, I loved the Mango the most. Now planning my next meal there.…Read More

/ 小妹的印度料理風景小妹真正認識印度菜是在英國，那時有不少印度來的同學，而倫敦印度料理風景寬闊，開店的都是移居英倫印度各地的人，料理正宗無疑，而且風味之佳，味道之好，價錢之便宜，嚐過都會明白。小妹吃過最好吃的魚料理是 Tandoori 烤 Bengal Bay tiger fish ，就是在一家不知名，現在已經連名字都記不起了的小餐廳。小妹的印度朋友，說難以想像香港高級印度餐廳一頓晚餐要過千港元一位（例如 New Punjab Club），不過料理精緻化勢之所趨。不是吹噓，印度人以香料築構味覺宮廓，世上無人能及，小妹對此毫無疑問。/ Leela —— André Fu 心中的印度裝飾宮殿（Indo Deco Palace）Leela （Lila 梵文「神祇的遊戲」、「神祇的消遣」的意思）備受關注是因為主廚為以前話題餐廳 CHAAT 的 Manav Tuli 加入 JIA 之作。小妹和朋友們一致同意，CHAAT 美味但是 overhyped，以餐廳的裝潢而言不像（不值？）那個價錢。CHAAT 價格進取，dining room 富現代感點滴印度主題（看看牆上描繪印度生活的壁畫） ，唯既缺乏 authentic 的印度氛圍，也欠貴氣和雅緻 —— 像 high street 的食肆，漂亮卻無味。Leela 不同。小妹第一次踏進 Leela 的 foyer，感覺截然不同，一路走入 dining room ，首先是樓底夠高，之後無論裝修、用色、氛圍都深深吸引小妹。Dining room 分開兩邊，一邊有窗口，雀籠吊燈，窗外是陽台，是日陽光充沛，餐廳給映照得牆壁帶點橄欖綠，給和暖金黃依傍灰冷的清麗。另一邊沒有窗的，木牆之上鑲嵌印度色彩織錦 （tapestry） 的牆紙，有一份其他餐廳少有莊重感。間隔木板，門框如 Jharokha 的曲線，配合牆上織錦般花紋，以當代美學抽象古時印度建築，餐廳佈局整潔華貴而現代，並洋溢皇族的氣派 😎。之後翻查網上資料，原來 Leela 也是 André Fu 的手筆。André Fu Studio 設計名店不少，與 JIA 合作的也有幾家 —— Estro、Louise 都很精美。Leela 不例外。André 說這是重述他心中 Jodhpur （焦特布爾）Umaid Bhawan Palace 的印像。小妹愛讀史書，對建成 Umaid Bhawan Palace 的故事感受極深 😌，有興趣 Google 一下吧。/ Tiffin Box Set Lunch —— 孔雀皇朝的盛世餐廳 design 太引人入勝，小妹長氣啦 🥱，是時候入正題：Leela 有 a la carte menu，也有 tiffin box set lunch。Tiffin box（印度的多層金屬午餐盒）set lunch 有很多 a la carte menu 的招牌美食可以選擇，就揀了四道菜 —— 兩個前菜，一個咖哩主菜和一個甜品，主菜還有是日蔬菜和豆「湯」(dal) ，當然無限添加的 basmati rice 😳 和 naan bread 少不了啦。 FENUGREEK SEED CRISPS | Mango Chutney | Chives ****侍應先端上 pre-appetiser。第一啖已可斷言 Leela 非池中物啦。脆、香與甜的交融，是一陣南亞的暖風。對 Leela 的印像已經不錯啦。LUCKNOWI TOKRI CHAAT | Potato Basket Chaat | Sweet and Sour Chutneys****第一啖就是 Chef Tuli 的濃郁味道。Mr. Tuli 說 Leela 跟 CHAAT 不一樣，yes and no 啦，總有他 signature 的百味紛陳嘅。味道強烈，不過味道的爭鋒中出來的和諧，佩服 Chef Tuli 對強烈味道駕馭的能耐。BEEF SEEKH KEBAB ｜Home Ground｜Cinnamon｜Ginger｜Mint****深沉濃郁甚至過火的激烈 💥，第一啖委實太濃烈太鹹了，當味蕾適應了那個濃度，層疊的香與辛才展現出來。這個 kebab 是有點太「勁」了，不過牛肉 succulent 且口感佳（不鬆散也不死實）。THRISSUR CRAB CURRY ｜Roasted Coconut ｜ Tamarind ｜Black Pepper**Thrissur 是西南部 Kerala 省的城市，近海 —— 對著阿拉伯海喔，吃那裡的海鮮，理所當然。這是個極好的咖喱，香滑，濃郁的香辛料蓋不住旨味的洋溢，蟹肉新鮮，還有一份和暖，深深層次，味覺和諧。順便一提，印度沒有 curry 這個字，那是英國人帶過來印度的，因為方便，現在都通用了。STEAMED BASMATI RICE **Dame Madhur Jaffrey 說米飯如兄弟，親近但不沾黏 —— close to each other but not stuck to each other —— 互相扶持，不互相依賴，要粒粒分明卻不生米。Leela 可以無限添加的 basmati rice 就是做到這樣好了，軟硬適中，好些地方煮 basmati rice 不夠火候，太生米，就不好吃。不過小妹無需讚美，這個級數的餐廳，那是基本。PLAIN NAAN BREAD ****熱度足夠，柔軟而紮實，上佳的 naan。****Dal 是印度「豆湯」。是日蔬菜則是小玉米。五⭐️配菜。ISPAHAN KULFI ****Ispahan 是大馬士革玫瑰，也叫突厥薔薇，名字異國而浪漫。玫瑰、荔枝和莓香，整個甜品貫徹印度甜點的豐富、芳香、甜美，在過了頭和未夠之間平衡得很好的黃金中位。 有些地方的 Kulfi 是比較硬的，Leela 的相對比較「鬆」啦。因為 Kulfi 是用牛奶不用忌廉做，本身原材料已經有別，而且不像雪糕，kulfi 是沒有 churning （攪拌）的，缺乏 churning 把空氣擠進去，kulfi 便沒有雪糕那種輕盈軟滑的口感，相反是比較 fudgy ，相對「硬實」。因此小妹剛才說，有些地方的 kulfi 比較硬。多了空氣的雪糕其實是蠻好吃的，例如對比很流行的 H 牌子雪糕（比較實在），M 這個瑞士品牌雪糕是很軟滑的，當然是因為雪糕內空氣較多（你可以說那是偷工減料，不過小妹卻喜歡 M 多過 H 嘅）。Ispahan kulfi 遙遠而美味的異國情懷，怎能不讓小妹迷戀啊 😌。MASALA TEA 小妹吃印度菜都飲 masala tea ，很喜歡哪 cardamom 的和暖芳香，通常跟很甜很甜的 galub jamun，所以都不加糖的。Leela 的 masala tea 已經調了味，不過不太甜，很滑，很好。Chef Tuli 話孔雀皇朝 （Maurya Empire） 盛世最能代表印度，因為那個時候印度的帝國橫跨孟加拉至阿富汗，也伸延到南方，所以 Leela 的菜式都很廣闊 —— 由東北 Lucknow 的 chaat 到南端 Thrissur 的螃蟹咖喱，當然還有其他菜式例如 Kandhari lamb chop，就是演化自阿富汗坎大哈地方的羊排 Kandhari Gosht 呢☝🏽😬。印度幅員廣闊，她的料理不能一言蔽之，這裡千數字只能說到這裡了。/ 總結想深一層，小妹沒錯，CHAAT 餐廳如其名，概念是街頭小吃，所以餐廳也像 high street 不是皇宮，Leela 彷如「刹帝利」（Ksatriyas ——皇公貴冑階級）的菜式，巧妙華貴，所以裝潢也像皇宮。因而一進入餐廳，已經被當代美學洗鍊了的古印度情懷吸引，加上「刹帝利」的午餐，小妹迷醉不已。∫ 服務。經理的服務是很好的，只是其中一位印度裔的侍應好似對飲品餐牌未夠熟悉，連有沒有 Coke Zero 都要確認，希望她可以多點溫習，除此之外，所有人員的服務都很周到，端上每一道菜都有用心講解。∫食物。頭盤對小妹來說 flavour profile 有點太重，主菜的咖喱、basmati rice 和 naan 則很好，甜品更是天人之作。對小妹的印度朋友而言（有些是茹素的，因為他們是 Brahmin）這樣的排場、擺盤、奉客似乎過於造作，太 contrived 。而且在開頭講過，香港高級印度菜價錢貴（其實香港甚麼餐都貴 😒）。今餐近 $ 810 （包括加一服務費）的確有點貴嘅。不時不吃，「時」既是季節，也是時機。太熱門的餐廳，小妹會等大家熱情冷卻後才吃。Leela 已經開了一段時間，現在甚麼 ex-chef of CHAAT 的興奮感都過了吧，果然今日的午餐，未有「人滿」之患， 寬敞的餐廳應付有餘，相當舒服。小妹又不熱衷過度「形式」和煞有介事的用餐體驗，縱然這裡的食物 presentation 斧痕略深， 但是美味，並細意而隆重，食物才是重點。可能小妹稍讀歷史和藝術，覺得 Leela 透過 dining room 的設計和食物講的故事含蓄而得體，在這裡用餐實在是美好的時光。…Read More

講真，食物種類多到嚇親人，價錢亦都相當「高貴」。今次全靠朋友識得酒店位星級主廚，先至托手踭攞到位。我哋放心交晒個menu畀師傅發辦，由佢話事。頭嗰幾道菜，真係冇得彈！每樣都做得精緻，味道層次分明，師傅手勢確係功架十足。不過食到中後段，已經飽到上心口，要開口叫停。可能因為咁，尾段幾道菜感覺冇咁驚艷，唔知係咪味蕾開始麻木，定係師傅知道我哋飽滯咗，無咁落心機。諗深一層，餐廳生意真係難做。就算師傅手藝再好，都要夾準食客個胃。我哋同師傅始終初次見面，佢點會知我哋食量有幾深？今次體驗話畀我聽，美食唔單止講用料同技巧，仲要掌握食客節奏。畢竟食飯唔只為填肚，係一種完整體驗。今餐飯令我明白，要同時滿足味覺同心理，先算真正滿分。…Read More

已開張兩年的Leela ，繼續在銅鑼灣保持著人流 ，也可以說是香港島最出色的印度菜餐廳 ，九龍最出色的應該是主廚Manav之前在Rosewood開設的Chaat。這次光顧不再是晚餐，在提供Set Lunch的情況下看看Chef Manav的團隊有沒有馬虎起來 ，結果當然是令我滿意，每次看到頭盤Lucknowi Tokri Chaat也令我覺得很美 ，美得如藝術品般，炸得酥脆的薯籃盛載著鷹嘴豆、馬鈴薯與羅望子醬，酸甜酥脆在口中交織，瞬間喚醒味蕾。沒有點Buttermilk Chicken和牛骨髓香飯，換上了和牛面頰以及咖哩羊肉，同樣令人喜歡，前者夠腍而且以土窯慢烤鎖住肉汁，香料層次深邃，肉質入口即化，帶有明顯的煙燻味和微甜的餘韻（來自肉桂與高溫下的焦糖化反應），這種甘甜正好平衡了牛面頰豐腴的油脂感。後者不是烤串羊膝的做法，而是很香濃而辛辣的咖喱浸煮，很入味之餘辣勁餘韻也強，配飯和Naan也是一流。Maintaining its status as Hong Kong Island’s premier Indian dining destination, Leela proves that Chef Manav’s team hasn’t lost their edge, even during the set lunch service. The visually stunning Lucknowi Tokri Chaat remains an artistic starter, awakening the palate with its interplay of crispy textures and tangy tamarind. Deviating from the usual signatures, the clay-oven slow-cooked Wagyu cheek impressed with tender, smoky nuances that perfectly balanced the meat’s richness, while the robustly spicy lamb curry offered an intense, aromatic depth that paired flawlessly with the naan.…Read More