In an international town such as Washington, D.C., there are plenty of opportunities to expand one’s palate and try food from far-off lands with new and surprising flavor combinations. We took the opportunity to head to the Indian Subcontinent (or at least send our mouths there) for lunch last Wednesday at Indique in Cleveland Park.
In the last seven years in the neighborhood, Indique has become a fixture of the Cleveland Park restaurant scene. For you mass transit types, the restaurant is conveniently located right next to the Cleveland Park Metro on the Red Line. Just in time for spring, Indique has both indoor and outdoor seating arrangements. We decided to sit inside, and were delighted with the service we received from our extremely knowledgeable server, Tuk Gurung. He took the time to help us with our menu selections.
Since we had not been to many Indian restaurants before, we didn’t really know what to expect. There were familiar ingredients: chicken, potatoes, and lamb, but there were all kinds of other things that we had never heard of before: tamarind chutney, dal, and the slightly odd notion — at least to this Westerner — of having yogurt for dinner. Fortunately for half of us, the combination of new and familiar struck all of the right notes.
Evelyn ordered the chaat papri to start, a mix of potatoes and chickpeas served with yogurt, cilantro, and tamarind chutney served with crispy flour wedges. Perhaps this starter was a bit too exotic, because Evelyn did not enjoy the various flavors and textures as much as I did.
After a few bites Evelyn said, “This dish doesn’t have enough potatoes in it. And when I eat them, I like my potatoes fried.”
For our main course, we had better results. Each lunch course came with a salad, rice, naan (a traditional Indian flat bread similar to a pita), and a lentil-based dish called dal. Evelyn ordered the tandoori (a traditional clay Indian oven) chicken chops, chicken breasts marinated in yogurt, ginger, garlic, and spices. Its more familiar flavor profile was something that Evelyn appreciated more. “This chicken is very moist and well cooked, and I get plenty of sides.”
I had the Kebab Indique, a combo of minced lamb and chicken seasoned with ginger and cumin. It was fantastic, the two different meats played off each other well and the side dishes gave me a variety of different tastes to enjoy.
After our meal was finished Evelyn and I had different opinions on the food. I was a fan and couldn’t wait to come back. Evelyn said she would visit some other countries on her world tour before heading back to India. However, we both agreed that this was something different that people should try for themselves.
Indique 3512 Connecticut Ave., NW Washington, DC 20008
