Village Restaurant on Mena Street in the Al-Baghdadeyyah Al-Sharqeyyah district is well known among the local Indian community in Jeddah for its great fish dishes and south Indian curries. That’s not all they do. Like many other Indian restaurants in town, Village also has a range of Chinese dishes on its menu and a special dish prepared each day.
First impressions of the restaurant are pretty good when comparing Village Restaurant with the nearby competitors. The restaurant is clean, functional and colorful; lavender walls and purple curtains brighten up the room, as do the bright yellow and pink tablecloths.
However, color isn't everything. The evenly spaced wooden tables and distinct lack of pictures on the walls give the venue a rather sparse and cold feeling. It would be nice to see a more local decor or theme relevant to the Indian cuisine.
Placed in the corner of the room is the “Specials'” board. On our visit the special dish of the day was Fish Pollichathu (SR18). As a friend had recommended the specials as being particularly good here, I decided to go for the Pollichathu. This was a generous portion of Kingfisher steak magnificently wrapped like a parcel in a large banana leaf. Once unwrapped the leaf released the aromas of masala and spices. The fish was soft and full of flavor.
Having just ordered the special dish we opted for a few more dishes to sample. These included a Pea Masala (SR8), a Charming Lady (SR12), Garlic Chicken (SR14), Chicken Chettinadu (SR15) and a selection of Naan and Chapati.
The Garlic Chicken was rather gooey like most Chinese food in town, and the Charming Lady (shrimps wrapped in a thick soft coating covered in sauce) were rather bland and unfortunately not so charming.
The Pea Masala was good, quite Dal like in a thick sauce, and the large size of the portion made this dish a meal in itself.
We also loved the Chicken Chettinadu, which is one of the spiciest south Indian curry dishes. This was a deep-reddish brown curry and incredibly oily — not the most appetizing in look, but aromatic and tasty nonetheless.
However, the curry was a letdown by being unnecessarily bony (despite being advertised as boneless). It was as if the cook had taken a meat cleaver to a full carcass of chicken and the results were the tiny shards we found hidden haphazardly throughout the chunks of chicken in the dish.
To drink we decided to sample some of the teas on offer, including a ginger and masala tea (SR2). These were served with milk and as a result looked almost identical upon arrival. The masala tea was peppery while the ginger was sweet and fiery (my personal favorite). Full fat milk was used here so it wasn’t surprising to see a layer of skin form on top of the tea shortly after serving, something I do not mind, but others might.
We ended the meal on a homemade desert of Gulab Jamun soaked in honey which was served in a glass sundae dish. These were small, light and although incredibly rich, smooth and creamy. It was a pleasure eating the dessert. Mobile screens are available for those who prefer a bit more privacy. It’s certainly something to consider keeping in mind the open nature of the restaurant and close proximity of the tables to each other.
The restaurant seats 64 people upstairs and 44 downstairs, hence it is an ideal place for large gatherings.
Despite some hiccups the service was quick and friendly. Our waiter Suneesh was more than helpful in recommending dishes and explaining their ingredients and origin.
That being said there was no music being played during our visit. The only sound was that of an Indian TV show playing in the cashier's office that although provided some background noise, was not exactly what we had hoped for.
All in all, a good mix of dishes and spices, definitely worth a look next time you are in need of a curry fix. Stick to the “specials” as they seem to go the extra mile on these dishes.
Village Restaurant is located between Khalid Bin Waleed Street and Madinah Road behind the Egypt Air Office. Tel: 6443620
(Rashed Islam is a food critic who hosts Jeddahfood.com)
