Trishna. Meaning ‘beauty’ in Sanskrit, it’s an apt name for a restaurant that serves fine North Indian cuisine in a beautiful setting. Located within Istana Hotel, the first thing you would probably notice about Trishna is its decor – paintings of Indian maidens in their gardens hang all around the premise, replete with wooden frames adorned with bells. Benny Singh, who owns Trishna, let us in on a little secret: he commissions Indian artists to paint them for him!
The food, however, takes the cake with this one. Benny brought out for us some of his specialty dishes, and assured us that we wouldn’t have tasted anything like his dishes anywhere else in Kuala Lumpur. He brought out the Afghani Chicken – which truly mesmerized us. He was right, we had never tasted anything like that. It was only a chicken drumstick, and looks pretty simple, but the marinade is made of magic and gold and otherworldly things. Definitely a favourite!
Together with the chicken, we also tasted Trishna’s Seekh Kebab, which was a kebab made of minced mutton and an amalgamation of spices. It was tasty and tender, an appetizer which you could even have as a main dish if you were looking for something light yet full-flavoured. The other appetizer was a classic favourite – the Fish Tikka. The tandoori spices were nicely marinated in the chunks of fish, and the fish itself was fresh and succulent. Finger licking good, we say!
Before the main course came out, Benny treated us to glasses of sweet lassi, which is a drink made from yoghurt, milk, sugar and salt. The taste of the lassi still lingers on my tongue – no exaggeration! The tartness of the yoghurt and the sweetness of sugar married so well, it almost felt like a wedding for my tastebuds. If there is one thing I can order from Trishna over and over again, it would be this drink!
For the main course, Benny treated us to some Palak Paneer, Mutton Rogan Josh (which is a house specialty), Dhal Tadka and Garlic Naan. Palak Paneer is a foodpanda favourite, so of course we enjoyed the cubes of cottage cheese in rich spinach gravy. The perfect match to the paneer was the Garlic Naan, which was crispy and crunchy, just like how naans in India are. The taste of garlic was not overpowering, yet visible to our tongues.
The thick and flavourful Dhal Tadka was served in a little brass pail, which is something we have never seen before. Dhal is a wonderful accompaniment for any carbohydrate dish, so it definitely paired well with the naan. The winner was the Mutton Rogan Josh, however. It wasn’t overly spicy that you couldn’t taste the nuances of the herbs and flavours, but it was so tasty and flavourful with the right amount of heat. As you can guess, we licked the plate clean (not literally)!
Trishna
Address: Level B1, West Wing, Hotel Istana Kuala Lumpur 73, Jalan Raja Chulan, 50200, KL, Malaysia
Opening hours: Mo-Su, 10am – 10pm
Click here to order online.
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If she’s not busy writing, Yogeetha is usually researching fan theories about Game of Thrones characters or having a cup of coffee in solitude. Also, she loves doughnuts as much as she loves puppies!
