The Ithaca Post is happy to welcome restaurant reviewer Iona Machado to our growing family. This week, Iona checks out Mekah, a new Indian restaurant in Collegetown.
I dove out of the cold evening into Mekah, located on Eddy Street in Collegetown, and was immediately hit by a warm blast of air heavily scented with Indian spices. The walls, painted a sort of purple maroon color, were covered with thick, plush drapes of the same color interspersed with Indian-style paintings. It had the overall effect of feeling like I had just walked into an elegant, nearly regal home. It was a fairly crowded restaurant that Friday evening, mainly filled with college students. Judging by the large number of Indian people there I had a feeling this restaurant was going to be a good one.
The best way to eat Indian food, in my opinion, is to order a variety of dishes and share them all. As there were three of us, we ordered three dishes: Shahi butter chicken, lamb bhuna, and mattar paneer, a vegetarian dish. Because the majority of Indians are vegetarian, Indian cuisine is one of the best to get vegetarian food. Mekah has a large selection of veggie-based dishes for you to choose from. Fortunately all of three of us had a high tolerance for spice, so we ordered them hot with a side of garlic nan and poori, two types of bread. I, on top of that, decided to break out of my usual sweet lassi and ordered a ginger lassi.
Salty lassis, in general, are meant to be drunk with the meal rather than on its own. It provides a cool contrast to the warm and tangy spices of the Indian food. Not realizing this immediately, I took a big swig of my drink to be shocked by the amount of salt it had. The ginger flavor was definitely present but the salt was a little overpowering, even when I drank it alongside the meal.
The waitress brought out the three dishes and a very large plate of buttery rice flecked with carrots and herbs. The rice in of itself was perfectly moistened and had lots of flavor. I served myself a bit of everything, mixed it all in together, and ate it with pieces of bread. I find that the flavors of Indian food complement each other such that one dish, while good enough to stand alone, can be appreciated much more in context of other flavors and textures. All three dishes were spicy but not water-guzzlingly so. The meats were very tender, full of flavor, and paired well with onions to add a slight sweetness to the spice palate. I can understand why it’s so easy to ignore the vegetarian side of the menu with meats like these available.
That said, the paneer was unlike anything I’ve ever had before, speaking as one who unfortunately ignores the vegetarian menu a little too often. The little cubes of cottage cheese were well marinated in Indian spices and peas, providing a good kick of spice to the blend of dishes. I highly recommend all three of these dishes, but I am sure that one can’t go wrong in selecting others.
A brief disclaimer: There are quite a few Indian dishes, especially desserts, that are curd or cheese based. Because of this it is often disconcerting to read the descriptions. Most notably, one of the desserts was described as “cheese patties,” evoking the picture of a greasy burger, rather than a sweet. What you should take out of seeing various milk products on a menu is just that it provides a plain base suitable for adding lots of flavor. The spices and the other ingredients they list are the important descriptors to pay attention to when ordering.
To finish off the meal we ordered mango and Punjabi kulfi. Kulfi is traditionally a very creamy ice cream that you can flavor with spices, nuts, or fruit. The Punjabi kulfi was flecked with pistachio and cardamom, a classic dessert combination of nut and spice. The mango kulfi of course was flavored with mango pulp but was dressed up nicely with a trace of cardamom. Unfortunately the kulfi was a bit icy, a difficult problem to avoid since it stays in the freezer for so long. I suggest waiting a few minutes before you dig into the tempting blocks of ice cream or else your spoon will be met with hard, cold resistance. Even after several minutes though, the creaminess of the kulfi did not come through. The flavors of both kulfi were perfect, even if the texture was off.
I have not had Indian food in a very long time and it was refreshing to step into Mekah and find a chef who knows what he’s doing. You will not find bitter, overly sweet, or overpowering dishes that sub-par Indian restaurants serve. He knows exactly what combinations and what portions of what spices go well with what bases, be it chicken, lamb, cheese, or cream. While not the best place to bring a date, Mekah is perfect for any group. Next time I crave something with a kick, I will be sure to visit Mekah again.
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great review… a little help finding the place or when it is open would be greatly appreciated.