Is there anything more fun than the anticipation of eating at a new restaurant? Downtown Raleigh has now seen the opening of an incredible new Indian restaurant called
Mantra Indian Cuisine and Bar. Although I went over my usual budget for this meal, I was not sorry I did! The cocktails here are original and made with fresh ingredients. I did not see the typical sour mix/simple syrup type drinks that make you feel you are not getting your money's worth. These rocked! Now the meal. The table was served
papadum, which is a thin crispy cracker type appetizer that came with three toppings; a tamarind sauce, raita, and a cilantro sauce. I had to prevent myself from drinking the sauces with a spoon they were so fresh. More papadum was freely brought out when we devoured the first round. Next we shared an order of the
Samosas which were filled with potatoes and peas. I like to dip them in tamarind sauce. Lovely!
For my entree I ordered the
Lamb Shank Maharani prepared with star anise, bay leaves and dark rum served with fried potato croquettes and mixed vegetables.....well as you can see the croquettes were mysteriously missing in the photo. New restaurant.......oh well.........As you can only guess, the meat was falling off the bone as it had been cooked for hours. And the the sauce was divine. My friend had the special which was a shrimp and crab stuffed tilapia served in a similar sauce. For desert we had.........well.......just look at the photo! It is just too complicated to explain. Will I be going back? A resounding YES! Only next time for the cheaper lunch time buffet if it continues.
Is there anything more fun than the anticipation of eating at a new restaurant? Downtown Raleigh has now seen the opening of an incredible new Indian restaurant called Mantra Indian Cuisine and Bar. Although I went over my usual budget for this meal, I was not sorry I did! The cocktails here are original and made with fresh ingredients. I did not see the typical sour mix/simple syrup type drinks that make you feel you are not getting your money's worth. These rocked! Now the meal. The table was served papadum, which is a thin crispy cracker type appetizer that came with three toppings; a tamarind sauce, raita, and a cilantro sauce. I had to prevent myself from drinking the sauces with a spoon they were so fresh. More papadum was freely brought out when we devoured the first round. Next we shared an order of the Samosas which were filled with potatoes and peas. I like to dip them in tamarind sauce. Lovely!
For my entree I ordered the Lamb Shank Maharani prepared with star anise, bay leaves and dark rum served with fried potato croquettes and mixed vegetables.....well as you can see the croquettes were mysteriously missing in the photo. New restaurant.......oh well.........As you can only guess, the meat was falling off the bone as it had been cooked for hours. And the the sauce was divine. My friend had the special which was a shrimp and crab stuffed tilapia served in a similar sauce. For desert we had.........well.......just look at the photo! It is just too complicated to explain. Will I be going back? A resounding YES! Only next time for the cheaper lunch time buffet if it continues.
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