by Steven Doyle
I have checked Wild Chutney out a few times, and one the first visits was fairly disappointing. The service and flavors were not exactly spot on. However, that was when the restaurant first opened. On subsequent visits, I have been nothing less than thrilled — although the service could still use a spike of energy .
The flavors at Wild Chutney’s are fresh and strong. There are plenty of choices for those not wishing to carry around that curry permeation all evening, and there are a few new takes on dishes by way of the appetizers.
My latest trip to the restaurant yielded new favorites including their Lamb Kashmiri. One of my very favorite cookbook authors is Madhur Jaffrey. Besides her cookbooks, her memoir makes for good reading as well. Climbing the Mango Trees.
In that book she describes growing up as a young girl in Delhi, and adds much of her family history as well as her love for family dining. I recall in one book she mentions she was “loaned” an Indian manservant to help her cook and clean once a week. He would prepare some dishes from his limited repertoire of Kashmiri cuisine. Spotting this Kashmiri dish on the Wild Chutney menu made me want to sample it immediately.
The Wild Chutney version is made with very tender chunks of sweet lamb, cooked in a spicy creamy almond, pineapple and raisin sauce. The accompanying Basmati rice is some of the best I have ever tasted.
Another dish I truly enjoy when dining Indian is Saag Paneer. The variation from the usual creamy curries gives a great color variance and taste sensation with the plated spinach dish. Wanting something a bit heartier, I tried the Chicken Saagwala. The dish was vibrant, spicy and soothed the cold Winter air.
The second dish was actually served with a small bowl of vegetable biryani. I think this was meant more of a lagniappe than a normal occurrence. Regardless, the rice dish was delicious and I would consider trying the full spectrum of biryani dishes.
The starter soups were not much of a challenge for the chef, but I did enjoy one of slightly chile spiced lentil soups, and although a bit thin it was still a good treat. The Carrot Ginger Soup beckoned much more, but this is their house specialty and only served weekends.
I would suggest checking out Wild Chutney in Addison. The atmosphere is a bit stark compared to most Indian restaurants in the area. However, I am not sure about you but I usually don’t dine for great views of sitars or decorative relief paintings of Ganesh.
