turning Indian by Nature

I must have mentioned before that my sister is such an adventurous eater. An evidence of which was when we were driving along Jupiter street one day, looking for a place to have lunch. Among all the different restaurants that seems to be worthy of a visit, only one caught my sister's attention and that later became our lunch date venue.

With its bright orange facade, how can one not notice Indian by Nature despite being located at the 2nd floor of the same building that houses Mey Lin Pot & Noodles, Malacca and the store of well-known designer Debbie Co.

Walking inside the restaurant, we were the only guests there. I was told that their peak hours is at night where a lot of customers who go there to have dinner and a couple of drinks. Pan and I were given a table near the bar. The lighting was pretty dark which I guess makes it perfect for an evening ambiance.

There's a huge TV screen playing Indian drama series which was also a delight to watch. We enjoyed the ambiance which gave off an authentic Indian feel.

For those who are not so familiar with the Indian cuisine, it might take you a little more time than usual to scan their menu. Luckily we have a helpful server who suggested the right dishes for us to try. For this particular visit, we got the Paneer Taka Tak (Php. 229), the Chicken Tikka Butter Masala (Php. 299), a basket of Roti bread (Php. 79/piece) and a tall glass of Mango Lassi (Php. 99) each.

What we didn't expect was that Indian by Nature also serves a basket of complimentary Papadums with two types of sauces. My sister loves this appetizer that she was actually so giddy with happiness with each bite. The Papadums were a bit on the spicy side but this can easily be masked with the sweet mango chutney. This is definitely one complimentary starter you should not miss.

Our dishes finally arrived and I enjoyed the Paneer Taka Tak which are bite-size cottage cheese sauteed with the most colorful mix of veggies! From the red and green bell peppers to fresh onions, this dish will definitely perk up your taste buds with its interesting mix. I love the saltiness of the cottage cheese mixed with the tangy tomato sauce. Yum!

My sister liked the Chicken Tikka Masala which was a wee bit too spicy for my taste. This was a perfect match to our basket of Roti bread where we would dip the bread into the thick tomate butter sauce. There's also a generous amount of chicken in here that makes this good for 2-3 pax to enjoy.

This meal wouldn't have been complete without our refreshing Mango Lassi. Nothing can cool your burning tongue better than with a soothing blend of yogurt and fresh mangoes. We both agreed that this drink is worth going back for.

We shall return...and we did!

Not long after our first visit, we found ourselves craving for more authentic Indian dishes and of course that delicious Mango Lassi. Indeed, we were back at Indian by Nature exactly two weeks after our initial visit ready for another round.

This time, we decided to keep our choices simple. Once again, with the help of our server, we got the Paneer Pakora (Php. 199) and the Non-Veg Tandoori Platter (Php. 699) to share. Of course, our meal will not be complete without our favorite drink -- the Mango Lassi.

I am a huge fan of cheese and since Indian by Nature has a wide selection of Paneer dishes, this time I got the Paneer Pakora. This is a perfect dish for cheese lovers as its cottage and cheddar cheeses deep fried in Indian batter. How cheesy can that get?

For our main course, we couldn't decide whether to get the chicken or fish. It's a good thing our server recommended for us to get the Non-Veg Tandoori Platter to be able to taste both. One platter gives you generous servings of tandoori paneer, chicken, fish and shrimp! We had a great time sampling each and choosing our favorites. Mine was of course the paneer and the fish which was surprisingly fresh and tender. My sister enjoyed the crunchy tandoori shrimp that gives a strong smokey flavor.

We also ordered a bowl of Saffron Rice (Php. 189) to share. I love the buttery flavor of this long grain rice that was perfect for our meal choices that day. A word of caution though, this type of rice can be very filling to take it in slowly and in small portions to avoid over-eating.

Our choices on our second visit were not so spicy nonetheless, the Mango Lassi was still a star of the meal as it perfectly complemented our choice dishes.

Ambiance left a Bad Taste

Unlike our first visit where we enjoyed an Indian drama series, the servers this time played the adult movie American Pie which didn't suit the ambiance at all. It was also very uncomfortable to watch nudity scenes while enjoying our meal. How I wish the management could be more strict with the videos that they play during operating hours. It definitely left a bad taste despite the fact that the meal was pretty good.

It's a good thing that my sister and I are two grown woman who know just chose to ignore the movie playing in the background. Just imagine had it been a family with children dining that lunch hour, that would have been horrifying!

Do visit Indian by Nature for the meal but perhaps its best to just tell your server to turn the TV off to save you from viewing any indecent movies to ruin your meal.

Indian by Nature is located at the 2nd Level of Jupiter Place, Jupiter St., Makati City. Call them at 484-9629 for inquiries and/or reservations.