Kailash Parbat — Restaurant in Kowloon

We went there as a family of 3. We had to wait for around 30 min after arriving at around 20:15 hrs yesterday (Which was not too bad) They have limited space for waiting, however, the staff came across as very helpful and polite. When we were given our table, it turned out to be a table for 6 to 8. (It seemed like they were going solely by the chronological order of the arrival of guests rather than factoring in the number of people, which worked for us, I must say). Then, after waiting for almost 10 min, a waitress came to me to take the order and her first remark was "Aap sirf teen log hein aur aap yahan baithhe hein?" (Its just 3 of you and you are sitting on this table). I replied that we were given this table and we did not choose to sit here and asked her if she had a problem (curtly), to which she replied no. After giving our initial order and waiting for around 5 min thereafter, I spotted an empty table for 4. I told the gentleman managing the reservations that we would not mind shifting if it helped. to which he gladly obliged. The orders were extremely slow to arrive, but, I gave them the benefit of doubt that they had just started and needed time to get their act together (although, I personally wouldn't start a venture if I were not ready in all respects). The food was so-so, however, the presentation and the ambiance was very delightful. We were brought the wrong soup and the floor manager told us that it would take a long time to correct the order, and we then asked him to cancel it. I must say, he was extremely polite and apologised profusely. After a while, the rush had subsided, but, the service was still very slow. We finally asked for the cheque and I spotted an extra item. I brought it to the notice of the floor manager. He came back with the corrected cheque after a good 5 minutes. He then showed me the new cheque and the old one and said, I'm destroying the old one and threw it right next to the table. I found this a bit odd, if not offensive. I handed them my card (They accept AMEX, although there is a sign at the entrance that says "CASH ONLY"). I was returned my card after another 7 minutes and multiple requests. I ended up leaving without tipping (I usually tip at least 10 % over the service charge and 20% if there is no...

I LOVED their decor. Very colorfully spiffy. And the mix of colours seemed all in harmony. I haven't been to a lot of Indian restaurants in India that have the relatively contemporary scheme of looks, neither here in Hong Kong, actually. Hence this one looked and seemed all the more nice and sprightly to me.

For food, we skipped the mainstream chaat, went for the paav bhaji, vada pav, matar kachori. And a basic fried rice for the child.

Pav Bhaji Other than being a tad bit salty for me, the taste was quite on point. The husband didn't find the salt excess. But the consistency was too watery for the bhaji. We have our dal thicker than that at times!

The paraphernalia it came served in was good, but where's the candle to keep the bhaji warm. And speaking of warm, the bhaji didn't arrive piping hot. It bothers me much if the hot foods don't arrive 'hot'. The pav was very soft and tender, buttered well but it could've done with more toasting, but tasted just as well without being toasted much.

Matar Kachori This was a chaat version of matar kachori. The peas filling was chunky and flavourful, spicy. So was the chole masala, topped with tamarind chutney and yogurt. We'd have preferred a thin wrapper of the kachori, but it wasn't undercooked, so not too bad there.

Vada Pav Small-ish vadas. Though I did see the size go up on some other tables, but still not the vada pav size we're used to seeing :) They did a great job with the fried green chilies, smothering it with the garlic coconut chutney. And while the garli coconut chutney was superb on taste, some part of the coconut was a bit off (spoilt / rotten) and it was extra tangy for me. The hubster, again, didn't taste it in his piece. And he's the more discerning one of the two of us, so again, I'll give it to them.

Fried Rice Recently having read some soy sauces have some traces of wheat and with the child's homeopathic doctor having asked us to watch his diet, we asked for the fried rice without soy sauce. It was the server's recommendation, when we asked if they could do plain steamed rice for us for the child. Distinguishable rice grains, cooked to perfection. Reminded you much of that Indian-Chinese fried rice.

More photos and details on the blog....

Kailash Parbat is an international franchise of Indian vegetarian restaurants started on the streets of Karachi in the 1940s and landing in Mumbai with their first restaurant in 1952. They can now be found in 7 countries around the world including here in Hong Kong on the 3/F of the Multifield Plaza on Prat Avenue in TST. They have a fairly large, tidy and colourful seating area and are open from 12pm to 10pm daily. You can do take-away and delivery in the area as well.

Kailash Parbat are firstly known for their chaats but do a fairly wide range of other dishes including classic Indian street foods, curries, your expected range of rice, breads and desserts and others. They have Jain and Vegan items identified on the menu and offer a wide range of drinks.

During our recent meal, we found everything to be very good. The Lasooni Dal Tadka, a lentil based dish had nice subtle flavour. More enjoyed were the delightful Samosa Chaat and the excellently flavoured Paneer Kadai, a cottage cheese based curry. These two servings were delicious. Difficult to now reorder next time we eat at Kailash Parbat. Many other good looking dishes on their menu which you can view on their website.

In the end, there are a handful of really good Indian restaurants in the TST area of the city. Kailash Parbat is a really good option for those seeking vegetarian eateries in this area...