normal magazin nummer18 sommer

Die Menukarte bie- tet für alle etwas.

Ein Menu serviert mit dem typischen Naan-Brot, das im Tandoori-Ofen zubereitet wird. Dishes are served with the typi- cal naan bread accompaniment, prepared in the tandoori oven.

The menu offers some- thing for everyone.

Mit typisch indischen Accessoires dekoriert: der Spice Bazaar.

Typically Indian, the food is very fresh – all ingredi- ents used at Spice Bazaar come from local suppliers.

The mere thought of Indian food is enough to make some people break into a sweat. But Engelberg restaurant Spice Bazaar is dispelling many a myth about the cuisine and proving to its guests that Indian food doesn’t have to be hot and spicy. Give it a try – you might like it! When many Swiss diners think of an Indian restaurant, says Maja Sosic Lorenz, they pic ture a gloomy room with dark cur tains and tablecloths, speakers blaring loud Indian music, and waiters ser v ing up unpa latably spicy food. Maja is assistant manager of Hotel

the spices are impor ted f rom India.” De- pending on the season, between two and eight Indian chefs work in the Spice Bazaar kitchen. “They cook dishes they learned to make at home as children,” explains Maja. “They season the dishes with a mi x of 18 spices – using intuition, not a recipe. A European chef can’ t cook like that.” The idea that Spice Bazaar is f u ll of groups of Indian tourists is a lso fa lse, as they don’ t tend to eat at à-la-car te restaurants. “That ’s precisely why we initia lly didn’ t think an Indian restaurant wou ld work in Engelberg,” says tandoori oven. Another aspec t of Indian din- ing that many European guests initia lly f ind dif f icu lt is the drink selec tion. Indians tend to drink beer or tea with their food, whereas in Europe we are used to get ting a good glass of wine. “A light, simple and not overly f ruity wine is the per fec t accompaniment,” says Maja. There is even the option to order cheese fondue. “Some Swiss guests aren’ t quite ready to take on the more exotic dishes, so it is inter- esting for them to tr y a fondue prepared with Indian spices,” explains Maja. Such f usion dishes help to a llev iate some diners’ reser va- tions about Indian cuisine and prove that there are many more adjec tives to describe the food at Spice Bazaar than just “ hot ” and “spicy”. Maja. But this varied cuisine appea ls to a ll nationa lities. Par ticu larly popu lar, for example, are the dishes pre- pared in the traditiona l clay

Centra l, the home of Indian restaurant Spice Bazaar – and she’s up against a lot of prejudices. But anyone who decides to pay a v isit will abandon such stereo- types the moment they step

Spice Bazaar immediately dispels any myths about Indian cuisine.

through the door of this wholly dif ferent Indian restaurant. Spice Bazaar, which can seat 65 diners, is light, inv iting and tastef u lly decorated. “We wanted to show Indian cuisine in a new light,” says Manashni Anta lia, head of marketing at Hotel Centra l. The wait staf f are a lso genera lly not natives of India: “We are an authentic Indian restaurant, but the ser v ice is ver y Swiss,” explains Maja. The exper t adv ice dished out by the loca l wait staf f is of ten ver y gratef u lly received, she adds, as many diners are completely new to this type of cuisine. “We don’ t just ser ve spicy food and curr y,” says the young Engelberg native. “There are plenty of mild dishes, and guests can request milder versions of ever y item on the menu.” The Spice Bazaar a lso takes children into consideration, with a separate menu featuring a ll the usua l kids’ fare. Ever y thing at the restaurant is f resh ly prepared. “A ll the ingredients we use come f rom loca l suppliers,” says Manashni. “On ly

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gastronomie | food+drink

gastronomie | food+drink