Coastal cuisine

Having grown-up in Bombay, India, I know that there is much more to Indian cuisine than curry. Jhol, the latest entrant to Bangkok's Indian dining scene is here to push forward that fact.

Under the helm of well-known restaurateur and executive chef Hari Nayak, Jhol, which means mischief on the west coast and curry on the east coast, serves coastal Indian cuisine. In fact, this is Nayak's first coastal-themed Indian restaurant. "I grew up on the west coast of India, in the city of Udupi, Mangalore, and grew up eating food that is much different from Indian food served in restaurants. At Jhol, I try to showcase what I grew up eating and to show that there is more to Indian food than what you see out there today," says Nayak.

From the coast of Gujarat in the west to West Bengal in the east, the menu is a blend of traditional regional and progressive delicacies, using the best of seasonal Thai produce. The menu is designed to be shared as that is how food is eaten in India. Every meal begins with an amuse-bouche of alu chaat, which is a potato puri (deep-fried potato souffle) stuffed with potato and peanuts, and flavoured with three chutneys, yoghurt, tamarind and mint. The entire puri is topped with thin sev, which is fine strips of fried chickpea flour, almost like angel hair pasta.

Since I began the meal with Indian chaat, I ordered the pani puri (290 baht). The potato puri is stuffed with avocado and julienned jicama. The pani, which means water in Hindi, is usually a tangy mix of coriander and mint in tamarind water mixed with other spices. But because Jhol uses local ingredients, the pani is made with passion fruit. "A fruity explosion in your mouth," says head chef Suresh DC and I would agree, though for my palate it needed a bit of a chilli punch.

From the vegetarian and vegan small plates menu, the "mini appam" (380 baht) called out to me. Appams are savoury pancakes made with fermented rice batter and coconut milk, which are generally big. Delicious little boats filled with soya keema (mince) and raw jackfruit topped with kaffir lime cream and crispy purple potato fronds for crunch.

Mini appam.

The masala maska bun (190 baht), which are soft butter maska buns are traditionally made in Irani cafes in Bombay. The mini buns, which are baked together, are filled with a potato mixture and served with pav bhaji flavoured butter, sprinkled with a spice mix. The iconic street food dish of Bombay aka Mumbai, pav bhaji is a thick vegetable mash served with buns, where the word pav means buns and bhaji referring to vegetables. The stuffed buns took me back to my college days where outside every college in Bombay stands a sandwich vendor, who makes the best-spiced potato sarnies. Jhol's masala maska buns are so, so good that I almost cried when the waitress took away the dish with one last bun remaining. Sob.

A staple along the Konkan (west) coast is sol kadi, a digestive drink made with kokum (Garcinia Indica, a plant in the mangosteen family) and coconut milk. It is one of my favourite things to drink on a hot day, so I was delighted seeing it on the menu. The sol kadi ceviche (470 baht) is local sea bass served in sol kadi with crispy ginger, Thai chillies and shallots. Yum!

To maintain a good balance of spice and make sure the menu caters to everyone's tastes, the spicy prawn koliwada (470 baht) is a dish that appeals to my palate. A salad lightly tossed in yoghurt is served on a rice crisp and some prawns tossed in chilli is served in a pot with curd rice aka yoghurt rice underneath. Eat the crisp first and then dig into the prawns and curd rice, which is heavenly. This dish comes from the Kolis (fishermen) in India and the curd rice comes from the southern Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, where it is a staple.

Another dish that I am a big fan of is the kerala mutton roast (490 baht), which is goat cooked with black pepper, coconut shoot and chillies from Karnataka called Byadi chillies. Though not spicy, these chillies impart a unique flavour to the dry roasted meat, which is served on a Malabar paratha and pickled shallots. One of my favourite dishes on this menu!

Ghee roast chicken.

The ghee roast chicken (520 baht) is a dish that used to be cooked by Nayak's grandmother when she was expecting guests. I knew it was legit as soon as it arrived at my table when the aroma wafting off it hit me. The Kundapur masala used in this dish is from the Konkan region and it is served with coconut and coriander chutney. The accompanying crispy cone-shaped dosa is so good and goes well with the chicken.

To end the mains, I chose the daab chingri (620 baht), which originates from West Bengal and is essentially a prawn curry (daab meaning coconut and chingri meaning prawn). The dish at Jhol is cooked and served traditionally, in a tender coconut shell. The coconut meat, scooped out from the shell, is cooked in curry paste of kashundi (a mustard relish from Bengal), coconut water and spices. The prawns are cooked in the curry while in the coconut under dum ("taking in air" in Hindi), which simply means sealing the top with flour so it steams in its own flavours. Served with lovely long-grained Basmati, the dish has a distinct flavour of mustard.

At Jhol, Indian desserts are given a modern twist. The tender coconut kheer (290 baht), a take on the local mango sticky rice, is served with rabri, a sweet thick milk churned into ice cream, kheer or rice pudding and a mango gel disk.

Kulfi or the Indian frozen dessert was first made in the 16th century, and at Jhol it is flavoured with mango. The mango kulfi (290 baht) is a beautiful dish, with the kulfi shaped like a flower. Served with chocolate soil, pistachio crumbles and blueberry gel, the dessert also has a kaffir lime cream and a sugar shard. I didn't care much for all the frills and fancies, and preferred to eat my kulfi as it was. Made using the pulp of the Indian "king of mangoes", the Alphonso, it took me back to my childhood summers when many a mango was eaten in various forms. What a delightful way to end the meal!

Jhol offers affordable luxury; it is an upmarket restaurant but the prices are casual. Those worried about social distancing should have no fear as tables are well spaced out and there is even a small outdoor dining area. Cocktails are a delicious mix of Indian and Thai, and I suggest the Mekhong whisky (380 baht) from The Siam Collective and the Raabta from the Fruit Forward (380 baht) sections.