La Porte des Indes

Soups & Starters

Soups

• Mizoram£9.00

  Rich wholesome soup of chicken and vegetables garnished with coriander leaves

• Dakshin£9.00

  A Southern lentil soup, enhanced with roasted spices, curry leaves and fresh lime

Starters

• Venison Rasoul£12.00

  Spiced venison encased in crisp flaky pastry and served with a tangy fruit chutney

• Foie Gras£15.00

  Tandoori seared, served on a crisp honey naan bread with a fig and ginger chutney

• Pepper Crabs£14.00

  Soft shell crabs with garlic and black pepper with a ginger and green mango sauce

• Demoiselles de Pondichéry£15.00

  Large juicy grilled king scallops with a hint of garlic in a mild saffron sauce

• Salad du Métis£9.00

  A salad of mixed leaves, tomatoes, mushrooms, banana flower and strips of chicken breast in a tamarind dressing

• Souvenirs des Indes£19.00

  Simply delicious! A chance to savour all of the above starters

• Sunhere Samosa£10.00

  Golden triangles of minced chicken and vegetables. Served with mango chutney

• Chard Pakoras£9.00

  Crunchy green and red chard and water chestnut pakoras with gramflour, green chillies, coriander, turmeric and caraway seeds

• Parsee Fish£16.00

  Fillets of lemon sole encased in a mint and coriander chutney and lightly steamed in banana leaves

• Rubiyan Jhinga£18.00

  Wild catch tiger prawns marinated with garlic, star anise and coriander.Smoked in the tandoor and served with a fresh red chilli sauce

• Crab Malabar£13.00

  A warm salad of crabmeat and corn, spiked with mustard, turmeric and fresh curry leaves. Presented in its own shell

• Bombay Chaat£9.00

  Popular vegetarian roadside fare of melt-in-the-mouth snacks, drizzled with yoghurt, chutneys and gram flour crisps

• Murgh Malai Kebab£13.00

  Chicken tikkas marinated with cream cheese, mace and fresh green peppercorns, grilled in the tandoor

• Roasted Chilli Seekh Kebab£13.00

  Luscious lamb kebabs with smoked chilli, sun-dried tomatoes, and herbs, complemented with a fruit chutney

• Perles des Indes£18.00

  A panorama of our finest starters recommended by the chef

Tandoori grills

• Chicken Tandoori£12.00

  The classic grilled chicken marinated in traditional spices, perfumed with mustard oil and fenugreek

• Barra Lamb Chops£26.00

  Best end of British lamb marinated with browned onions, yoghurt and garam masala, chargrilled to perfection and served with a mint chutney

• Achari Salmon£24.00

  Salmon steaks rolled in mustard, fennel, chillies, and aniseed

• Lobster Peri Peri£40.00

  Fresh lobster marinated in natural yoghurt, garlic, chilli flakes, garam masala and chargrilled whole in shell accompanied by a garlic naan bread

• Tandoori Mixed Grill Platter£35.00

  A selection of our popular grills served with accompanying dips and naan bread

Main courses

• Cassoulet de Fruits de Mer£32.00

  A rich seafood stew of monk fish fillets, scallops, prawns, crab claws and squid with local vindai spices and laced with coconut cream. The equivalent of a French Bouillabaisse and often eaten in Pondicherry with steamed rice

• Policha Meen£29.00

  Grilled sea bass marinated with green pepper, garlic and shallots, enveloped in banana leaves and served with tomato 'rougail'. A recipe from the house of Mme Blanc, the "Grande Dame" of Pondichèry

• Crevettes Assadh£30.00

  Wild catch Tiger prawns simmered in a mild coconut curry with green mangoes, turmeric, green chillies and ginger. Finished with a tempering of whole mustard seeds and fresh curry leaves

• Magret de Canard Pulivaar£24.00

  Tender Barbary duck breast fillets served pink with a spicy tamarind sauce, subtly spiced with vadavam and unique to the Creole community of Pondicherry. Mme Lourde Swamy's ancestral recipe

• Poulet Rouge£25.00

  Chicken fillets marinated in yoghurt and red spices, grilled and served in a creamy sauce. Spécialité de notre maison

• Chumude Karaikal£27.00

  Stir fried Hereford beef tenderloin with roasted cinnamon, aniseed, coriander, fennel, cloves, black pepper and coconut chips

• Kari de Mouton£26.00

  Home style goat meat curry spiked with robust spices and laced with coconut milk. Mme David Annuswamy's cherished family recipe. Best enjoyed with lacy fried rice pancakes or steamed red rice

• Guinea Fowl Mahe£24.00

  Stir fried guinea fowl fillets dry roasted with smoked red chillies, aromatic South Indian spices, mustard seeds, caramelised shallots and fresh green curry leaves

• Lasooni Jhinga£27.00

  A royal marriage of king prawns and green garlic and tossed with dry red chillies and whole 'kadai' spices

• Kerala Meen Curry£28.00

  Monkfish simmered in a rich spicy curry of coconut, chillies, coriander, roasted spices and smoked tamarind

• Roast Black Cod£35.00

  Black cod marinated in fennel, chilli, mustard, honey, tamarind, rice vinegar wrapped in banana leaves and flame grilled

• Chicken Tikka Masala£24.00

  Where the humble tikka masala varies from one home to another, we present our own exclusive recipe of succulent chicken tikkas in masala

• Dhaba Murgh£24.00

  Exquisite Punjabi country fare of tender chicken braised with tomatoes, red onions, herbs and native spices

• Roganjosh£25.00

  Slow braised British lamb with aromatic spices from Kashmir. Undoubtedly a prince among curries!

• Hyderabadi Lamb Biryani£29.00

  Leg of lamb marinated with mint, coriander and pomegranate seeds, layered with Basmati rice in an earthenware pot with caramelised onions, saffron and quail egg. Served with a pomegranate raita

Accompaniments

• Pomegranate Raita£6.00

  Natural yoghurt with fresh pomegranate kernels with a touch of cumin and paprika

• Bombay Aloo£9.00

  Seed potatoes tossed with smoked red chillies, tomatoes and fresh coriander

• Saag Paneer£9.00

  A traditional dish of leaf spinach and cottage cheese sautéed in butter with green chillies and ginger

• Dhal Makhani£13.00

  Black and white lentils slow cooked with red kindney beans and spices, enriched with cream

• Tadka Dhal£10.00

  Home style tempered yellow lentils

• Desi Salad£5.00

  Spring onions, plum tomatoes, greens, lime and fresh green chillies

• Steamed Basmati Rice£5.00

  Fluffy white long grained Basmati rice

• Kesaria Pillav Rice£5.00

  Saffron flavoured aromatic Basmati pillav rice

• Red Rice£5.50

  Steamed organic red rice

• Le Pain Créole£6.00

  Pan-fried lacy rice flour pancakes, a speciality from Pondicherry

• Naan£4.00

  Tandoori baked bread of leavened dough in a classic teardrop shape

• Tandoori Roti£4.00

  Wholemeal unleavened bread

• Laccha Paratha£4.00

  Rich flaky bread enriched with butter

• Kulcha£5.50

  Naan breads with a filling of your choice – Mango and Coconut, Onion and Garlic, Chilli and Coriander, Three Cheese, Fruit and Nuts, Herb Potatoes and Spiced Lamb

• Venison Kheema Naan£7.00

  Richly spiced venison with red onions, green chillies, ginger and fresh corainder

• Bread and Basket£12.00

  Chefs selection of three of his favourite breads