Entree

AS GOOD AS IT GETS

Inder Pal Singh, who honed his skills in his Kohinoor restaurant in Mexico City, has done even better at his Bay Leaf restaurant in San Jose, California, says Jessi Kaur, who visited both eateries.

Afew years ago I visited Mexico City with my family and stumbled upon an Indian restaurant, Kohinoor, in the heart of the commercial district. Long afterwards, my 12-year-old boy remembered the food he ate there more than the sites he saw or the beautiful mix of Aztec and Spanish culture he experienced. This was not because he was culturally immune, but because the Indian food we had in Mexico was in a different league from what one usually finds in the San Francisco Bay Area. There is no dearth of Indian restaurants in Northern California, but even now we could still savor the flavors created by the chefs of Kohinoor, and wished the owners would bring the culinary wonders they created closer to home.

The genie of restaurants apparently smiled upon us and, voila, Inder Pal Singh, the entrepreneur and restaurateur of Kohinoor’s huge success south of the border, opened a restaurant right here in San Jose called Bay Leaf. We wondered whether our expectations would be fulfilled or belied by his new venture. The Indian repast we had had in Mexico had become the yardstick against which our family measured all Indian restaurants.

North Indian food, like the region it comes from, is bold, robust, spicy and diverse. It can challenge your palette with its valiant spices, or melt in your mouth with surprising tenderness, or take you to a timeless place with its lingering flavors. It is food with a heart. The danger, though, is that an overdose of spices can destroy the uniqueness of each dish. Very often, in Indian restaurants, everything tastes the same.

Eager to find out if Bay Leaf was able to maintain the integrity of each dish as Kohinoor had in Mexico City, we ventured forth.

Upon entering Bay Leaf, soft lights deflected from the faux-finished ochre walls where tanchoors softly glowed with the grandeur of past years. The Aztec print tablecloths lent a Mediterranean charm, making the ambience more eclectic than Indian. Towards the back, defined by a fine arch, was what appeared to be a well endowed bar.

With our palates ready, our relatively large group of family and friends sampled quite a few of Bay Leaf’s scintillating specialties. For starters we ordered the Vegetable Samosas and Paneer Pakoras. The samosas were flaky on the outside and soft and spicy on the inside; the Paneer Pakoras, deep fried to a golden brown, were crunchy without being greasy. The freshly made cheese melted in the mouth, and the tamarind and mint chutnies that accompanied the appetizers were tantalizingly sweet and sour.

From the tandoor we ordered the Chicken Tikka, Fish Tikka and Lamb Seekh Kabob. The juicy and moist Chicken Tikkas were a delight, as they practically melted in the mouth, leaving behind a trail of flavors that makes for succulent memories. The fish was firm and fresh. The Seekh Kabobs with their rich and robust spices paid a hearty tribute to their mughlai heritage. For those who shy away from red meat, Chicken Seekh Kabobs are also offered.

We also enjoyed the Chicken Makhani, boneless pieces of chicken breast cooked in a clay oven and simmered in a creamy tomato sauce, with Kurmi Naan, a Bay Leaf specialty flavored with garlic and a blend of spices and baked fresh in the clay oven. A large selection of vegetarian dishes is also on the menu, including a particularly refreshing Bell Pepper and Paneer dish.

To cap it all, we sampled the Kulfi, Rasmalai and Carrot Kheer, deciding that the fragrant and not-too-rich Carrot Kheer was the last word in desserts.

Owner Inder Pal stopped by at our table to make sure that everything was to our satisfaction, while his wife, Inder Preet, hovered quietly in the background ensuring that every item was elegantly served at all the tables. A tall, handsome man, Inder Pal has a polite presence and strong desire to please his guests. He made the visit to Bay Leaf seem more like we were visiting family than eating at a restaurant.

Inder Pal and his brother Jasjit Singh are amongst the largest importers of garments in Mexico City, where Jasjit Singh still resides. “We come from a family that loves food; getting into the restaurant business is not a mere profit-making venture for us,” says Inder Pal. “It extends our passion for food to the world.”

“Healthy food,” Inder Preet interjects with a smile.

A stickler for health, Inder Preet ensures that the right amount of oil is used in all the dishes. Bay Leaf uses either olive oil or vegetable oil for its preparations.

Inder Pal occasionally invites his guests to check out the kitchen at Bay Leaf. “A kitchen is the soul of the restaurant,” he says. And having the guests visit the kitchen keeps the staff on their toes.

Inder Pal takes so much pride in the kitchen at Bay Leaf perhaps because he is also the head chef. Trained and certified by the Institute of Hotel Management Catering and Nutrition, a premier culinary institute in New Delhi, Inder Pal is a stickler for service just as much as he is passionate about food.

He visits every table even during peak hours to ensure the satisfaction of his guests and, if per chance, he finds a dish not up to par with his expectations, he does not hesitate to send it back to the kitchen.

“I want my restaurant to be a place of relaxation and culinary delight where guests come expecting excellence and get it,” he says earnestly.

Several of the dishes at Bay Leaf are his personal creations. The Hara Bhara Tikka is an Inder Pal original. The Naans at Bay Leaf are wonderfully flaky and tender, which, he explains beaming from ear to ear, are dependent on the consistency of flour, the precise mix of ingredients, the right yeast, and the exact temperature of the oven. Commenting on his Mughlai dishes, Inder Pal explains: “It’s all in the pinch. A pinch more or a pinch less of the right masala can make or unmake a dish.”

Bay Leaf lives up to its logo when it proclaims: “Taste a Piece of India.” They serve you a piece of India with flair and style in an ambiance of comfort and understated sophistication, a piece of India that is alluring, irresistible and completely satisfying.

Bay Leaf is located at 2550 Berryessa Road, San Jose, CA 95132, Tel. 408-595-2089 (www.bayleafcuisine.com).