CULTURE

Indian victory

Jai Hind // Ulitsa Ryleyeva 17/19, Tel: 272 1990 // Menu in Russian and English // Open daily from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. // Dinner for two with alcohol: 1,360 rubles ($45)

By Shura Collinson

Staff Writer

Considering the size and diversity of St. Petersburg’s dining scene, Indian cuisine is disappointingly underrepresented in the city. Furthermore, the city’s only two real Indian restaurants — Tandoor and Tandoori Nights — are located in the same building at the beginning of Voznesensky Prospekt, geographically limiting the availability of one of the most delectable cuisines in the world even further.

The opening of Jai Hind, which means “Victory to India,” at the very end of last year was therefore extremely welcome news. Unlike the duo located opposite the Admiralty, which are similar in price and most other things, Jai Hind has positioned itself as more of a cafe than a restaurant, and has sensibly opened at the other end of the city center on Ulitsa Ryleyeva, just a few doors down from the Indian Consulate.

If the amateur reviews on local web sites are anything to go by, few visitors have been impressed by the interior of Jai Hind. Indeed, those who frequent St. Petersburg’s most glamorny cafes and restaurants may feel a little out of place in its brown, velour-dominated surroundings. But they should remember that Jai Hind has no Ginza Project-style aspirations — it is an unpretentious cafe with an interior and prices to match.

Others would argue that the setting is really quite cozy and agreeable. The cafe consists of two compact rooms, the first of which contains eight tables, including two comfortable booths on one side. The second is even smaller and would be a good place for a private celebration for up to 16 guests. The dark carpet, copper-colored tablecloths and stacked slate-effect walls combine with the mock fire on the wall beside a corner bar and a disco ball on the ceiling to create an overall ’70s-effect, enhanced by the beaded curtains that divide the two rooms and separate off the small corridor leading to the toilet.

Overall, the atmosphere is relaxed and welcoming, almost like being in someone’s living room. This impression was added to by the small electric heaters dotted about the room. Again, you probably wouldn’t expect to see such a thing at some swanky new place — where you would be expected to shiver and bear it instead — but they ensured the bitter cold stayed firmly outside.

The warmest welcome, however, came from the cafe’s charming waitress, who was dressed in a white sari with jeans underneath (the elegance of the sari cannot be topped, but it clearly didn’t evolve to be worn in temperatures approaching minus 20 degrees Celsius.) The waitress was thoroughly helpful and pleasant throughout the evening — a far cry from the cold politeness that is usually the most to be hoped for from local wait staff. When Baltika beer turned out to be temporarily unavailable, she brought us more expensive Carlsberg but promised we would only be charged the price of a Baltika (90 rubles, $3, for half-a-liter.)

The menu at Jai Hind is big, without being overwhelming. Tomato soup with ginger and garlic (130 rubles, $4.30) is recommended in the menu as a cure for colds — sure to be popular at this time of year. Slightly creamy, it was spicy and comforting — the perfect warm-up. Hot and sour soup with vegetables and spices (160 rubles, $5.30) was packed with onion, cabbage, chili and other vegetables and was as spicy as our waitress had promised — the chef at Jai Hind is happy to make dishes more or less spicy, depending on diners’ tastes.

For main course, Murgh tikka (360 rubles, $12) was deliciously dry and tender, and nicely offset by a salad of cucumber, cabbage and lemon. Vegetable jalfraize (250 rubles, $8.30) was so rich and hearty that it regrettably proved impossible to finish — especially after devouring crispy garlic naan bread (70 rubles, $2.30.)

Even the plasma TV was for once a welcome addition, showing a mixture of Bollywood films and Indian MTV that were in pleasant contrast to the snow and ice outside the window. With that in mind, milky, slightly piquant Indian masala tea (90 rubles, $3) was a perfect ending to the meal and suitable preparation for heading back into the snowy streets.

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