Swagat indeed! 18 February 2006
A little trivia: swagat means “welcome” in the Hindi language. I added Swagat Indian Cuisine among my list of restos to try and we got lost in the muddle of the one-way streets of Makati. But the roundabout drive was well worth it.
The place is quite small, sparsely but tastefully decorated with authentic Indian items. I found the resto to be a little like a canteen with its white fluorescent lights and utilitarian plastic chairs and tables. Little ambiance despite the Bollywood videos blaring on the TV in the corner. Clean though. Good.
But no mind because I came for the food. And the food speaks for itself. There were so many choices that just going through the menu was an adventure in itself. More than 10 pages long, it was overwhelming and a bit mind-boggling if it weren’t for the detailed descriptions of each dish. But ask the waitress and they gladly accommodate your questions.
Now, before you even start giving your order to the Indian-garbed Filipino waitresses, make sure you order a lassi or yoghurt drink (even lactose intolerants can handle this)! Believe me, the lassis are to die for. I tried the rose lassi and immediately remembered that “beautiful” taste of Turkish delight! Fragrant with rose petals, I welcomed the sweet-sour creaminess hitting my throat. Rose lassis (ok, and mango and strawberry lassis) are now officially among my favorite drinks.
We also had mutton biryani – tender flavorful goat meat amix spices and basmati rice. Biryanis are like Filipino/Chinese fried rice but much much more exciting since Indian cooking uses so many different spices. And I am of the opinion that Indian biryanis that don’t use basmati rice just won’t make the (my) cut!
Then on to the matter paneer. I was turned on by the fact that Swagat makes its own cheese. It didn’t disappoint - the homemade cheese was similar to a firm Japanese tofu and was served with a thick curry (the taste of turmeric was pretty strong. The sweet green peas and fresh tomatoes contrasted beautifully in the dish. It worked wonderfully with the rotis (plain roti, buttered roti and a paratha).
For those who are not into too spicy food (or have small kids), no worries as you can request them to hold on the heat.
Dessert was such a treat. Couldn’t resist ordering a sweet paratha and downed that with kulfi, Swagat’s signature Indian ice cream. Very different from anything I’ve ever tasted, it was a rich and creamy spiced ice-cream (cinnamon and cloves, maybe) with chopped pistachios.
I think we went a little overboard with the ordering as I felt just a tad bloated after downing all that good food.
The restaurant and its owner Komal, apparently have quite a following in the Metro. I think the raves aren’t really that off tangent. The food is cooked fresh, especially for you, highlighting that this is home cooking. Everything is cooked by an Indian chef. The dishes claim to be authentic Indian (I really have no basis to say anything about authenticity, but Yeng who has been to India attests to it, and the two tables of Indians heartily enjoying their food during our visit, probably would too). And very, very affordable (spent about 800 pesos for all that food I mentioned here and no service charge either). I guess that I was just looking for a little more ambiance to match the great meal.
I ran across this resto from another blog and decided definitely to try it, given that (1) Prince of Jaipur is pricey, Bollywood In GB3 is quite commercial, and (2) I haven’t run across any other Indian restos in Metro Manila. If anyone knows of any good Indian restos, would it hurt to tip me off?
How Swagat fared:
Food – 4 stars | Service – 4 stars | Ambiance – 2 stars | Cleanliness – 4 stars
Go eat Indian at
Swagat Indian Cuisine
119 FCC Building, Rada Street, Legaspi Village, Makati City
Phone: (632) 752-5669
Fax: (632) 888-2560
Open from 9.00 am-11.00 pm (Mon-Sun)
http://www.swagatindiancuisineph.com
have you tried the Indian restaurants along UN Avenue, across the street from Unilever? there’s a couple of them, and they’re pretty darn good and “cost effective”. there’s a mini India-town there, and you’ll have a grand old time shopping for Indian snacks, curries, sauces, and Desserts!!!
wow, a Little India (ala Singapore) in Manila? gotta try it!
a lassi or yoghurt drink (even lactose intolerants can handle this)!
i think they call it “laban” in their language….
do they have indian version of a lentil soup? …..
laban? i’m not sure, maybe in another region … every indian resto i;ve tried calls a yoghurt drink a lassi.
dal you mean? maybe you can look at their menu, lots of lentil dishes there: try this link: http://swagatindiancuisineph.com/swagatmenu.htm
have never really tried indian food coz am scared of their spices. have tried nepalese one but did not quite enjoy it. perhaps when you get here we’ll be more adventurous!
yeah, it can be a little daunting, especially if you are so used to the straightforward tastes of filipino food. in one indian dish alone, they can use a minimum of 7 spices. i think that its really quite an adventure - imagine all the different curries alone!
i’ve tried indian cuisine once when we were in baguio about a year ago. it’s interesting but too spicy for my taste. but i did like their vegetarian bbq of some sort. it’s a bit expensive but i liked the ambience of the place. a friend recommended the restaurant to us. if i remember right, it’s called shanti.
i have an indian friend who will be visiting me next month. please tell me what restaurants in baguio city offer indian food as my friend does not like anything but indian food. please help!!!! jane