The Only Indian Restaurant in Tbilisi

Rumor and hearsay told of a magical, mobile Indian restaurant that, over the past decade, has flitted, Brigadoon-like, through such diverse locations as Sololaki, Vake, and Saburtalo. This transient establishment – which had a tendency to shut down and reopen without warning or explanation – was called the New Delhi.

Buzz around the New Delhi was promising. A gourmand friend in the Peace Corps reported that it was dressed down, but tasty and authentic, and pointed out its approximate location on my woefully inadequate purple plastic Tbilisi city map. People referred to it as “the” Indian restaurant, and as recently as the autumn of 2006, “the” Indian restaurant was spotted in Saburtalo.

I was saving my trek to Saburtalo for a rainy day. Unfortunately, my rainy day fell after the New Delhi had pulled up its roots once again. After hours of beating the pavement and ducking in and out of patently Georgian restaurants on Gamrekeli Street – where the New Delhi last opened its doors—I was forced to accept that I’d missed it. The New Delhi had moved on.

My quest for the New Delhi had made me a bit myopic about this week’s column. It had to be about Indian food. Had to. And so I headed to what I believe is now the only Indian restaurant in Tbilisi: Maharaja.

It was with slumped and defeated shoulders that I entered Maharaja. I despondently took in its muted Asiatic wood-and-fabric decor ordered a mango “lassy.”

The lassi was pert and refreshing, and promised a good consolation meal. I called for backup. When backup arrived, we checked out the menu, which to our surprise was only in English. This seemed a bad sign, but we went ahead and ordered vegetable samosas, “palak panel,” keema (ground mutton) curry, and chicken masala.

The vegetable samosas (GEL 3) were served with a side of ketchup – another bad sign—and a small dish of watery mint chutney. The samosas themselves were filled with a texturally adventuresome mix that seemed to include chickpeas, potatoes, raisins, walnuts, peas, walnuts and cilantro. They were certainly nourishing, but a bit on the heavy side. The “palak panel” (GEL 8), known elsewhere as palak paneer, featured plump cubes of soft white cheese swimming in emerald-green spinach sauce; this was a pretty dish with good mouth-feel, but it was a little bland. The chunky chicken masala had a decent kick of spices to it, but the chicken was tough – a far cry from the creamy, tender meat I was hoping for. The keema curry was quite a bit like a meat chili, but perhaps it was supposed to be that way.

Maharaja is a very pleasant and cozy restaurant. Though their dishes – at least the ones we tried – fell short of scrumptious, and the service was a little cold, the restaurant interior is sumptuous and intimate, with low lighting and rich textiles providing a nice dining environment. Main dishes (GEL 12-20) come in modest portions – definitely order a side of bread or plenty of rice to make this a substantial meal.

And if anyone knows where the New Delhi has gone – or if it is coming back – please spread the word. Email info@georgiatoday.ge with “New Delhi” in the subject line.

Indian Restaurant “Maharajah”
24 Akhvlediani (aka Perovskaya), Tbilisi
Tel: 99 97 99
Published in Georgia Today, 16 Mar 2007.