Curried Away

I don’t know whether it’s because I live in Korea (where there is a wealth of choices and possibilities) or if I’m just generally indecisive but I can never decide where I want to eat. When I’m in that kind of mood, I’m searching for the perfect food in the perfect place and I won’t settle for anything else.

Enter “Agra.” Agra is hands down my current most favorite Indian restaurant. Not only does it provide an extensive menu with quality authentic dishes, but also an impressive elegant dine-in experience.

I love Agra’s interior design. The inside is themed with rich creams, reds, browns and golds trimmed with crystal curtains and lamps. The entrance is lined with crystal chandeliers suspended over sparkling pools of water. Private curtained rooms (which are available through reservations) overlook the main dining area, which is fixed with comfortable leather seating and simple clean-cut linens. The dim lighting and lit candles not only set an intimate mood, but also really make the room sparkle. You’ll feel like you’ve left Korea and entered an elegant foreign palace for dinner.

To be honest, when I first walked in I thought for sure I would need to have a reservation to get in or that it would be so expensive that the menus wouldn’t even display prices on them. Luckily that was not the case. While it is a bit on the pricey side, the prices are very reasonable for the quality of food, the atmosphere and the services that you get. 

The menu is really impressive. They organize their curries according to the main ingredient (beef, chicken, pork, lamb), then break them down by level of spiciness and curry base (white/cream or red/tomato).  I recommend the lamb curries, which are absolutely delicious and always have generous portions of lamb mixed in. While the cream curry is really exquisite, I really love the richness found in the tomato based curries. The lamb masala curry (my favorite dish) has the ideal blend perfectly tender lamb and rich red curry. It is not too spicy and the aroma that permeates from it is truly mouthwatering. It’s as though you can smell each ingredient; truly a dish to satisfy the senses. With so many combinations there is sure to be at least one dish to suit anyone’s taste, but if curry isn’t your thing there are also a number of non-curry entrees, appetizers and side dishes such as tandoori chicken, samosas, naan, etc. One thing that you absolutely have to try is the mango naan. It’s unique sweet taste compliments the flavor of any curry (speaking from experience of course). There is also a dessert menu which I am yet to try since I am always stuffed after the rice, curry and naan, but I will definitely be exploring that next time. 

Whether you are on a dinner date or just going out to lunch with some friends, this spice infused elegant atmosphere will definitely give you the perfect setting for some catching up or getting-to-know-you’s. So if you are ever in one of those unsatisfiable moods, Agra will surely “curry” you away. Happy Eating!