It literally took me one bite to remind myself how much my palate has been craving for a diverse taste and texture. Don’t get me wrong, Filipino and western food will always be comfort but, at the end of the day, even our palates crave and yearn for something explosive.
Indian cuisine has truly etched its presence in the culinary realm. In every nook and corner, you’d find an Indian restaurant that will surely leave a lasting impression on your palate. Either North or South Indian cuisine, their dishes will have you eating with your bare hands in an instant.
The 5S Box Indian Restaurant’s menu is all about the colourful flavours of North Indian cuisine. North Indian cuisine, as enthusiastically explained by restaurant owner Noreen, is more on breads like naan, chapati and my personal favourite, paratha. Typical also on their repertoire is the butter chicken, palak paneer, chule bhature, aloo samosa and malai kulfi to name a few.
North Indian cuisine is known to be strongly influenced by Central Asian flavours and taste. As prevalent on 5S’s menu, the interplay and marriage of ingredients are subtle and very pleasing to the palate. Though strong in aroma, you’d find that the flavours of the dishes are somewhat familiar. Maybe because they too use ingredients we are acquainted with — one way or another.
The 5S Box Indian Restaurant has an overabundance of dishes that has since become a part of our taste buds. Not to be missed is their crispy chicken wings (pardon as I failed to ask of its name) that’s delicate yet bursting with flavours, chicken pops (every piece is coated with aromatic herbs and spices that has layers and layers of taste and flavour), cheese naan (this is simply heaven on every bite) and of course, my ultimate favourite in any Indian restaurant, aloo paratha.
Personally, I loved every bit of their vegetable biryani. It pairs well with the pops and even the paratha. Despite the bold flavours, you can still taste the different ingredients used. Truly, the nakedness of this dish is exemplary beautiful.
Capping the night off was an abundance of sweets on our table. Not to be missed is their kesar pista kulfi – a sweet medley of nuts, herbs and spices (of course, saffron!) used to flavour the kulfi (an Indian ice cream made of thickened milk, saffron and loaded with dry fruits and nuts. Denser than ice cream, the kulfi does not melt as fast as ice cream does). This I will recommend to one that has an adventurous palate. If you want a more subtle taste, go for their malai kulfi.
Owners Noreen and Parveez were even too kind to have us sample their garlic naan, butter chicken and malai kulfi. Adding to that, they allowed us inside their kitchen and look at their beautiful tandoor that came all the way from Dubai.
Go all out – when dining and exploring the depths of a cuisine unfamiliar to you. Do not be afraid to taste something new; to experience something new.
The 5s Box Indian Restaurant is located at Lot 495 Dr Gahol avenue, Near DMSF Bajada, Davao City.
