Indian Host

What does one do upon returning to Bangkok after having lived and studied in India for 14 years, only to find that the tastes and spices, so dearly loved and enjoyed in Delhi, are missing from the city’s restaurant scene?

Go to the Indian Host profile...

The answer, for the owners of Indian Host, is to take it upon yourself to recreate and share the flavors and savory aromas of the dishes you have come to love—meticulously and exactingly crafting them to gastronomic perfection. And Bangkok is all the better for the effort—Indian Host is an award-winning restaurant that takes its place in a previously unfilled niche.

Indian Host is conveniently located in the Grand Mercure Park Avenue Hotel on Sukhumvit Soi 22, between BTS stations Phromphong and Asoke. The beautifully decorated restaurant has the benefit of a glass ceiling and ample windows, creating a spacious, modern and light-filled interior. As the name suggests, the comfortable seating and attentive wait-staff make Indian Host a warm and wonderful place to enjoy a leisurely meal of authentic Mughlai and North Indian cuisine or Indian style Chinese food with friends, family, or out of town guests. Indian Host offers an unexpected contrast to the typical dark and carpeted interior of conventional Indian restaurants, but as lovely as it is, really, who eats at a restaurant for its décor?

At Indian Host, the focus is on the food. Authenticity reigns supreme and the Indian chefs take great pride in recreating some of the most delicious dishes from their home country. The menu is extensive and emphasizes on traditional recipes executed with great care. Five things stand out at Indian Host, making it particularly unique here in Bangkok.

First and foremost, their wide array of dishes (both vegetarian and non-vegetarian) is cooked in a clay oven called the “Tandoor” resulting in amazing Tandoor feasts. Second, their fine execution of Indian style Chinese food compels diners to forego their usual run of the mill dishes. Third is the wide selection of vegetarian fare, which is so fully flavored, well spiced and rich that even die-hard carnivores won’t miss the meat. Fourth, the oft overlooked Tandoori baked Indian breads, which Indian Host has managed to perfect, are really the best in our fine city and rivals the bread found in fine Indian establishments in India. And last but not least, their attention to detail.

The menu features food from the Northern region of India, called Mughlai — dishes that were once served to royalty, the Mughal Emporers, and available nowadays for enjoyment of everyone. Guests would be remiss not to try one of their renowned mutton dishes, especially the Kabuli Raan, a signature dish. Another favorite amongst diners is the Mutton Authority, which was created especially for the Indian Host menu. Proprietor, Ravi Bhatia explained that while living in Delhi more than 20 years ago, this was one of his favorite street-stall meals. Back in Bangkok he tirelessly worked on the recipe, along with his chefs, to recreate and perfect this mutton dish for the guests of Indian Host.

A few more must-trys are the Tandoori Kebabs and the Daal. Daal is actually a very simple food made from lentils, but at Indian Host they are stewed overnight so that the taste blends into the whole dish. The Daal Makhani is a fabulously buttery dish that melts in your mouth, and it has become quite famous amongst Indian ex-pats living in Bangkok.

Indian Host has a wide selection of wines from many countries as well. While most patrons are familiar with “curry and beer” combination, Indian Host strives to educate people about Kebab and Wine pairings. Diners can enjoy the kebabs with their preferred choice of wines.

As for desserts, they have a wide offering of treats and sweets - our litmus test is the ubiquitously served Gulab Jamun, made of deep fried dough dumplings soaked in cardamom and rose water flavored syrup --and BOOM! They nailed it--just the right texture, sweetness and portion size. Their Kulfi an Indian style ice cream and the Gajar Halwa, a dish made from carrots cooked with milk, are excellent too.

Indian Host has done a remarkable job of catering to each niche in the Indian food market - everything is authentically Indian and hails from India - the chefs, the Tandoor, and ingredients. It is a place where diners can easily spend hours, leisurely enjoying the atmosphere, amazing food, and wine.