Wineshark Mystery Restaurant - Prince and the Peacock

This Indian restaurant is located on the 2/F of Central Magistracy in Tai Kwun, and in prior visits to this historic former Central Police Station we had not been to this building. Today we came to experience how Chef Palash Mitra has pulled together the different cuisines from the Indian subcontinent to the dining table for us.

Seated at a table on the side, the grandeur space has a neat, cozy, and warm ambience, with the soft hanging lamps, wooden beams in the ceiling, plus the plants all creating a comfortable and relaxing atmosphere. The rattan and wooden chair, white tablecloth and shiny silverwares further highlight a colonial luxury in the setting.

Following the recommendation from the sommelier, I order a bottle of Weingut Tement Ehrenhausen Korallenkalk 2019 ($1,078), a Sauvignon Blanc from Austria. With a nice minerality of limestone and saline, good citrus of lemon and grapefruit, the wine is very fresh, with good acidity, matching well with most of the food we ordered.

Starting with Khushamdeed, which means ‘Welcome’, the Amuse Bouche includes three finger foods: Pani Puri, a hollow shell with some watercress puree and chickpeas inside, eaten by pouring some spice water in; Punjabi Chaat, a potato shell with a mixture of mashed pomegranate, mint, and coriander, plus some potato crisp on top.

The final one is Fish Kofta with the boneless shredded fish marinated with different Indian spices and made into a meatball before deep-frying, with a bit of mint mayonnaise on top. All the three snacks are delicious, with a wide range of flavours. They are so nicely done that I think these three should be on the menu for customers to order as well.

For the starters, we have picked two. The first one is Tamatar Kachori ($148). Served inside a crispy lentil chip, the kachori holds some tangy Japanese fruit tomatoes, green chilies and lemon, as well as Indian gooseberry, mixed with coriander, chutney and yogurt. Highly refreshing and appetizing. A great starter especially for summer season.

The other one is Quail Pepper Roast ($198). The quail has been deep-fried to crispiness and then cooked with a curry sauce with plenty of peppercorns. Together with some quail eggs and curry leaves to give nice fragrance, the staff also remind us that the chilies are super spicy. But if not eating them the curry is very tasty and manageable on spiciness.

Next, we have Tandoori Murgh Ka Soola ($338). The three yellow chicken legs have been marinated well with yellow chilies and cloves before grilling in tandoori under a high temperature. The chicken is extremely flavourful, with a touch of smokiness while the flesh remains tender. Served with lime and chutney, this is one of the best tandoori murgh I had.

For the main course, we start with Keema Mirch Masala ($228). The hand-shredded lamb meat is cooked with long chilies and turmeric, crispy onion shreds on top, with some chopped mint leaves and garlic for fragrance. It is best together with Parotta ($68), which are layered flat bread cooked on a griddle. My favourite dish in the meal.

The other main course is Meen Porichettu ($678). The plaice comes from France, and is served whole, with a sauce made from shallots, green peppercorns, and toddy vinegar. Another great dish as the seasoning and spices are just right, without masking the flavours of the fish. It is good to pair with Naan ($58), and we also had the Hara Salad ($108) too.

While we were very full, we could not resist the temptation to order dessert, ended up picking Sorbet of the Day ($128) to share. The seasonal Indian Mango Sorbet is nice, not too sweet, and the refreshing tastes help to cleanse our palate after the intense flavours of the dishes. A satisfying wrap-up of the meal.

Service is fantastic, with the staff very friendly and eager to help. The sommelier is knowledgeable about the wines, giving good suggestions on pairing. The bill on the night is $3,699. If you want to experience good Indian cuisine in a nice environment, Prince and the Peacock is probably my top recommendation.