PNU is scored byclusters of Indian restaurants in its neighborhood. Youcould probably hit Tajmahal with a stone from Shabana, another Indianrestaurant in the area. We'll get to the others in due time. Tajmahal, as I've beentold by friends, has some of the best Indian food in Busan. After eating at Shabana,this posed some high standards for the night. You can't miss the place. It’s located on a busy walking street in PNU and is brightly lit upfrom the exterior. If, by chance, your gaze is focused on the street,stolen by the god damned army of high heels and neon shoes, have no fearof passing Tajmahal. Let yourself be lured in by the hybrid Indianfolk/techno music blaring in the streets. An oddly seductive Indianposter lady welcomes you into the staircase with a look that either says “Wehave sexy food” or “I will have sex with your food.” Either way you’reguaranteed a treat.
Inside, you havemany options for good seating. Most of the tables have a full window viewof night life going on outside while other seats are thoughtfully scatteredthroughout the dining room. We sat near an opened window. The techno and street life outside mixed with the Indian TV drama inside created a trifecta of immense musical confusion.
The menu wassimple, understandable and bountiful with options. Vegetarians, have nofear as there were many dishes to choose from. We settled on PaneerMasala, Palak Paneer, garlic and plain nan, and Samosas.
The Samosas werepretty good. The filling, although dominated by cumin, had a nice blendof potatoes, peas and other yummy things. The main dishes were served inyellow ceramic bowls topped off with a swirly design sauce. They weregarnished with onion chutney, jalapeño peppers and pickles. The PaneerMasala was very sweet and my dining partner, Bear, likened it to creamyCampbell’s Tomato Soup. A bit harsh but not all too far from the truth. The Palak Paneer was much better. It really embodied thedeep richness of the spinach. It had a good and strong “green” (as inchlorophyl) taste to it. Each dish had about 4 to 5 little hunks ofhomemade paneer cheese. Not nearly enough to satisfy this Wisconsinite. The Nan was good and garlicky. After the meal ourserver offered some complimentary Indian Tea which we greedily accepted. The Tea was the highlight to the whole meal. It was thick and rich and dark and a bit woody. Mmm.
The main dishesranged in price from 9,000 won to 18,000won. Our total was about 36,000won. Sadly I discovered my opinions of Taj Mahal differ greatly from my praise-giving friends. Not bad, though Iwouldn’t recommend the masala…
To get to Tajmahal take the subway Line 1 the to PNU and go out exit 1. Walk straightout, perpendicular to the subway tracks. Walk for about 1/2km thencontinue going straight through the 1st major street. Within 100m it willbe on your right on the second floor.
~k
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