Jewel of India

Santiago doesn’t boast a great many options for finding legitimate Indian or Pakistani cuisine. But there a few restaurants, a few old mainstays and a few new arrivals, that give those seeking a change of pace from completos and lomito sandwiches in their dining-out regime.

And apparently, that change of pace is something Santiaguinos and visitors alike are looking for since Jewel of India, in Providencia, and Rishtedar, another restaurant featuring Indian cuisine that we recently reviewed, were poached at the #6 and #5 spots, out of almost 5,000 restaurants reviewed by consumers on Tripadvisor.com.

Jewel of India operates in a converted residence on Manuel Montt near XXX. The majority of the seating for diners is on the back-lawn that’s been converted to large covered terrace. The tables surround a huge tree trunk that ascends through tarp covering the rear terrace.

The cuisine is quite traditional, featuring all the mainstays of Indian cuisine. I was dining with two companions, so we were able to sample a wide variety of both vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes. For the appetizer, we ordered the eight-piece fried vegetarian platter (1.B.12 on the Indian food encyclopedia they call a menu). Tasty indredients. Well executed.

I’m fairly certain that rather than using imported Indian cheese, they use local queso fresco, but, nevertheless, the paneer dish was very good as was the vegetarian meatball dish, the Malai Kofta. The dishes with the sauces are all served in the traditional decorative brass or copper bowls. The accompanying basmati rice was perfectly prepared.

Service was very good. The ambiance very pleasant. The prices were reasonable with the non-vegetarian mains ranging between 10,000 and 12,500 pesos.

Jewel of India is the best choice west of Tobalaba for Indian cuisine, with a pleasant ambiance, a well-executed menu of Indian classics, and attentive and informative service. For those out in the foothills of Vitacura and La Dehesa, check out our review of Rishtedar, another first-class choice for Indian cuisine in Santiago.