Every year, I have the…let’s just say “honor” of visiting Richmond Hill for a conference, and every year I have a brief opportunity to sample its local restaurants. After a depressing encounter with a local sushi restaurant earlier in the evening, and despite nearing my digestive limit, I insisted on finding something better. That would be Adrak, and yes, it was better, and not marginally, but better like Mad Max: Fury Road being better than Transformers 4, like Texas barbecue being better than a rotten skunk found in the septic tank of a slaughterhouse. Hungry?
A year ago, I had just missed their grand opening. Hell, I thought it was closed now, as one door was locked. Inside I found posh fine Indian dining, a rarity I admit. Although one could accuse Adrak’s décor as being inconsistent, I found it refreshing, not settling on the stalwarts of draping one’s entire establishment in shades of brown. Hints of grey and white can be found, an intelligent arrangement of tables, and an exposed kitchen.
About that, a large chunk of the kitchen was enclosed in glass, leading me to believe it was either a chef aquarium or a gigantic sneeze-guard. In truth it was neither, more of a way to see the wonders of Indian cuisine without the misfortune of melting one’s face off. There were two tandoori ovens on display at the front, firing at over 600 degrees. The naan was made right in front you, by far one of the coolest ideas I’ve seen in Indian restaurants…or maybe even restaurants in their entirety. Posh bistros often have open kitchens to showcase cleanliness the proficiency of the kitchen staff. However, with such a concept also creates a lot of noise pollution. Adrak’s solution is inspired and worthy of reproduction. The menu was shockingly though pleasantly conservative, with barely half the options of normal Indian restaurants. This was because of an approach more suited for made-to-order cuisine rather than the refrigerated variety, like those so often seen with buffets. The prices were reasonable as well, perhaps almost too reasonable.
Having eaten not three hours prior, I was looking for something undersized and cheap, and those concepts are usually associated. I expected most big dishes to orbit around $20, so I settled on ordering something circa $16. I figured it was a solid play, focusing on a first page entry. You can probably see where this is going…
What I ended up getting was a dum- biryani, and for those unaware of what an authentic dum-buryani is, it’s a rice dish prepared in iron pot about the size of…ohh…Thunderdome. In it they pack rice, meat, and spices and then cook the entirety apparently on the surface of the sun. The moisture is kept sealed not by an iron or ceramic lid but by naan dough that completely seals what’s inside. I’ve seen this practice done, but only on TV with Gordon Ramsay where they enclosed a goat…like a whole goat. I’ve seen other places offer biryani, and they’ve all astounding, but never have I seen one presented traditionally in this manner. And it was incredible, seriously fantastic…once I let it set for fifteen minutes to cool. It put all other biryanis I’ve had to shame, even the ones I truly enjoyed. It created an echelon I never knew existed. Once experiencing paradise and then finding something better, what do you call it?
I downed it all with a tall glass of red, a recommended Yellow Tale shiraz out of Australia, a good pairing and one I’ll be acquiring upon my return. Despite only making it through half the dish and boxing the rest, I still made a point to order dessert. Gulab Jamun over ice cream, a great dish if the confection hadn’t entered the atmosphere thirty seconds prior. It must be a thing with Adrak that they serve everything at the temperature of which gold particles fuse at the Large Hadron Collider. Suffice to say the ice cream didn’t remain intact very long. Finally, to conclude the experience, I was served a small cup with what looked like a shriveled marshmallow. I was about to assume it was some pallet cleaner until the server poured hot water over the cup and the towel expanded like one of those crappy dinosaurs that took a day to expand to the size of a mushroom. That just raised Adrak outside of this reality. From service, to décor, to the meals served, Adrak is nothing short of perfection. What a shame it resides across the country.
Three days later, as I sat under my hotel sign at 10 pm watching traffic, I devoured the remains of my microwaved leftovers, still a great mean in itself.
Food: 5/5
Service: 5/5
Presentation: 5/5
Value: 5/5
Recommendation: 5/5
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