WE looked past the European menu and sought out the Northern Indian dishes beckoning us at Luca in Bangsar Shopping Centre (BSC).

The restaurant’s name is Italian and it does have squid ink linguini with lobster tail, shrimp stuffed ravioli, pizzas, burgers and other European dishes to support it.

No matter. We were focused on Northern Indian and with a guest among us who’s vegetarian, we picked out Chilgoza Malai broccoli (RM32) and spinach Chaat (RM22) among the tapas, including a Mediterranean one, roasted beet hummus, babaganoush and roasted pimiento with crusted bread (RM36).

Palak Paneer called out to us, including Rogan Josh and Luca’s butter chicken.

Luca just opened at BSC in February, offering both European and Northern Indian cuisines.

It took some effort navigating through the menu but we seemed to have picked out some of the best Northern Indian dishes.

I loved the roasted broccoli with cream, topped with crushed almonds and served with beet yoghurt in the Chilgoza Malai broccoli (RM32).

The warm broccoli florets, crunchy and buttery, were amazing with the tart beetroot yoghurt that had a little fizz in it. 

Spinach Chaat (RM22) delivered crackling bites of baby spinach dipped in a spice gram flour batter and deep-fried. Chickpeas and pomegranate were in this texturally delightful mix, completed with a sweet yoghurt sauce. 

The roasted beet hummus, babaganoush and roasted pimiento, served with toasted bread “fingers” seemed almost ordinary compared to what we just had. Still, I was all for the creamy smooth babaganoush, the roasted beet hummus fragrant with cumin and the sweet-roasted pimiento.

I have often encountered Palak Paneer that’s too rich and heavy. The Palak Paneer (RM36) at Luca was pleasantly light, with the mild and soft house-made cottage cheese showing up in the deep green pureed spinach. It was easy to like and I could eat a lot of this. 

Choor Choor paratha, Roomali roti and garlic naan went with the food we ordered, especially Rogan Josh and Luca’s butter chicken. 

The paratha is a flaky, crispy layered bread that’s hand-crushed and Roomali roti is a thin handkerchief bread. 

Rogan Josh (RM48), a royal Mughal dish, had lamb cooked with spices and tomatoes in a knuckle and marrow broth. 

It was a hot, tart and fragrant curry with very tender lamb and garnished with fresh ginger strips. It was delicious, going very well with the heavier paratha. 

We very much liked Luca’s butter chicken (RM42) – boneless chicken cooked in tomato and cream and served with a blob of butter melting on it.

The “cream” part was not overdone and it was subtle and light, with balanced flavours. 

Haryali lamb chops, Goan mango red fish curry, Luca’s Malai kofta and crab meat Xec Xec are other North Indian specialties that stand out in the menu. 

I had a taste of our guest’s dessert – Kala Jamun with artisanal ice-cream (RM25). Made with milk solids (and perhaps ground almond), the lightly sweet deep-fried balls were scented with rose and cardamom. I’ll have this on my next outing there. 

Luca is a lovely, elegant restaurant with an adjoining bar and alfresco dining area. Service is impeccable. It’s located at Lot G9, ground floor, Bangsar Shopping Centre, 285 Jalan Maarof, Kuala Lumpur. Tel: 03-2011 1399. – May 21, 2022.

* Eu Hooi-Khaw has been writing about food for the longest time, covering all aspects, from restaurant reviews to cooking and recipes, as well as the healthy side of it. She has written for major newspapers and magazines, published the cookbook Fresh Ingredients, and also writes for her website hooikhawandsu.com.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.