LSA Reviews: Leela takes diners through India’s culinary empires

Chef Manav Tuli is largely credited with elevating Indian cuisine in Hong Kong when he was at Chaat in Rosewood Hong Kong, leading his team to the restaurant’s first Michelin star. He’s now struck out on his own, with help from the JIA Group, with Leela, nestled inside Lee Gardens Three in Causeway Bay.

A Review of Leela

The success of any restaurant is not just the work of its chef de cuisine alone and Tuli has always been quick to credit his former team, who he worked with for three years. So, it was interesting to see how he has evolved with a completely new team and almost a completely new menu.

With Leela, Tuli has set his heart on reinterpreting foods from different Indian empires, in particular the Maurya empire circa 300BC, one of the most influential in its history. While it’s understandable for comparisons to his previous restaurant, diners shouldn’t expect more of the same at Leela.

So, it was with open minds that we sat for our first dinner at Leela. Gone is the ever-popular jackfruit samosa. In its place is the Lucknowi tokri chaat ($118) – potato patties, bhallas, chickpeas, saunth, curd, and tamarind chutney, which sits on an edible basket made of grated and deep-fried potatoes. The basket reminds me of the yam “bird’s nest” dishes one can find in Cantonese restaurants, but the tastes and textures definitely had shades of one of my favourites, raj kachori.

Behind its unassuming exterior, the chicken baida roti ($98), a flaky pastry filled with spicy minced chicken, concealed a delightful surprise. The succulent and fresh prawns shone through in the Amritsari prawn bhajia ($178), although I felt the balance with the batter could have been improved.

The black pepper chicken tikka ($118) was perhaps the only dish that that has crossed the Victoria Harbour to Leela but even then it played second fiddle to the Badami French guinea fowl ($218), The guinea fowl was grilled to a golden yellow and garnished with almond flakes, adding a nice crunchy texture.

The true hero of the night for me was the tandoori beef chop ($428). Tuli’s treatment of his proteins and his ability to turn out the most tender meats has made me a fan since the first time I tried his food. The beef chop was grilled to perfection, with the meat almost melting in our mouths.

Tuli has introduced us many variations of the humble naan, including the mind-blowing chocolate naan dessert. At Leela, he has pulled the peshwari naan ($108), garnished with almonds and raisins, out of his sleeves. There’s also the wickedly decadent uni naan ($168) which will delight sea urchin fans. Slathering a copious amount of uni onto a naan is probably not the first thing that comes to mind but it works – really well.

He has even put a new spin on the traditional smoked butter chicken ($228) with the curry flambéed tableside, adding a strong smokiness to the chicken. This is only topped by the whiskey-flambé version (+$70) – the peatiness of the whiskey and the smokiness were perfect companions and the heightened tastes were well worth the extra $70.

One of the new signatures is the chakundar oxtail gosht ($288), a Punjabi dish with a unique combination of beetroot and oxtail (instead of the traditional mutton): stunning both visually and taste-wise. The pork pandi curry ($238) was probably the spiciest dish we had that night, although not overwhelmingly so. As is his style, the spices slowly kicked in, adding a subtle punch in the aftertaste. All the curries were accompanied by the bone marrow biryani ($338), another visual feast.

It was hard to find fault with the side dishes too. The Hyderabad dal ($108) was more vibrant and robust than the usual watery version while the pumpkin dahi kaddu ($98) where the sweetness of the pumpkin played off the tanginess of the yoghurt perfectly – and this, coming from one who tries to avoid pumpkin in all forms.

The tadka lily bulb and snow peas ($108) was a spiced version of a familiar sauté Cantonese dish and is indicative of Hong Kong influences on Tuli, including the use of local Wah Yuen pork. He’s also tried to use non-GMO products wherever possible.

We ended the meal two Indian classics – the almond kulfi ($88) and the must-have masala chai ($48). It was the consummate ending for our journey through India’s culinary history. It’s early days yet for Leela and there’s no doubt Tuli will continue finetuning his offerings. We can’t wait to see what else he cooks up.

Cuisine

Indian

We Recommend

Starters

Chicken baida roti ($98)

Tandoor

Tandoori beef chop ($428)

Curries

Smoked butter chicken with whiskey ($298)

The Vibe 

A long walkway leads guests from the glaring white fluorecents of the mall into another world. The design of the restaurant – by Andre Fu – is an elegant nod to the chef’s varied influences, offering interesting vignettes of his culture. The 3,800 sq ft venue includes a main dining room, a smaller casual dining area as well as a large terrace for drinks and smokers. The restaurant seats 60, with an additional private room that can take 10. The menu leans towards more meat options but you can always request for vegetarian options. Leela has an adequate wine list divided into mild spice, medium spice and heavy spice to match the food. It also has a limited number of signature cocktails ($120). There’s an $800 corkage if you want to bring your own wines. The restaurant will also open for lunch from Dec 5 onwards.

Quick Notes

Price for two: 

$2,000 (excluding drinks)

Address:

Shop 301-310, Lee Garden Three, 1 Sunning Road, Causeway Bay,

Tel. 2882 5316

Opening Hours:
Tuesday to Saturday: 5.30pm – 10.45pm