Shikara - Fancy Room Indian In Downers Grove

Tonight, the stars were lined up right.
Preface:
I got slammed at work first thing in the am which led to a late breakfast, hence a late lunch. In laws came into town for a visit, they are early eaters. I got home at 5pm, and they were ready to eat. I was ready to watch tv for two hours, and then start discussing food at 7p, but the plans were set. I had about 10 minutes after I got home to get ready, choose a place, and go. I was not hungry, not peckish in the slightest, but oh well, guests, ya know? So, Indian was pretty much the main rumbling of what was high on the list of the guests desires. I looked up restaurant.com, called up Shikara, they said they were still honoring the gift certificates, I remembered a few positive reviews, and off we went.

The only thing I knew about the place was that it was supposedly a nice room, and the prices were pretty "up there."
I expected dumbed down fancy pants food with white tablecloths. I had a bad experience with a fancy Indian restaurant in Lombard, so I was not expecting much at all. Shikara corrected my prejudice.

The room was nice. Nothing was over the top as far as eye catching, but I prefer it that way. Simple, subdued, sky high ceiling - I'd bet 40-50 ft high, no joke. No electric colors, just simple.

The food was...hmmm. I'm debating on how to describe it. My issue is that I was not hungry at all. In fact I didn't want to eat. Still too very well sated from my late lunch to be supping at 6pm. That said, I totally pigged out, and by golly, if it wasn't some of the best Indian food I've ever eaten. The salt content was a little over what I would have liked it to have been, but for the most part, this place kicked my butt.

We started with a mixed vegetarian appetizer. All decent stuff. Fried. Decent. Not bad. I don't really have much to elaborate on with the app, sorry. It was just decent fried stuff. For our mains:

Shikara Special Dinner. 20.00. It was OUTSTANDING. It included:

Chicken Tikka -
EXPERTLY cooked. This might have been the best chicken breast I've ever had in a restaurant, period. Whoever they had in back cooking this knew what they were doing with chicken breast. I normally opt for dark meat every time, but this stuff was insanely tender, and juicy. The masala was a little on the salty side, but the chicken itself was incredibly good.

Seekh Kebab -
Best I've ever had by a country mile. Moist, juicy, tender, and a very nice hit of chile.

Fish Tikka -
The fish was past its prime here. It was a miss. It was a white fleshed fish, but it tasted like old salmon. I couldn't tell you what kind of fish it was. It was fishy, but cooked correctly. Past its prime. Too salty too.

Rogan Josh -
Again, whoever they had back there knew what they were doing. The lamb was melt in your mouth tender. Perfection. The curry could have been amped up with a little more heat, but the meat was luscious.

Tandoori Chicken - Decent. Just decent.

Dal Makhani. Decent, Just decent.

We also ordered a Chicken Kerahi (kadhai.) Again, expertly cooked chicken. This was thigh meat, and it was off the charts juicy. The curry here could have been spiced up a little more, but the promise this place shows with cooking method is quite promising.

Also, for sharing, we ordered a mattar paneer. It was really rich, and bright. I loved it.

The promise here is off the charts, imo. I'll be back much sooner than later. What is surprising is that I think I might have liked it much more if I were HUNGRY. The heat levels were dumbed down, but that should be easily rectified. The thing that really grabbed me about this place was the expertly cooked meats. The chicken tikka, the stewed lamb, and also the stewy chicken kerahi all had damn near perfectly cooked meat. I honestly thought about asking for the names of the cooks so I could call and ask if they were working when I go back.

Shikara
1620 75th Street
Downers Grove, IL 60516
630-964-1720
http://www.shikararestaurant.com/shikara/index.html

I drive past this place often, but have never dined here. After reading this, I purchased my $2 Restaurant.com certificate (for $25) and I'll go next time my son is home from college (he's the only one of my kids who loves Indian food). Thanks for your report!

I have been once and found it okay, nothing special. Reading your report, seebee, seems like the enthusiasm is mostly for the meats and I am pretty sure we had almost all vegetables, except for one lamb and one chicken or fish dish. It has been a few months so I cannot say exactly which we had, though Rogan Josh and a fish curry are standbys for me. As I recall, it all was good enough, but the seasoning, as you noted, was toned down and that pretty much killed it for me. It did not seem better than any number of other Indian options in the neighborhood (or more towards N'ville, since that is closer to home) and the prices were noticeably higher.

IMO, nothing special. Interested to hear what you think janey.

The heat levels were toned down, but the cooking technique of the meats more than made up for it. The first line of the post was about the stars being lined up. Even the (bad) fish was cooked correctly. All of the meats were cooked to perfection. Even if the spicing was horrendous, nobody could fault the cooking method of the meats we had in any way. Like I said, also, I wasn't even wanting food, and I totally pigged out. If I was HUNGRY, then I probably would have liked it even more. When I go back, it'll be on a Thursday night, and I'll cross my fingers and hope that the same people are cooking that night. I do wonder if it was just the stars being lined up, because, literally, all of the meats were perfectly cooked, and as someone who spends a LOT of time in the kitchen, that takes a lot for me to say. Hell, we are even talking about chicken BREAST that I am gushing about for the chicken tikka. I normally pass on chicken breast in restaurants. Theirs was like flippin BUTTER. The only suggestion I have is go on a Thursday, and hope the same staff is on, and ask for the heat to be amped up a little. In an older post on lth, someone said that they will definitely work with you on the heat levels. Get a resto.com cert also. The prices are a little much although the Shikara Special Dinner at 20.00 was a decent bargain. The a la carte prices seem a few (well, maybe FIVE) bucks too high, but the room is quite decent.

A quote from poster about Shikara:

"I've had two OUTSTANDING meals at Shikara, and one abysmal meal there. The difference in food quality and preparation between the great and abysmal meals makes me wonder what's going on in the kitchen..."

Again, the only direction I have is to go on Thursday, and hope the same kitchen staff is working on the night I was there.
Someone REALLY cared about the product they were putting out, or the stars were just lined up for me for whatever reason.

seebee wrote: I had a bad experience with a fancy Indian restaurant in Lombard, so I was not expecting much at all. Shikara corrected my prejudice.

Oddly enough, in looking at today's Groupon, Shikara is a "sister restaurant" to Viceroy of India. Viceroy was the place in Lombard I did not think very highly of. This is tempting me to give Viceroy another chance.

We returned to Shikara yesterday, and the stars were definitely lined up right the first time we went. Not so much this time. The meats were not cooked as well as before, and nothing really stood out as above average in any way. We ordered the Shikara Special Dinner (again.) The lamb was chewy, the other meats were cooked OK, not particularly well, actually, kinda dry. Everything screamed mediocrity. Nothing was even spicy, really. I could have gotten this same meal for a far better price at a dozen restaurants. I will say, however, that the first time I went here, it was damn near perfect.

seebee wrote:We returned to Shikara yesterday, and the stars were definitely lined up right the first time we went. Not so much this time..

Was in the area for a couple "possible" meals over the weekend... turned out to be just one.

Question - where do you get a pretty damn decent Indian/Pakistani breakfast/brunch buffet in the Western Burbs?

Answer - at the Italian Express of course. Duh (Oh, and its definitely not "fancy room Indian" like the Shikara referred to in the OP.

In a strip mall, in Glendale Heights (right by the AutoZone). Same strip-mall as a Mexican spot (which promised Menudo on the weekend), and down the street from a Pho place (which I only saw a sign for).

Its actually a "halal" spot.. and also serves Halal Pizza etc (hence the name, presumably). The pizza was rec'd by someone (who probably eats pizza only here, since he's a halal-eater).. it was pretty mediocre pizza (on the buffet, all veggie option that I saw), ignore it would be my suggestion.

There is a weekend buffet special though, from about 11am onwards. Chole (chick-peas), that people claimed were good (didnt sample them myself). Halwa and puri (decent halwa, puri's kept on steam-table.. not upto Devon halwa-and-fresh-made-puri breakfast standards, but not bad). But then the good stuff.. Indian/Pakistani style gyro/shawarma-meat (much spicier, with red-pepper flakes, than normal gyros; both gyros and chicken-gyros). A nice Haleem. Pretty good Paya! I snagged the fried-chicken when it came out fresh.. was very good (Indian-style fried-chicken... what goes by "broasted chicken" on Devon I suppose.. spiced and marinated before being fried). Naans, white basmati rice, a curry-chicken-thing, Chicken Biryani (which I didnt get to sample much of). Even Lassi and a couple of desserts. All for about 11 bucks IIRC. Even had pretty good "chai" at the end. Pretty good, really - worth a try if in the area IMHO (not many buffets offer Haleem, Biryani and Paya at the same time!)

Spoke to someone from Detroit, BTW, who had 3 meals in the area over the weekend.. he tried "Shahi Nehari" in Lombard, and claimed it was better than anythign he's had in Detroit. Shahi Nehari is a branch of Sabri from Devon (I can vouch for Devon's Sabri, but have never been to Lombard's Shahi).

Italian Express Restaurant (Pakistani and Indian Cuisine)
2041 Bloomingdale Road
Glendale Heights, IL 60139
630-539-7600

c8w

I was at Shikara with my parents not long ago, and although the food was pretty good, the atmosphere was a little prisony.

I forgot to post after my visit here in March. I just checked the receipt and I was there on a Thursday with my husband and son. The bill came to about $85, before my certificate (and that included only one glass of wine). We arrived a little after 6 and there was one big group (looked like a high school group) and just a few other tables with diners (the room is huge and it felt odd because there were so few people there). The one thing I loved is the painting on the wall when you first walk in (from India and simple but beautiful).
Our food was fine, but the service was confusing. First, no one came by. Then someone finally offered water, but did not take our order. It almost seemed like there was no waiter. Then the person I thought was the manager finally took our order. We were there until the place closed, but not because we wanted to stay that long. It just took that long to get our food. We started with the Veggie Snacks, all fried and I would pass on these next time. We enjoyed our dinners, the men had the Shikara Dinner described by Seebee above and I had the Vegetarian meal. My son had Pista Kulfi for dessert.
The food was fine, but not outstanding. When someone came to our table, they were very friendly and fun, it’s just that it seemed like two people were trying to do everything. When they weren’t busy, they didn’t check with us to see if we needed more water (YES PLEASE!!), etc. With my Groupon, I was OK with our experience. But without it, I would have expected more bang for my buck.