Kalpna is a restaurant passionate about serving good quality vegan and vegetarian Indian food in a friendly, laid back atmosphere. Managing director, Sheela Bhosale, continues to build on the heritage and trust that Kalpna has cultivated over the past 40 years. You’ll find it on St Patrick Square, where it stands as a longstanding institution blessed with a loyal following, tasty traditional food, and a welcoming atmosphere.
Begin your meal with the sev dahi poori, a popular roadside fare from India with crispy puris and potatoes, chickpeas and onion, they come topped with honey flavoured yoghurt, tamarind and date sauce, and a dollop of green coriander chutney. If you prefer a sweeter start, try the rose kulfi with milk and rose syrup. Alternatively, the chilli cheese dosa pancake cooked in butter and stuffed with grated cheese, fresh chopped chilli, potatoes, peas, onion and coriander, served with sambhar, coconut and a green coriander chutney salad is a sure win. Kalpna’s signature dish is the dum aloo Kashmiri, consisting of potato barrels filled with mixed vegetables, paneer and nuts, served in a fresh tomato, honey and ginger, with a creamy almond and saffron sauce.
Other house specialities include the baingan achari of marinated aubergines cooked with red-hot north Indian spices with a generous portion of tomato, onion and garlic sauce and red chilli flakes, and the shahi sabzi dish of mixed vegetables with nuts and pineapple, cooked in an almond and saffron sauce, laced with spiced spinach and garnished with cream and fresh coriander. For something a bit more traditional, the daal makhani is a popular dish that originates from the Punjab region, featuring fresh, whole black lentils cooked with kidney beans, butter and cream. There are also dishes of bhindi masala, daal tarka and dum aloo gobi on the menu.