RESTAURANT REVIEW:

Not that another reason was needed to visit Royal Khyber, but owner Arun Puri has provided one.

Puri realized in December that the movie “Slumdog Millionaire” was a way people could be exposed to the culture of his homeland, India.

“It is a very good movie,” Puri said. “It is very authentic. I enjoyed it very much.”

Let Hollywood bring the culture of the country to the screen. Puri will provide the food.

Through Feb. 28 Royal Khyber will provide a three-course meal and tickets to the movie at the Regency Theater for $29.95.

Puri’s cuisine is some of the best Indian food in Orange County and this will provide an opportunity to those unfamiliar with it to sample it and it will definitely spur return visits.

Royal Khyber has been at South Coast Plaza since 1999 and Puri’s daughter, Shalini, took over the day-to-day operations.

She wanted to focus on healthier Indian dishes, shifting from rich sauces with cream and butter to ones with spices and herbs. The restaurant uses about 38 spices.

Curry, which is a fixture at most Indian restaurants with the smell hitting you the minute you walk in the door, is used sparingly at Royal Khyber.

That odor does not attack diners as they walk into this restaurant. That is the first sign of the elegance of the restaurant.

The second indication is the décor and ambience. White tablecloths are on the table and soft lighting, both at the table and above provide an intimate dining experience. Indian music as well as opera were playing in the background during my visit.

We were served traditional papadum bread and two types of chutney to dip.

The bread is stone ground flour and sesame seed, sun-dried with cumin and fennel seed added and then baked in the tandoori oven.

The food presented on the special menu is also available on the regular menu, which I was relieved to see.

As good as it was I wanted to be able to come back and get it again.

The appetizer course had three choices: assorted vegetable snacks, spicy tandoori kebabs and a dinner salad.

My guest went with the vegetable snacks, while I chose the kebabs. The snacks consisted of aloo tikki, samosa and onion bhajia. The tikki is a potato-based appetizer lightly deep fried and the cilantro and ginger are subtle but noticeable.

Samosa, which is potato and peas, is not one of my favorites, but the tomato sauce that accompanied the dish made it very palatable. The onion bhajia is like an onion ring but not as heavy.

My kebabs were incredible. Both the chicken and the minced lamb were incredibly tender and the sauce that came with them had enough spice to make it either a pleasant taste or a tear inducer, depending on how much of it you put on the kebab.

The five items for entrees were varied, ranging from the butter chicken or chicken tikka masala to a coconut-curried chicken, fish balabar and the house specialty — the khyber’s nectar.

My guest opted for the masala and was impressed with the flavor of the sauce. It was tomato-based and slightly sweet with ginger and a hint of garlic.

The khyber’s nectar could be one of the most unusual dishes I have ever had. It was a lamb shank cooked in a secret recipe for more than 14 hours.

The dish’s origin goes back to the kings and princes of India, who believed the dish was an aphrodisiac and with a harem full of women they needed all the help they could get.

I was certainly enthralled with the dish. It is a fine blend of spices and herbs and the lamb was so tender it fell off the bone.

Our third dish was a dessert and my recommendation would be to try the pistachio kulfi. It is the Indian equivalent of ice cream and was very light, but flavorful.

Our intent was to go to the movie after dinner, but we found ourselves languishing through dinner and very content. We will see the movie soon and I’m sure it will be preceded by another visit to Royal Khyber.

ROYAL KHYBER

ADDRESS: 1621 W Sunflower Ave., Santa Ana

PHONE: (714) 436-1010

WEBSITE: www.royalkhyber.com

CUISINE: Indian

SPECIALTY DISH: Khyber’s nectar

ALCOHOL SERVED: Full bar

ENTRÉE PRICE RANGE: $13.95 to $33.95

FAMILY FRIENDLY: Not so much

CREDIT CARDS ACCEPTED: American Express, MasterCard and Visa

RATING: *** 1/2

JOHN REGER reviews local restaurants and may be contacted at [email protected] or P.O. Box 2984, Seal Beach, CA 90740.