It is tough for a Pakistani to come to terms with calling his restaurant Indian. Hence the name Woodlands International Restaurant. Of course, it is known as Woodlands Indian Restaurant anyway. A Pakistani Muslim family running an Indian Vegetarian Restaurant, and running it very successfully is a good sight. There were at least six, all male, family members from three generations manning this place. They were all over the place: counter, kitchen, and service. An advantage of eating at a family-owned and family-operated restaurant is that the whole team is more than willing to take whatever comes in their stride. A great plus in the restaurant business.
Woodlands has an elaborate south Indian and north Indian menu. Their fame is all over. When we asked our guide for the best Indian restaurant in Hong Kong, she knew what she had to recommend. This place is not a fancy, stylish fine-dining restaurant. It is more like your next door Indian eatery, despite their cloth napkins.
So here we go:
Location: UG 16-17, Wing On Plaza, 62 Mody Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong. It is behind Salisbury Road, within walking distance from the Avenue of Stars.
Interior: Standard semi-formal seating. There is decor, just about. As it is a family-run and family-managed restaurant, you have a family member standing behind the only counter and delivery window.
Reservations: This place gets busy, but I am not sure whether they take reservations. The telephone number: 2369 3718.
Man at the counter: Polite, courteous, very busy.
Staff: No uniforms, all family members wear everyday clothes.
Crockery: Stainless steel plates and bowls, Indian style.
Water Glasses: Everyday-use glass tumblers.
Table and seating: Cramped layout, you can call it efficient too. I would have preferred it to have at least 20% fewer seats.
Food: All the food was absolutely freshly cooked. We had idlis, and they were exactly how good idlis should be. Sambar was tasty and coconut chutney was made from an authentic recipe. They serve three idlis to a portion. The paneer bhurji and roti combination was awesome. The paneer was fresh and right cooked and the rotis were crispy and big enough. The raita was delicious with lot of veggies, including tomatoes. Rava plain dosa was big enough to be a complete meal for one person.
We all loved the food and would definitely go back if and when we are in Hong Kong again.