Notable edibles - Keshar Indian Resuarant

The triumvirate of friends and colleagues that opened Keshar Indian Restaurant & Bar at the Aiden by Best Western Hotel in West Yarmouth, are as excited to be working together as they are about their fantastic menu. Head chef Rahul Lahane, front of the house/chef Megha Bodke, and manager Pranav Ambekar, all graduated from Pune University in India. They spent four years immersed in all things culinary including baking, pastry, and international cuisine, and are delighted to bring delicious Indian food to Cape Cod.

Lahane said, “All three of us graduated and worked together for eight years, including at an Italian Restaurant. We love bringing our culture to Cape Cod. Over 90 percent of our guests are American, and many haven’t tried Indian food before, so we have five levels of spice: baby spice, mild, medium, spicy, and Indian spicy.” They also have many dairy-free,  gluten-free and vegan options.

Their specialty is marinated meat cooked over an intense fire in a tandoor, a clay oven. The meat is lowered into the smoky and extremely hot oven on long metal skewers and cooked until slightly browned. Naan, a type of flatbread, is also baked in the tandoor oven; ours was hot, fresh, and garlicky good.

Sula, a 2022 Sauvignon Blanc from India, accompanied our Cauliflower 65 appetizer – deep-fried battered cauliflower with house spices and two dipping sauces, one hot, one sweet. Aloo gobhi, potato and cauliflower in a tomato, onion and coconut milk base, was our second appetizer. Following was spinach curry with cream alongside white basmati rice, and Lahane stated that the spinach is always fresh, never frozen. I will order that dish every time I go, it is that good.

I got the mixed pickle, which is hard to describe and not for everyone. It’s made with cut-up limes, mustard oil, fenugreek, cayenne, and several other spices. It is not hot so much as bitter. They import the mixed pickle and the mango chutney from India. and it is the best I have ever had.

We followed this with tandoori chicken – cooked in the tandoor oven on skewers – with yogurt, sour cream, garlic paste and Indian spice blend. Tandoori spice is a mixture that includes garlic, cayenne, lemon peel and paprika. Traditionally mixed with yogurt and used as a seasoning for chicken, tandoori spice is mostly savory with a hint of sweetness. We had one more dish to go: paneer tikka. This is baked Indian cheese, made from curdled milk and a fruit acid like lemon juice, with yogurt, sour cream and spice blend.

Oh, one more dish after that! The rice kheer pudding was super delicious. Lahane would not divulge all the secret spices, but I do know there was cardamom and rose water involved.

Keshar has a modern vibe, with contemporary lighting and crisp white, with grey and black accents and pops of chartreuse and navy. They are open for lunch and dinner (closed Tuesdays) and will have a summer tiki bar out back with American food offerings.

And yes, we took home enough to enjoy this dinner all over again the next day!

Keshar Indian Restaurant & Bar
476 Route 28, West Yarmouth (at the Aiden by Best Western)
781-985-3201
kesharindianrestaurant.com @kesharindianrestaurant