Feringhee Modern Indian Cuisine

The Valley of the Sun, and all that is tasty therein
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exit2lef
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Feringhee Modern Indian Cuisine

Post by exit2lef »

I've been wanting to try this place for a while, so when we needed to make a trip to Chandler Fashion Center, it made sense to follow up with dinner here. My enthusiasm for Star Trek made a place called Feringhee hard to resist, but there are no tube grubs on the menu and the menu is priced in dollars rather than latinum. Instead, I'd say that Feringhee is to Indian food as Lom Wong is to Thai food. Both subvert the stereotypes of how their respective cuisines are represented in local restaurants.

Of course, a big difference with Lom Wong is the location. While Lom Wong is situated in a charming historic home just off Roosevelt Row, Feringhee is found in a suburban shopping center anchored by Target and otherwise dominated by chains. Despite the generic setting, the restaurant has created a stylish interior in which one of the dominant colors echoes the turmeric that is prominent in Indian cooking. The classic jazz played on the speakers (Horace Silver, Art Blakey, etc.) wasn't particularly Indian, but it didn't seem out of place either.

Everything is offered a la carte, beginning with a small basket of papads and crisps and a separately purchased trio of chutneys. These made good snacks and were gone before I could take a picture. Another appetizer we tried was sweet potato chaat. This was a small puck of sweet potato mash under a tomato yogurt sauce, and it was quite satsifying despite its small diameter.
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Next, we moved onto the section of the menu labeled as small plates and ordered cauliflower 65, an Indo-Chinese dish founds on many local restaurants, sometimes described as gobi Manchurian. This dish was the closest we had to typical Indian restaurant fare, but it was quite well prepared. A little less typical was a small plate of three miniature crab crakes swimming in tangy mango sauce. This was consumed as quickly as the cauliflower.
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We ordered two large plates: One was a Goan shrimp curry. The sauce incorporated both tomato and coconut, reflecting its origins in south Indian coastal regions. The other was chicken dum biryani. The "dum" in biryani refers to preparing the rice and other ingredients under a cover, letting steam do a lot of the cooking. In most Indian restaurants, the dish is served uncovered once that work has been done. Here, though, there's a fun tableside presentation. The biryani is served in a deep vessel with a sort of bread topping. The server breaks the crust, allowing steam and scents to flow. Customers then mix the rice as desired with accompaniments of curry and yogurt-based condiments to add moisture and additional layers of flavor.
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Dessert was a gulab jamun cheesecake in which spheres of the popular Indian dessert were immersed in the cake itself, just below the surface. A scoop of mango sorbet added some tropical fruit tasted. To drink, I had a cocktail with name I can't recall, but it was a mezcal-based drink with a bit of masala spice, resulting in a sort of spicy Indian margarita. I saw another concoction served under a dome being transported to several tables near us and will make a point to ask about this next time.
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Although this place is a bit of splurge and far from home, there will be a next time. I have my favorites for the typical Indian menu: the Dhaba in Tempe, Vayal's in Midtown, and City of Spice on Bell Road. Feringhee, however, offers a diferent experience for an occasional indulgence.

3491 W Frye Rd, Chandler, AZ 85226
http://feringhee.com/
honartvandelay
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Re: Feringhee Modern Indian Cuisine

Post by honartvandelay »

Thanks for this. It’s been on our list for a while now. We had a similar presentation for Biryani at a wonderful Indian place in Washington DC and really enjoyed it. Two of your three go tos for Indian are ours as well but have never heard of Vayals. The location is perfect. We’ve been looking for a closer Indian place. Our substitute has been Khyber Halal (a Phx food nerd 1.0 find) but it’s not a full traditional Indian menu.
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exit2lef
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Re: Feringhee Modern Indian Cuisine

Post by exit2lef »

honartvandelay wrote: Sun Mar 10, 2024 3:30 pm Two of your three go tos for Indian are ours as well but have never heard of Vayals.
Vayal's is new for 2024. It opened just a month or two ago on Thomas Road across from St. Joseph's hospital. I've been there several times and have been pleased with everything so far. It's a refreshing change to have a somewhere good for Indian food in central Phoenix. That type of food usually requires a trip to Bell Road or the East Valley.

https://www.vayalskitchen.com/
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Wilbur
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Re: Feringhee Modern Indian Cuisine

Post by Wilbur »

We drove down the length of the 101 to Chandler this evening for an early dinner before my better half had a social obligation, so here are some pictures of what I regard as very nicely done Americanized Indian food. Exit2Lef has expressed exactly what you can expect, and everything was presented in a charming and well-executed manner.

It doesn't represent anything I ever ate in India, but it does remind you of the idea of Indian food, and the mouthfeel and taste are very good. This is probably appropriate for a place whose name means "foreigner" in several Indian and Indo-Malay languages. The cooks are skilled, just don't expect typical Indian restaurant style food and you will be happy.

We did the Arizona Restaurant Week menu, and it was a pleasant experience. Except for the musical selections, of which least said is best.

GREEN SHRIMP SUKKA Onion Uthappam, Pickled Shallots
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KANDHARI PORK RIBS Pineapple Kut, Mango apple slaw - Our favorite, these seem to be candied, so the crunchy exterior is perfect with the tender pork meat within.
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TANDOORI SALMON Achaari Marination, Lentil Khichdi, Black Rice Papad - This was the dish with the weakest taste and spice impact. But if you served it to me and told me it was French, I would have been perfectly happy.
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KASHMIRI MUTTON ROGAN JOSH Aromatic Lamb, Fresh Ginger, Saffron
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GULAB JAMUN CHEESECAKE Naankhatai Crumb, Mango Sorbet - I really like galub jamun, and the combination with cheesecake is a big winner. The sorbet had OUTSTANDING mango flavor.
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KULFI POPISCLE BAR Sicilian Pistachios, Candied Rose Petals
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exit2lef
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Re: Feringhee Modern Indian Cuisine

Post by exit2lef »

Wilbur wrote: Sat May 25, 2024 8:19 pm Except for the musical selections, of which least said is best.
With the exception of the gulab jamun cheesecake, you ordered items entirely different than we had, so I'm please to have some new things to try next time we visit. During our visit, the music was classic jazz from the late '50s and early '60s. Was it something else this time, or is hard bop just not your thing? It's definitely not typical Indian restaurant music.
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Wilbur
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Re: Feringhee Modern Indian Cuisine

Post by Wilbur »

exit2lef wrote: Mon May 27, 2024 4:37 am With the exception of the gulab jamun cheesecake, you ordered items entirely different than we had, so I'm please to have some new things to try next time we visit. During our visit, the music was classic jazz from the late '50s and early '60s. Was it something else this time, or is hard bop just not your thing? It's definitely not typical Indian restaurant music.
No jazz.

Instead, it was covers. So many covers. Endless, upbeat covers over a drum machine and synthesizer, covers of songs from the 80s, 90s and to-DAY!
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exit2lef
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Re: Feringhee Modern Indian Cuisine

Post by exit2lef »

Wilbur wrote: Mon May 27, 2024 6:49 pm

No jazz.

Instead, it was covers. So many covers. Endless, upbeat covers over a drum machine and synthesizer, covers of songs from the 80s, 90s and to-DAY!
Oh no. That sounds like the sonic equivalent of chicken tikka masala made with a weak spice mix that has no flavor.
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