Real, regional, Indian cuisine is near impossible to find in this part of the world. Antwerp has a reasonably sized Indian community too but Indian restaurants are few in number let alone specialized. In that light Aahaar is a nice surprise. The place looks and smells authentic, it specializes in South Indian, of the veg persuasion. They also run a competitively priced but simple buffet.
We ordered vada pav (which is not South Indian but a Marati snack), bhajis, masala and madras dosa, and biryani. The bhajis were good if a little dense, accompanied by a delicious mint chutney. The vada pav was served in some kind of bread but not a pav which is a plain bread roll. Taste wise the vada was one of the highlights of the meal, well spiced and a good amount of heat. The dosa was OK, it wasn't (as) thin and crispy as it should be but the stuffing was fine. Dosa comes with sambar and coconut chutney, Aahaar's version of both is mediocre. The Biryani was, admittedly not a very orthodox choice but we had to try, its a benchmark dish and it takes skill to get it right. This version was OK but not great. It had some good flavour but it was more like a pilaf and too greasy. Fried onions, fresh mint and coriander were missing entirely.
The service is poor in every respect: rather unfriendly (I can live with that) and disorganized which I find harder to take.
The verdict then, is mixed, it's so good to see a place like this. On the other hand a pity to find the food is a good attempt but no more than that. In India itself this place would not I think manage to keep its doors open for long.
I hope Aahaar build and improve on what they've started. If they do, the place could become a treasure, if they do not; another disappointment for those looking for the real deal. 3 stars for potential then. read more