High-end desi cuisine is surprisingly hard to come by in Lahore. While roadside dhabas doling out steaming plates of local specialties abound, finding a restaurant that takes the humble daal and serves it up as a piece of art is a difficult proposition. This is especially true if you don’t want to make the trek to the old part of town, where Andaaz in the Walled City and Dumpukht at the Pearl Continental do a good job of providing desi food in an upscale environment.

The relatively new Spice Bazaar fills the gap for those looking to indulge in fancy Pakistani fare closer to home. Located centrally in Gulberg, just off MM Alam Road, which is home to most of the city’s popular eateries, the restaurant is run by the same group that owns Yum and English Tea House. The place was packed on a late Sunday afternoon, just like its sister eateries always are, and it’s safe to say the owners have hit on a winning formula when it comes to pleasing the Lahori tastebuds.

Even though large crowds are not the standard restaurants should be judged by, these days in Lahore, if people are flocking to a particular place, there’s good reason for it. With the Pakistan Food Authority on a rampage against unhygienic eateries, fining and sealing even the supposedly upscale ones for unsavory digressions from food safety standards, Lahoris have become extremely wary of eating out. The PFA’s stamp of approval for the Spice Bazaar’s kitchen has been a big boon for the restaurant.

Another big plus is the restaurant’s classic décor. A large open courtyard with a water fountain dominates the center, through which you walk into the indoor hall, itself divided into different sections. As a result, it has a spacious and airy feel to it, and even with large groups dining at nearby tables, it doesn’t get claustrophobic or invasive. The huge glass windows, which open onto the central courtyard with its brick-lined floor and hints of greenery, allow discreet light to stream in during the afternoon and the effect is soothing.

Coming to the food itself, our group consisted of a bunch of carnivores and even though the vegetarian options on the menu sounded tempting (such as the Paneer Tikka and Daal Shorba Soup) we ended up ordering only the meat-based dishes. The pappadums served while we waited for the order to arrive were perfectly golden and crunchy and the two baskets served to a table of eight hungry adults were wiped out in a matter of minutes.

The first item to make its way to the table was the Malai Boti, chunks of grilled boneless chicken marinated in cream and lightly spiced. It received a mixed response. Deemed a little too bland by some of the adults, they were devoured by the kids in our group. The chicken was succulent and while I liked the fact that the delicate taste wasn’t overpowered with heavy spices, a crime many restaurants are guilty of, it might not appeal to the desi palette.

If so, the Murgh Musallam will be right up your alley. Murgh Musallam, a whole roasted chicken cooked in local spices, was a favourite of the Mughals and while here it was served minus the traditional mincemeat and egg stuffing, it was nonetheless a dish fit for a king. The heavy seasonings mixed with yogurt and applied to the chicken condensed onto the serving plate in the form of a mouth-watering creamy sauce and the chicken fell off easily from the bone. The Mutton Ribs were the most eagerly awaited item from our order, as they had come highly recommended by previous diners. They didn’t disappoint - the ribs arrived with a perfectly browned crust that was just calling out to be gnawed at with abandon. Here, the light seasoning worked perfectly, for it didn’t overwhelm the taste of the meat, considered to be a delicacy in itself.

The Chicken Handi was your basic dish cooked in a tomato gravy, with no special quality to differentiate it from similar offerings at the hundreds of other desi eateries in Lahore. That is a pity, because one expects a restaurant calling itself high-end to elevate even the most banal dish to gourmet standards. The Mutton Kunna fared better - the velvety gravy and the flavourful meat remained true to the dish’s Chinioti origins.

We rounded off the meal with some desi meetha - Ras Malai and Gulab Jamuns served in pretty silver goblets and topped with ground pistachios and almonds. The dessert was easily the highlight of the meal - rich without being heavy, bursting with flavour and presented beautifully. If your sweet tooth craves for more, do stop by the charming little sweet shop housed within the restaurant, called Chashni and succumb to the lure of the good-looking ladoos and barfis on display.

Spice Bazaar comes as a welcome addition to Lahore’s ever-growing restaurant scene, and a few tweaks here and there to the overall menu will ensure that it keeps attracting a steady clientele.