Some restaurants are new, some are fashionable, and some have the rather enviable quality of simply enduring. Indus belongs firmly in the latter category.
Since opening in Bangkok in 2005, Indus has quietly established itself as one of the city’s long-standing Indian restaurants, maintaining its standards through more than two decades of changing dining trends. In a city where restaurants can arrive with considerable fanfare and disappear just as quickly, there is something rather distinguished about a restaurant that simply continues to do what it does well.
Set in a beautiful 1960s Art Deco house on Sukhumvit Soi 26, Indus has the sort of setting that makes dinner feel like an occasion without becoming overly formal. There’s an elegant dining room, a bar, private dining spaces and a lush tropical garden for alfresco dining. It is polished and refined, but still feels welcoming.
If Indus were a person, I suspect they would be the sort who never needs to introduce themselves. A little nobility about them, perhaps — quietly confident, impeccably turned out, and entirely comfortable in their own company.
The same confidence carries through to the food. Indus specialises in Mughlai-style Indian cuisine, drawing on India’s rich culinary heritage while presenting it in a contemporary setting. Traditional recipes, quality ingredients, spices ground in-house and the extensive use of the charcoal tandoor form the foundation of a menu that moves comfortably between aromatic kebabs, slow-cooked curries, tandoor specialities, breads, rice dishes and vegetarian favourites.
It is, quite deliberately, food made for sharing — the kind of meal where the table gradually fills with dishes, everyone reaches across for a little of everything, and choosing favourites becomes increasingly difficult.
There were certainly plenty of highlights on the table during our recent visit, from the seven-hour slow-cooked Raan to the Bombay Ragda Patty, Tandoori Tiger Prawns and Khatte Baingan. But the Malabar Fish Curry deserves particular attention. Rich, beautifully balanced and layered with flavour without becoming overwhelming, it may just be one of the finest fish curries we have tasted.
It’s not simply longevity. It’s knowing exactly who you are — and having the confidence to remain so. And Indus wears that confidence rather well.
Our visit began with a few appetisers — although, as anyone familiar with Indian cuisine knows, the appetiser section can practically be a full menu in itself.
Meet the Papadi Chaat — crispy dough wafers piled with chickpeas, potatoes, yoghurt, chutney and sev. A wonderful mix of textures and flavours, with just the right balance of sweet, tangy and savoury.
Pani Puri – crisp, puffed, hollow dough balls filled with spiced chickpeas and potatoes, then filled with a wonderfully punchy pani, a flavoured water bringing together spicy, sweet and tangy notes.
One of India’s best-loved street foods, pani puri has been around for generations, although its exact origins are debated. It is widely associated with the Indian subcontinent and goes by different names depending on the region — including golgappa in North India and puchka in parts of Bengal and eastern India. The fillings and pani also change from place to place, which is part of the fun.
At Indus, you pop the whole thing into your mouth in one go, getting the crisp crunch of the puri followed by that burst of intensely flavoured pani. It’s wonderfully messy, refreshingly tangy and, quite frankly, rather addictive.
Bombay Ragda Patty — a beloved Mumbai street-food classic combining a savoury potato patty with a spiced white-pea ragda, finished with tangy chutneys. It’s a wonderful combination of crisp, soft, creamy, sweet, sour and spicy all in one dish.
This was actually my first time trying Ragda Patty, and I have to say, I was immediately won over. Both Paul and I agreed — this is definitely something we would happily eat a lot more of. It’s hearty without being heavy, and the layers of flavour make it the sort of dish you keep going back for another bite.
Tandoori Tiger Prawns – plump tiger prawns marinated in mustard oil, fenugreek leaves and hung curd before being cooked in the searing heat of the tandoor. The marinade gives the prawns a wonderfully aromatic, slightly smoky flavour, while the intense heat of the charcoal tandoor keeps them juicy and tender.
There’s something particularly satisfying about tandoori prawns when they’re done well — lightly charred around the edges, beautifully spiced and still succulent inside. These certainly hit the mark.
Tandoori Creamy Broccoli – tender broccoli florets marinated in a rich cashew-nut paste infused with cardamom, cream and cheese, before being cooked in the tandoor. The result is wonderfully creamy on the inside, with a lightly charred, smoky edge from the intense heat of the oven.
A surprisingly indulgent way to eat broccoli, with the nuttiness of the cashew, fragrant cardamom and creamy cheese making this far more luxurious than your average vegetable dish.
Now on to the mains…
Khatte Baingan — baby eggplant cooked with aromatic spices, onions and a rich tomato-yoghurt gravy. This was such a surprisingly delicious dish — the eggplant was beautifully tender, soaking up the spices and the creamy, tangy richness of the tomato-yoghurt gravy.
We honestly didn’t expect the humble eggplant to be such a standout, but this was one of those dishes that kept us going back for another bite.
Malabar Fish Curry — delicately cooked fish simmered with ginger, curry leaves and onions in a beautifully spiced coconut curry inspired by the southern states of India. The coconut gives the curry a lovely richness, while the ginger and curry leaves bring freshness and aromatic depth.
This was, without a doubt, one of the standout dishes of the evening. Rich and beautifully balanced, with layers of spice and a gentle sweetness from the coconut, it was the kind of curry that made us want to mop up every last bit with the bread.
Butter Chicken — because really, who doesn’t love a good butter chicken? Indus certainly knows how to do it right.
Tender pieces of charcoal-smoked chicken tikka are simmered in a rich, silky tomato gravy, then finished with butter and cream. The smoky flavour from the tandoor gives the dish an extra layer of depth, while the tomato, butter and cream create that wonderfully smooth, mildly spiced sauce we all know and love. It’s comforting, indulgent and utterly moreish.
Raan — a spectacular seven-hour slow-cooked leg of mutton, cooked low and slow until the meat is so tender it practically falls from the bone.
Raan is a dish with royal roots, traditionally associated with the grand kitchens of the Mughal courts, where a whole leg of goat or mutton would be marinated with spices and slow-cooked until meltingly tender. It was very much a dish for occasions — and one that required patience, rather than a quick trip to the kitchen.
At Indus, that patience certainly pays off. The meat was incredibly tender and deeply flavoured, with the long cooking time allowing the spices to work their way through the mutton. It is the sort of dish that arrives at the table looking rather impressive, and then practically falls apart at the first touch of a fork.
Murgh Dum Biryani — fragrant basmati rice layered with tender chicken and delicate Awadhi spices, then slow-cooked using the traditional dum method. The sealed cooking process allows the rice, chicken and spices to gently steam together, creating a deeply aromatic biryani where every grain of rice is infused with flavour.
The result is wonderfully fragrant and beautifully balanced, with tender chicken tucked beneath layers of fluffy basmati rice. A proper biryani is all about patience, and this one certainly rewards it.
Dessert … yes please!
Mishti Doi — a traditional Bengali dessert of thick, creamy sweet yoghurt with a delicious caramel-like richness. Made by slowly reducing sweetened milk before fermenting it, it has a lovely balance of sweetness and gentle tang. Simple, comforting and the perfect way to finish a spice-filled meal.
Gulab Jamun Flambé — soft, melt-in-the-mouth milk dumplings soaked in a warm rose and sugar syrup, then flambéed with Irish whiskey. The gentle floral sweetness of the syrup meets the warmth of the whiskey, turning this classic Indian dessert into a rather indulgent finale.
And then there are the cocktails.
Indus has put just as much thought into its drinks as its food, with a mixology programme that works particularly well alongside the cuisine. The cocktails complement rather than compete with the complex spices and flavours, making them a rather worthwhile part of the experience in their own right.
We opted for a few cocktails, which paired surprisingly well with the dinner and worked beautifully alongside the spices and flavours of the food.
First up was The Earl Loves Yuzu — yuzu, Earl Grey syrup, egg white and lime. Fresh, citrusy and beautifully balanced, it was a refreshing start.
Next came Lady Laying on Lemongrass — Bacardi, lemongrass, basil and pineapple. Fragrant, tropical and slightly herbaceous, this was an especially good match for the richer and spicier dishes.
We finished with the Darjeeling Julip — bourbon, peach and Darjeeling tea. Smooth, aromatic and with just enough sweetness from the peach, it made for a rather lovely finale to both the meal and the cocktails.
A big part of the Indus experience is the people behind the restaurant. We had the pleasure of meeting Executive Chef Mahajan, whose passion for Indian cuisine began in Pune, Maharashtra, back in 1998, inspired by his grandmother and her love of cooking dishes from different regions of India. That early exposure to the country’s incredible diversity of flavours became the foundation for his culinary career.
Since then, Chef Mahajan has built an impressive international career, working with hospitality groups including President Hotel and ITC Hotels before taking his skills abroad. Since his first international opportunity in 2006, he has worked across the UAE, Bahrain and Qatar, bringing a wealth of experience to his cooking. For the past four years, he has been an integral part of the culinary team at Indus Bangkok, overseeing everything from fine dining and menu development to catering and kitchen operations.
His cooking philosophy is refreshingly straightforward: respect the ingredients, preserve authentic regional flavours and use creativity to present Indian cuisine in a contemporary way.
We also had the pleasure of spending time with Yash Pal Thakur, Group Manager of Indus. Having the opportunity to meet both the people leading the culinary and operational sides of the restaurant gave us a much better insight into the passion and thought that goes into the Indus experience — and, of course, made the evening with Paul that much more enjoyable.
Now, for some visuals to get those cravings going — just in case the pictures haven’t already done the trick.
I’m hungry. Where is it?
Indus isn’t finished surprising you just yet! Make sure to stay tuned to their official Facebook page and Instagram page for all the exciting updates and announcements.
We would recommend making a reservation. Book Here
Address:#71, sukhumvit soi 26, klong toey, bangkok 10110, Thailand, BTS Station: Phrom Phong
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