Nowadays, Taipei has no shortage of Indian restaurants. Just check my Uber Eats order history. But any authentic international feed needs knowledgeable chefs not only cooking their home cuisine, but unbending to local tastes. India’s savory, spicy and creamy is not an immediate match for Taiwan’s sweet tooth and spice aversion, leading to many peculiar hybridisms and, ultimately, disappointment. If your korma is indistinguishable from your butter chicken, you know you’ve gone wrong.
But Three Wishes (神燈搓一下) in Taipei’s Daan District (大安) is in a league of its own. It’s spicy when I ask it to be, then it’s gluttonously creamy and coco-nutty; it’s unapologetically authentic.
New Delhi native Andy Singh Arya is owner, head chef and social media personality over on the Three Wishes Instagram page, where his larger-than-life personality shines, cracking jokes using his impressive Mandarin skills acquired from over 20 years on the island. His many restaurants have become a Taiwanese staple for great, home-style, authentic Indian cuisine, and the legacy lives on at Three Wishes. Yes, this three-themed restaurant was once known as something perhaps more Bollywood. New name, same menu, we won’t ask.
Photo: Hollie Younger
Walking in, toasty spices hit us like a tidal wave; cumin, garlic, garam masala. The space is equally warm and inviting, and almost every table is busy on a rainy Tuesday evening. The open kitchen is rushing out dosas comically twice the width of the plate; South India’s crispy-pancake-like cylinders packed with potato and various fillings. We sit by the window under bejeweled lanterns and get to ordering.
The menu is at first baffling; Three Wishes’ mission statement is to bring together cuisine from around the world; not just north and south Indian curries and dosas, but Mexican burritos and tacos, Middle Eastern hummus and grilled meats, plus some truffle fries and cheese sticks thrown in for, apparently, the sheer hell of it.
If I learned anything from Gordon Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares, stick to what you know and keep the menu small, please. We go for an Indian-only selection under the pretense that’s what they know best. We were right, it was flawless.
Photo: Hollie Younger
Three Wishes lamb vindaloo (NT$320) is the single best Indian curry I’ve tried in the city. On ordering, we’re warned: this is extremely spicy — are you sure? It arrives with a demonic dark chili atop, an ominous, waving red flag.
Now, my only complaint would be, it was an awful lot of hullabaloos for what is essentially a medium spiced curry. Madras level, if you will.
But it didn’t need to be blow-your-head-off, burn-your-mouth spicy. Unexpectedly and delightfully, the flavor carrying the dish is that slow-cooked, fall-apart-in-your-mouth lamb. That distinctively rich meaty flavor takes the starring role, with a by all means powerful spice hit playing backup singer, the sign of a great curry stewed for many hours.
Photo: Hollie Younger
All the curries generously include a salad and small side, rice, papad and slabs of naan bread to soak up all that goodness.
Our second curry is another iron-clad recommendation. The Goa Fish Curry (NT$400). Once again, these guys nailed the protein: not an afterthought or an accompaniment, but always the star of the dish. Perfectly cooked, sizeable hunks of white fish, no bone or gristle in sight. Topped with freshly grated coconut, this creamy, mild curry is like a korma with a wallop more flavor. Its nutty, decadent and a fantastic contrast to the acid of the zingy, tomato-based vindaloo.
The portions are pretty big — in hindsight, a starter was wholly unnecessary, but the Pani Puri (NT$200) is a nice traditional touch. A beloved Indian street snack, these hollow balls of wispy thin batter are cracked open and filled with a curried potato mixture and finally a kind of spicy “water,” then popped in the mouth whole. These are relatively light and refreshing as an appetizer, and certainly texturally adventurous. The samosas (NT$400) on the other hand, in their doughy enormity, did push us towards competition eating territory.
Photo: Hollie Younger
Singh Arya’s restaurants are the stuff of Taipei legend for a reason; for curries with spice, soul and bold flavors, he’s yet to be beaten.
Photo: Hollie Younger
Photo: Hollie Younger
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