BY NIMMI RAGHUNATHAN - At first everything she says seems improbable. She is the owner of Mayur restaurant, which means peacock – the parody of vanity in the human mind. And yet, there she sits across you like she doesn’t know the meaning of the word. Meet Anju Kapoor. Or as she will tell you, “I am Kapoor with the poor in it.” Not really, she runs a cozy establishment on prime property in Corona del Mar.
 |  | Tell her you have driven by several times to go to another eatery down the road, and she won’t say a word, just gently chastise you with raised eyebrows. She speaks of many things, love and acceptance, learning and practicing, joy and sorrow…but little about food. Thirty-three years after she opened the doors to a business serving food, Kapoor still claims, she knows nothing about it. Every owner and chef will be sure to tell you on how food was their calling, how they dreamed of spices or how the warm hearth of a kitchen was their fulfillment, not Kapoor. Instead she talks relationships. So, there is Dharam Singh, who has handled her kitchen for... |
all of the 33 years that Mayur has been open. Is there another Indian chef who has been in an Indian kitchen that long in SoCal? In an industry that is rife with poaching of staff, very doubtful. He came with the Kapoor family when she moved to the US from an affluent home in Delhi with her husband and two daughters, to cook for them. And he never left. Through her life ridden on some really choppy waters, he has been a steady presence in her life, ensuring that the customers are never secondary. What ‘Bhai’, as Kapoor calls him, sends out to the table is outstanding. The masalas are toned down without compromising on the Indianess, the ingredients are fresh and the American palate couldn’t be more pleased. Try the quinoa salad and if you have resisted that seed for texture or taste before, you won’t once you have sampled the Mayur version. Loaded with avocados, cranberries, peppers of every color, cilantro and more, it offers a variety of flavors and gets Indianized with a house dressing. It’s how this tamarind based dressing gets handled that’s important – with a light hand that serves to tantalize rather than overwhelm. The smoked chicken salad has greens with toasted sesame, walnuts and an interesting wasabi-coconut flavor and is great for lunch on a warm, sunny day.
Mayur’s specialty also is the Chilean sea bass and the lamb chop. The best restaurants rely on fresh produce for a reason. It can be served simply, with little processing or sauces to mask flavors. That’s what happens here. Those at the table polish off the fish that is flaky and buttery – not because of the fat laden ingredient that one tends to shy away from - but yogurt that adds to the moistness without getting gooey. The meaty lamb chop, when poked with a knife and held up on a fork has the desired red color that meat lovers look for. Served on a bed of basmati rice, it does not lose its Indian feel. Other than these dishes, another best-selling dish is the karahi lamb. Kapoor says they buy over 100lbs of the meat a month just for this item.
Vegetarians tend to gravitate to the bharta and palak paneer. The paneer is homemade and makes a difference to the dish. The restaurant serves the not so pervasive Parsee dhansaak with its Persian and Gujarati flavors.
Vegetarian or meat eater, the one thing that needs to be had is the ajwain paratha. When the carom seeds spill all over the plate, you are more than likely to go chasing after them so you can get every last bit of it. Accompanied by a truly minty lassi, it will satisfy the sensualist in you. Kapoor meanwhile is getting pampered by her staff who insist that she have her lunch too. She however would rather check on her guests. Her sentiments on relationships come to bear again – her employees have the air of a team, cheerful and joshing around while she makes sure that those around her relax and eat. She plies the table with dessert. Just one statement on that: don’t miss the gulab jamun or the pista kulfi. Just don’t. Another must try is the turmeric latte. The small glass is made from fresh turmeric and that makes all the difference. Do try this place out. Mayur, 2931 East Coast Hwy, Corona del Mar, CA 92625 949.675.6623, www.mayur-oc.com Take out and catering available
Mayur’s specialty also is the Chilean sea bass and the lamb chop. The best restaurants rely on fresh produce for a reason. It can be served simply, with little processing or sauces to mask flavors. That’s what happens here. Those at the table polish off the fish that is flaky and buttery – not because of the fat laden ingredient that one tends to shy away from - but yogurt that adds to the moistness without getting gooey. The meaty lamb chop, when poked with a knife and held up on a fork has the desired red color that meat lovers look for. Served on a bed of basmati rice, it does not lose its Indian feel. Other than these dishes, another best-selling dish is the karahi lamb. Kapoor says they buy over 100lbs of the meat a month just for this item.
Vegetarians tend to gravitate to the bharta and palak paneer. The paneer is homemade and makes a difference to the dish. The restaurant serves the not so pervasive Parsee dhansaak with its Persian and Gujarati flavors.
Vegetarian or meat eater, the one thing that needs to be had is the ajwain paratha. When the carom seeds spill all over the plate, you are more than likely to go chasing after them so you can get every last bit of it. Accompanied by a truly minty lassi, it will satisfy the sensualist in you. Kapoor meanwhile is getting pampered by her staff who insist that she have her lunch too. She however would rather check on her guests. Her sentiments on relationships come to bear again – her employees have the air of a team, cheerful and joshing around while she makes sure that those around her relax and eat. She plies the table with dessert. Just one statement on that: don’t miss the gulab jamun or the pista kulfi. Just don’t. Another must try is the turmeric latte. The small glass is made from fresh turmeric and that makes all the difference. Do try this place out. Mayur, 2931 East Coast Hwy, Corona del Mar, CA 92625 949.675.6623, www.mayur-oc.com Take out and catering available
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