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Kapitan Tandoori House is not just well-loved by Penangites. Almost every Malaysian who visits the island for a short getaway will make sure that this popular franchise is on their itinerary. Kapitan Tandoori House is an Indian Muslim restaurant that has been making waves across Penang since it was first established years ago.
This branch in Taman Tun Dr Ismail is their second outlet outside of Penang, and the first in Kuala Lumpur. They have a total of 8 outlets: 5 in Penang, 1 in Kedah, 1 in Selangor, and now 1 in the country’s busiest city.
While their menu includes a wide selection of Indian dishes like Aloo Gobi Masala (RM15), Chicken 65 (RM15), and Lamb Briyani (RM22), crowds usually flock to their outlets for Claypot Briyani, Tandoori, and Milani.
What I tried at Kapitan Tandoori House
Coming in, I wasn’t expecting much. The general consensus is that once a restaurant expands beyond its original outlet, the food quality plummets. While most restaurant chains prove this theory to be true, Kapitan Tandoori House took this belief, crushed it into a fine powder, and huffed it into the wind.
Starting off with drinks, we ordered the Masala Tea (RM2.50) and Mango Lassi (RM13). My first sip of their masala shocked me. The spices were well-blended, and the tea was strong and milky with the right level of sweetness. However, it was heavy on cardamom. I don’t mind that but it may be too strong for some. Every sip enveloped my taste buds with strong spices.
The mango lassi’s creaminess was balanced out by its freshness. It was perfect to sip on in between bites of savoury tandoori and garlic naan.
Their Cheese Garlic Naan Set (RM18) includes a piece of naan and tandoori chicken served with sweet mint sauce, dhal, sliced onions, and a wedge of lime.
While the naan looked huge, it was very thin. The restaurant has taken the term flatbread seriously and run with it. This could just be a matter of preference, but I personally am a fan of fluffy naan, so the texture of Kapitan’s bread didn’t amaze me.
That being said, it was still delicious. Unfortunately, they forgot to put cheese in our naan, which was disappointing.
A large piece of chicken can go two ways: it’s either the softest, juiciest cut of chicken you’ve ever had in your life, or the meat is extremely dry and hard. Thankfully, Kapitan’s tandoori chicken was the former. It was tender, juicy, and flavourful.
Paired with the naan, the chicken did overpower the flatbread due to how thin it was. In a way, the naan just served as a barrier of protection from the red colouring that coats the chicken.
Next, we tried their signature dish: Milani chicken. This is the dish that most people go to Kapitan for. The Milani and Butter Naan (RM18) comes with naan, a boneless chicken fillet, fries, coleslaw, and Milani sauce.
The chicken was tender and pretty big, which I think justifies the price. It was hidden under a bed of fries and a generous amount of yellow Milani sauce. The Milani didn’t have a very distinctive flavour. The closest thing I can compare it to is butter chicken. Although I love loud and bold flavours, I still enjoyed this creamy sauce.
When the waiter set this dish on the table, the sight of fries on the chicken threw me off. Prior to this, I had never had fries with naan, but I have to admit that my worries vanished once I took a bite. The Milani sauce goes well with fries, much like fries that are loaded with cheese or mayonnaise.
Final thoughts
Overall, I enjoyed the food and drinks a lot. Kapitan Tandoori House is a family-friendly eatery that also serves as a good lepak spot for groups of friends. The food is delicious and the portions are big. The only mildly disappointing element was the thin naan, but I can look past it. Since their chicken was stellar, I’d recommend checking out their briyani if you’re a fluffy naan lover too.
If I was already in the area, this restaurant would definitely be one of my top picks, especially late at night.
Expected damage: RM20 – RM35 per pax
