Éla
Address: 11 Chelmsford Lane, Ranelagh, Dublin 6, D06 KX84
Telephone: 01 406 2034
Cuisine: Indian
Website: https://elamagic.ie/Opens in new window
Cost: €€
My Ranelagh food aficionado dropped me a note about Éla, a little Indian restaurant where Michie Sushi used to be, she said. It’s down Chelmsford Lane, an easy-to-miss laneway off the busier Sandford Road, making it feel like a secret amid the glitzier restaurants along this stretch.
While artificial vine leaves trailing down from wooden ceiling slats would not be top of my design priorities, I find myself liking Éla the minute I walk in. It’s a small room – white linen tablecloths and napkins, glasses polished, cutlery gleaming, low lighting – with a neat bar area which doubles as a service station. Beyond that, the kitchen is partially visible, pots and pans on the go; it’s not just an assembly job.
Lalit Kumar is the chef-patron of Éla restaurant, which opened last October, and his wife and son help out with the kitchen and service. He grew up in Mandi in Himachal Pradesh and headed to Mumbai at 15 to work in kitchens, working his way across India – Delhi, Nagpur, Pune – before moving to Ireland in 2006. He has done the rounds here too: Jaipur on South Great George’s Street, Ananda in Dundrum, then head chef at Chakra in Greystones, Co Wicklow.
The name Éla comes from the Sanskrit word for cardamom, which is also used across the country. It is elaichi in Hindi, but there’s also a gentle nod to Ireland, with the fada on the É a marker of the restaurant’s dual identity.
The menu reflects a career spent moving around, so rather than being anchored to the region where he grew up, the focus is broader, offering choice. Tandoor grills, chaat and sharing boards all feature on the starters, moving to tikka masala, korma, makhan and madras for main courses, which also include some interesting vegetarian dishes, with paneer and lentils.
Malabar fish curry, coconut-based prawn dishes, Kashmiri and Awadhi lamb, plus a full biryani section broaden out the mains.
The wine list is short and predictable – Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, Malbec, Primitivo – with four whites, four reds, one rosé and two Proseccos, starting at €30, with glasses €8 –€9. I prefer beer with Indian food, so it’s Cobra (€4.50 a bottle).
[ Jaipur Dalkey review: The best takeaway biryani we’ve ever eatenOpens in new window ]
To get a sense of the tandoori grill, we start with the non-vegetarian board (€18.95) which includes two pieces each of seekh kebab, Patiala tikka, tiger prawn and Amritsari fish with chutney. Everything comes beautifully charred, the heat bringing a deep seafood richness to the prawn and highlighting the spice in the kebab. The fish is lightly battered and crisped, dressed with a hot green chutney. And the Patiala tikka (from the Punjabi region) has chicken marinated in a creamy sauce made from cashew nuts, yoghurt and fresh cream.
The Malabar fish curry (€20) revels in a multilayered spicy coconut sauce built on Malabar spices. The tilapia flakes apart nicely in a relatively thin-textured but richly flavoured sauce, driven by curry leaves and a mix of background spices that hit the back of the tongue with a prickle of heat.
Jhinga Jalaali starter composed of Kochin prawns marinated in ground spices and herbs, served with mint chutney. Photograph: Bryan O’Brien 
Nahar lamb shank, slow cooked with caramelised onions and Kashmiri spices from Éla. Photograph: Bryan O’Brien 
Malai Kofta: cottage cheese dumplings stuffed with nuts finished in a rich tomato-cashew gravy. Photograph: Bryan O’Brien
Indian restaurants tend to be reliable places for vegetarians to dine, and Éla is no exception. The malai kofta (€19.45), cottage cheese dumplings stuffed with nuts and finished in a rich tomato-cashew gravy, are made with house-made paneer using fresh Irish milk. They are quite gorgeous, notably light, with the filling in the paneer coming as a nice surprise. The sauce tastes almost like a butter chicken sauce – rich, smooth and a little sweet – complementing the dumplings beautifully.
Sides of garlic naan (€3.95) and pilau rice (€3.95) are excellent, the aroma rising from the charred naan, which is glossed with ghee and garlic, while the pilau rice arrives dappled with saffron, the grains separate and distinct, topped with a scattering of fried onions.
The selection of desserts is designed to appeal widely. We skip the cheesecake and brownie and opt for the daily rotating Indian dessert (€9.99). I miss its name, but if you think of a doughnut baklava baby, soaked in syrup, you get a sense of it. The three small doughnuts are topped with vanilla ice cream and raspberry syrup.
Éla has brought a whole new identity to this compact room with its green, gold and brown palette, warmed by soft pendant light. It is extremely welcoming, helped along by Kumar’s regular visits from the kitchen. It works well for two, but would be great with a group, when you can order across the menu.
Dinner for two with three beers was €89.79.
The verdict: A family-run Indian restaurant with some very tasty dishes
Food provenance: Lamb, Ballymore Prime Irish Meat; chicken, Musgrave (Netherlands, not free-range); vegetables, Keelings
Vegetarian options: Malai kofta, Achari baingan (aubergine), and Punchratan daal
Wheelchair access: Accessible room with no accessible toilet
Music: Classic instrumental
Chef-patron Lalit Kumar, his wife Suman Devi and son Akash Kumar at work in Éla. Photograph: Bryan O’Brien