Call me biased if you like. But for me, there is nothing that tastes better than subcontinental cuisine. Though I do enjoy Italian and Middle Eastern fare too, I have a definite weakness for the Indian curry. Now Indians (or anyone from the subcontinent for that matter) shouldn’t get me wrong here. When I say ‘curry’ I don’t mean the yogurt and besan dish, ‘kadi‘. (That’s the only dish we natives come near to calling ‘curry’) I use it as a generic term for any spiced concoction of Indian origin. Indians, or at least North Indians would probably use ‘Tari’, ‘Masala’, ‘Saalan’, ‘Korma’, etc. for these heavily seasoned dishes, but the general term, in the Western world at least, is ‘curry’. So curry it is.
This humble contrivance has steadily been gaining popularity on the other side of the Indian Ocean. So much that in the 1990’s the Chicken Tikka Masala was heralded as the “British national dish.” So it was little surprise for me to see so many India and Pakistani restaurants here in Chicago. My husband’s favorite spot would obviously be Devon Avenue, a street teeming with shops with delectable names. (Check his post on this.)
Since my arrival less than a month ago, I have sampled the Devon menu quite a few times, my favorite till date being Sabri’s, a Pakistani restaurant that served authentic and absolutely out of the world Nihari and Biryani. One day however, my husband suggested we go to Grand Avenue instead, to a place called India House. The name struck me as a little unimaginative. After all, don’t restaurants always have fancy names? Like Indian Durbar or Zaika or something like that. “You will love the food,” Javed told me, and I took his word for it. And I was more than rewarded for the same.
When you first enter India House, you like the ambience and the decor. You like the warm service. You also like the squeaky clean crockery. But once you come to the food, you more than like what you see. And taste of course.
India House offers an unlimited buffet with at least 40 different things to choose from. And if sheer variety is something you dig for, wait till you hear how well cooked it was. The paneer (Indian cottage cheese) in the Kadai Paneer is so creamy and tender that it sort of melts in your mouth. So were the potatoes in the Aloo Bukhara. And the fish curry is an absolute must with the vegetable pulav. And the naans? Just as naans should be. Succulent, soft, scrumptious.
As soon as we took our seats, my husband directed me to the buffet table. I skipped several dishes because my plate was already so piled up with what I had picked. I made a note of a few items I wanted to sample on my second round. As we returned to our table, we saw a platter of sizzling chicken tandoori and a basket of hot naans waiting for us. Unfortunately we had to return the chicken as it was not Halaal and the waiters were honest enough to tell us that.
The samosas were, as they say, ‘just like how they make ‘em back home’. And if you choose the samosa, you must never forget to take the accompanying green coconut chutney. Despite having a thorough non-vegetarian palate, I quite enjoyed the plethora of delicious vegetarian dishes before me. Of course, I did find a few disappointing numbers too, the Kadi-bhajia for instance. But the good ones outnumbered the not so good ones and so I am not complaining too much.
For dessert my husband chose Gulab Jamuns and rice Kheer, I chose a mango Kulfi, something like an ‘iced’ ice cream. The kulfi was nice, but I can say I have definitely tasted better. From the look of my husband, I think he pretty much enjoyed his selection and I wish I had taken his lead.
We obviously skipped the Kheema-mutter, Chicken Biryani and a host of other non-vegetarian dishes because they weren’t Halaal, an issue I feel very tempted to bring up with the manager. It is absolutely unjust to be deprived from sampling the entire menu!
We left the restaurant, feeling quite satisfied, both with the food as well as the bill. IH doesn’t pinch your wallet too hard and it’s value for money. And by looking at the diverse ethnicity of the clientele, it seems to be a hit not only with the Indians, but with the others too. Hmm. Sabri still scores for its simple seduction of the taste buds but IH is most definitely worth a visit too.
P.S. More posts on the Indian Curry:
Fish! (Konkani Surmai fry fish with creamy Coconut Urad Dal)
and
Something’s Cookin’! (Konkani again- Prawn ‘n Peppper Coconut Curry)
Hi – I read your blog and loved it. Would you give me permission to put this up in my website?
I will be most obliged.
Best regards
Kirti
Hi Kirti! You can put it up on your site for sure. Just gimme a link back on your site, will ya?
Hey! I can’t get enough of the chicken makhani at Sabri. I also enjoyed a microwave recipe for it (healthier too!) from Julie Sahni’s Moghul Microwave cookbook.
mouth watering post
actually chanced on your blog.. very interesting posts…