Taking over the space once occupied by a coffee shop, this new Indian restaurant is in a cozy little storefront on Mehlville Avenue, one of the side streets off Delmar Boulevard south of the Loop. The founders left India’s Rasoi to strike out on their own, adding to the potpourri of ethnic spots that has the Loop rivaling Grand Avenue as a dining mecca.
The menu is somewhat small for an Indian restaurant, with about five tandoori entrees, five other meat entrees, a handful of vegetarian dishes and various smaller complementary items. Do not miss the pakora starters, which here are not the usual heavily coated clumps of chickpea flour and oil. These are delicately coated whole pieces of shrimp, cheese or white-meat chicken that come out crisp, hot and non-greasy. The shrimp ($9 for six) are especially scrumptious, reminiscent of the fragrant fried coatings before fried shrimp became somewhat generic. Dipping sauces are the usual red tamarind, which here is quite spicy, and green cilantro.
Mulligatawny Soup ($3) was a brimming bowlful of lentil broth with curry spices. It had decent flavor and a bit of texture from the crushed lentils, but I found it too thin and less interesting than versions filled with vegetables and chicken.
Entrees are offered by sauce name (tikka masala, korma, saagwala, etc.), then the diner specifies which meat/fish they want added. My Lamb Tikka Masala ($12.95) was excellent, especially the sauce. It was creamy and fragrant with Indian flavors like cumin, coriander, chile and many others. The lamb overall was flavorful and tender enough, and the chunks of potato added a starchy foil to the protein.
Especially good was the Shrimp Curry ($12.50), a dark red sauce in the traditional blend of Indian spices without cream and with plenty of fresh ginger. The shrimp, much bigger than what you normally get, were excellent: tender and sweet. Also very good was Matar Paneer ($9.50), peas and slightly cinnamon-y Indian cheese cubes in a creamy and mild-spicy sauce.
Dishes come with white basmati rice, but we also ordered a plate of Vegetable Biryani ($10), which includes the typical vegetables found in frozen medleys: bits of broccoli, cauliflower, pea, onion, carrots and green beans, pan sauteed in ghee for extra flavor. The raita is offered free with the biryani here. This traditional yogurt sauce meant to cool the mouth while eating spicy foods is usually slightly creamy, often with slivers of carrot. But this version was very thin and unusual—tasting somewhat sour, like goat milk, and I didn’t care for it.
Fish Vindalo ($12) is another dish with excellent sauce, this one spicier and redder than the tikka masala. The fish, impressively, was cod rather than the typical (and cheaper) tilapia or catfish. It came in nice-sized chunks that flaked on contact with the fork, along with potato pieces. On a second visit, however, the fish in our Korma ($12.50) did not taste as fresh.
An order of Kheer ($2.75) was excellent: creamy and sweet, if somewhat small. And if you like chai ($2.50), Taj Mahal has a good one that is nicely spiced and creamy.
[chef chat] >> Abdul Matin
PEDIGREE | Cooking school in Bangladesh
FAVORITE INGREDIENT | Cardamom
FAVORITE RESTAURANT | West End Wok
FAVORITE COOKBOOK | How To Cook Indian by Sanjiv Kapoor
MOST MEMORABLE DINING EXPERIENCE | The Royal India Palace in New York
GUILTY PLEASURE FOOD | Roti (Indian wheat bread)
[amuse bouche]
THE scene | Tiny neighborhood restaurant
THE CHEF | Abdul Matin
THE PRICES | $3.50 to $9 starters, $10 to $14 entrees
THE FAVORITES | Shrimp Pakora, Lamb Tikka Masala, Kheer, Shrimp Curry, Matar Paneer
567 mehlville ave. | 314.721.4499
By Jonathan Carli
Photos by Bill Barrett
