The Food Snob recently paid a visit to the House of India restaurant on Pleasant Street. I've had my eye on this place ever since my induction to the ranks of Snobhood, and it was well worth the wait.
My dining companion and I arrived for lunch early on a weekday afternoon and had no trouble getting a prime table in the half-full dining room. The scent of exotic spices swirled in the air, and I must confess that my mouth was watering before even setting eyes upon a menu. To be fair, The Snob has a soft spot for Indian food; there's not a worry in the world that can't be cured by a healthy helping of vindaloo.
House of India's biggest flaw was definitely the service. Our waiter didn't seem excited to be serving us, keeping a sullen face the whole time. As we finished ordering our appetizers, his cell phone rang and he immediately answered it and walked away, without even confirming that he heard our orders! The Snob is used to being catered to hand and foot, so you can imagine how I felt.
As it turned out, he was paying attention to our orders, and he returned shortly with our first round of food and drinks. We started things off with a naan bread basket ($7.25), comprised of three different styles of the traditional Indian bread. The standard naan was just right, chewy and easy to rip by hand, and complimented well by the assortment of chutneys provided. The garlic naan was topped with browned, crispy garlic and was the most flavorful of the three. The third variety of naan, poori, was new to the Snob. Unleavened bread fried in such a way that it puffed up into a ball, it was as much fun to look at as it was to eat. I almost broke the golden rule of not playing with one's food as I was struck with the sudden urge to bend it like Beckham, but I kept it under control. It was light and fluffy and went quite well with the side dish of raita ($1.95), a cool whipped homemade yogurt with cucumbers, tomatoes and fresh mint.
We washed down our naan with mango lassi, a thick, yogurt-based drink akin to a milkshake. At once creamy and fruity, it was delicious and the perfect way to start our meal.
Our main courses arrived shortly and we dug in. My dining companion had a cup of lentil garlic soup ($2.95), which was light and tangy, with the complementary flavors of lemon and cilantro vying for attention. It was an excellent palate cleanser between the appetizers and main course.
She followed up the soup with the house bhaki masala, a dish boasting mixed vegetable fritters in a thick tomato-based sauce. I didn't detect anything resembling fritters in the dish, but the mixed vegetables in the smooth and creamy sauce were more than satisfactory.
I had the lamb curry ($6.95 at lunch), a straightforward dish of lamb chunks in a curry sauce with onion, ginger, and garlic. It was everything I hoped for; spicy, but not overpowering, the lamb tender yet chewy. Dolloping it over the side of jasmine rice proved to be a perfect blend of flavors and textures.
If you can get past the service, you're sure to enjoy the culinary jewels this joint has to offer.
