The Joys of Indian Food

For some reason, I've never had Indian food until a few months ago at a Diamond Bar restaurant and I regret not experiencing it earlier. I instantly fell in love with the spices, sauces, and naan. Unfortunately, in the OC (don't call it that), Indian restaurants aren't as numerous as Mexican restaurants, but they still exist, at least.

I went to the nearest mid-priced Indian restaurant by my home: Mother India. Indian restaurants in general are known for the lunch buffets. It's the best buy. For under $20, you get unlimited portions of the most popular Indian dishes: Chicken Tikka Masala, various curries, lentil soup, creamed spinach, Tandoori Chicken, and others. Mother India's lunch buffet was especially inexpensive: about $8. But you get what you pay for, which isn't much. The selection was meek, especially the curries. The Tandoori Chicken was decent, but not good enough for me to come back.

I went to Chakra for dinner with Linh, Robert, and Tony. This Irvine restaurant was definitely more high-end. Each entree was around $20. Expensive, but wonderfully delicious. Naan, a pita-type flatbread, cost extra though ($4 per serving), but it was perfectly crispy and soft at the same time. Our high-end dinner was topped off nicely with a good bottle of sweet, white Riesling wine that was picked by Linh, resident wine expert.

Still, I have to find a good Indian lunch buffet. My next try is Punjab in Fountain Valley. Yes, the name is slightly offensive, but not as offensive as that Thai restaurant on Beach Blvd. (Phuket). There's also a place somewhere near Magnolia and Talbert (Ashoka) that one website recommended.

Lastly, Kumar updated his own blog with a good, detailed review of his vacation to Sri Lanka and India. His reminiscing on the South Indian food got me hungry. Maybe he can cook for all of us when he comes back.