DELAVAN – We were so excited to learn there was a new Indian restaurant nearby. We were also confused. Is it somehow an offshoot of Hernandez?
Hernandez, one of the best Mexican restaurants, sold after 40 years, at the end of 2022. They kept the Hernandez employees, decor, and menu. They added a second Indian menu.
You park on the side street and don’t see the Spice of India signage until you turn into the door. Then there is a chalk sign, so you know you are in the right place.
There is a limited alcohol menu (unless you go Mexican for beer or margaritas). They use a Mumbai vodka for a vodka tonic ($6.99). Jennifer sampled this. I went with a lassi, a salted roast cumin version ($3.99). Once I got past my sweet expectation, it was good and a great way to cut the heat of a spicy meal.
We were happy with our appetizers. We tried a Keema Samosa ($7.99). A handheld snack, this is a lightly fried puff pastry stuffed with minced lamb and Indian spices. Tamarind sauce and
mint chutney for dipping came with the dish and was helpful to moisten the samosas which were a bit dry. Our favorite dish of the night was the honey, chili, potato dish ($7.99). A large plate of crinkle cut fries covered in a chilly sauce, then covered with honey and sesame seeds. The sliced green peppers in this appetizer were welcomed and added to the overall flavor. We couldn’t stop eating it.
I ordered the fish tikka ($15.99). I always love this dish. It is a lovely mix of spices in a tomato cream sauce. Their version had nice chunks of tender fish just lightly coated. I would order this again, the accompanying rice was either old or not cooked long enough - hard.
We love nan, the flatbread cooked in the tandoori oven. We ordered garlic nan ($3.99). Again, it was a bit dry. HeleneÃÛèÖÊÓÆµ buttered naan, which was included with the buffet, was a little too buttery.
For her entree, Jennifer spotted the butter chicken ($17.99). Tender chunks of moist chicken tossed in a rich and creamy tomato based gravy with curry and baked in a tandoor oven; it was delivered steaming hot with a side of basmati rice. It was somewhat spicy which she thoroughly enjoyed.
We learned there is a buffet served on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, from 11a.m. to 6 p.m.
Helene ordered the Indian buffet ($17.99) and was impressed by the simple but clean set up. The trays weren’t stuffed with food but were constantly replenished to be fresh. There were six items to choose from plus a dessert table with a couple of sweet items; fruit custard and rasgulla which is a very sweet, syrup filled dumpling.
SheÃÛèÖÊÓÆµ not sure if they rotate buffet items, but on this day there was gulab jamun (another sweet dough ball), vegetable samosas (large, fried triangles of potatoes, peas, and other spiced vegetables), chana masala (chickpeas in a very spicy brown sauce), dal tadka (yellow lentils in a spicy cumin, garlic, ginger and chili sauce), palak paneer (Indian cottage cheese squares, in a creamy, thick spinach sauce}. This was her favorite. Her second favorite was a lamb rogan josh (tender lamb in a delicious brown sauce).
This was a great way to sample many of their dishes. She didn’t consider that some of these dishes were a little too spicy for her. If she had ordered off the menu, most of the dishes could be adjusted to fit her heat tolerance. Luckily, she had a mango lassi ($5.99) to cool her tongue!
HeleneÃÛèÖÊÓÆµ husband Bob ordered the aloo tiki ($7.99) and was happy with the meal. The aloo tiki was salad-ish with lightly breaded and fried potatoes as the base and tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, and peppers mixed in and flavored with tamarind and mint chutney.
Indian or Mexican fare, whichever suits your fancy…you’ll find both ethnic restaurants rolled into one at the Spice of India. Just in case you’re wondering, yes, you may still order your favorite Mexican classic dishes.
There is potential here and it has a unique niche especially for the vegan and vegetarians in your life. We were pleased with the portion sizes and had many leftovers to take home. The cuisine options and the exoticness of the Indian food was a pleasure and felt like an adventure! We wish them the best and hope for success.