At a glance:
51 Mass. Ave, Boston, MA
Price: $
Stars (out of 5): 3.5
Fast, convenient Indian food with very reasonable prices for Back Bay, let’s give this a try! The inside is open and clean, the workers are super friendly. They encourage you to try samples if you have any questions about the menu.
I ordered the chicken tikka masala curry bowl, a side of samosas, and a peach vanilla lassi to go. Everything on the menu is under $10, unless you order the family sized entrees. They have a special called Naanz, which are naan flatbread sandwiches filled with a curry meat and greens.
The peach vanilla lassi hit the spot for me! I love the richness and creaminess of lassi, a popular yogurt based drink in India. What was special about this lassi was the fresh peach puree and spices added, the main one being finely ground vanilla bean powder! The vanilla fragrance permeated the drink, and I’d like to think the probiotics and active cultures in the yogurt made the drink healthy! As appropriate for my blog title, I enjoyed this drink by the esplanade on a cold, rainy, gloomy day.
The samosas, which are golden fried pastry triangles filled with curry seasoning, potatoes, peas, and lentils, were unfortunately not what I had hoped for. They were small, not crispy, and under-seasoned. I love just the opposite: huge, crispy triangles overfilled with curry powder and potato chunks. But the coriander puree sauce that accompanied the samosas was fantastic! I loved the tang of the coriander mixed with spices.
Lastly, the chicken tikka masala curry bowl. Not a lot of chunks of meat, but what was there was nice, well cooked white meat. The tomato based sauce had good flavors but was a little too creamy. The rice pilaf was cooked well but overpowered by the large amount of sauce from the curry. The accompanying tomato, cucumber, and parsley salad was refreshing, but very little in amount so I couldn’t really savor it.
Overall, a filling meal and a good fix for fast Indian food.
Eat on!