Restaurant Review #1

[We don't know if this will be interesting to anyone else, but one of our shared passions is Indian cuisine. Before leaving for Bucharest, we were delighted to learn that there are quite a few Indian restaurants in Bucharest--a significant change since my first visit in 2004--and we are determined to try them all, and share the results with our beloved readers. Or at least note our experiences for our own amusement!]

So, after trekking for three miles, past the Centru Civic, the Palace, and the Marriott, we finally reached our destination--Taj Indian Cuisine. There are at least six Indian restaurants in Bucharest, and we had thus far been to two: Tamarind and Karishma. (For those experiences, see our previous posts.) Taj was the first Indian restaurant to open in Bucharest (and therefore so far as I know, in Romania), starting business in 1995. At first we were afraid we wouldn't find it, but right when we were about to give up, I noticed it across the street from us. Take that, Bucharest! This time your confusing layout did not defeat us.

The interior was very nice, and the non-smoking section was, in fact, blissfully smoke-free. The staff were not Indian (thought the owner/executive chef is) but seemed pretty knowledgeable about the food. The menu was extensive, including not only over thirty Indian main entrees, but also an eclectic "international food" section, which listed among other things a burrito. This last bit did not inspire much confidence, but we decided to keep an open mind. For starters, we ordered vegetarian samosas. For the equivalent of five dollars we got five pieces, making it a better deal than what you normally get in the States. They were quite tasty, although they would have benefited from a bit more spice, and were served only with raita and not the traditional chutney duo (chili and tamarind). For our main course, S ordered her old stand-by, daal makhni, and I got Rogan Josh, and asked for it to be spicy since they tend to turn down the heat for the Romanian palate. S also ordered a glass of the house red, and I a mango lassi.

The Rogan Josh was quite good, and thankfully the chef heeded my request for spice, as the heat was definitely present. S was less pleased with her meal--basically what she got was rajma, a dish made with kidney beans, instead of daal makhni, which of course has lentils. For rajma, she said it was tasty, but daal makhni it was not! I wasn't sure how the mango lassi would turn out, and almost didn't order it, but I'll be darned if it wasn't better than the lassis I get at our favorite place in Bloomington, Shanti. The house wine S ordered wasn't bad (a bit thin), but the quantity for what she ordered ($1.50 for a carafe holding two glasses) made it a great bargain. We had plenty leftover food to take home, and also ordered some gulab jamun to go--which were quite tasty!

One last thing worth mentioning: Taj was busy. Aside from us, there were several other couples, a table of four businesswomen, and a large party of about twenty people in one of the back rooms. It is good to know so many Romanians enjoy Indian food!

So, then, here is how we rank Taj compared to the other two Indian restaurants we have been to in Bucharest. Our highly scientific system takes into account menu, ambiance, service, and taste, renders the variables to a single score of 1-10 samosas, 10 being perfect, and 1 representing something even a Goan street-hawker wouldn't eat. As a base, our beloved Shanti in Bloomington ranks as an 8.5.

Now for the results thus far:
Tamarind--2 Samosas (though to be fair, we haven't had any made-to-order food from there yet, just what they had available for take-out)

Karishma--8 Samosas (easily on par with the best restaurants we've been to in the States, but not quite on the level of what you find in Toronto, Houston, etc.)

Taj--6.5 Samosas (might have been an even 7 had the "daal makhni" actually been daal makhni)

There you have it! There are still several other places to try--maybe we'll make it to one before we come back for Christmas. . .or maybe we'll just go back to Karishma. . .