This is pretty embarrassing to admit, but up until last week I had never tried Indian food. Sure I have made some curry dishes at home, however as far as authentic Indian food...well I had just never explored it. But wait it gets worse...my first time trying Indian food was in Atlanta, Georgia. Not soul food or bbq, but Indian food. How random is it that I have to travel across the country to try Indian food? And to make matters more interesting, the Indian restaurant that I happened to go to has a restaurant here in the Los Angeles area. Yup...that is just the way I roll.

I don't remember what this was called, but it reminded me of a thin tortilla that was slightly crispy and some random dipping sauce, how is that for honesty?

Before I start talking about the food, let me also apologize for how horrific these pictures are. I am sure some of it has to do with the photographer aka. me, however I am going to blame some of it on the cuisine, it is just not a very photogenic food. Just my opinion! However, what it lacks in visual impact, it definitely more than makes up for it in taste.


I went to a small Indian restaurant in an Atlanta strip mall called Heart of India. It was modest in decor and from the outside it really looked like nothing special. However, the service was amazing! Our waiter was named Juan...yes I know what you are thinking...and yes your judgment is correct. The waiter in the Indian restaurant was Hispanic, however he was funny, he had a damn good Indian accent and could pronounce and describe the food like it was nobodies business. He was also attentive, knowledgeable and just as enthusiastic as I was about it being my first experience with the cuisine.

So the first thing I tried to order was Indian beer. However, the restaurant did not have a liquor license and so I was sent next door to the liquor store to purchase Indian beer. The two guys in the liquor store had no problem selling me Kingfisher beer, which was an Indian beer and without hesitation the restaurant opened it and let us drink it. That was a new and different experience in and of itself.


We started the meal with mulligatawny soup, which is a lentil based soup, that reminded me of lentil soup that is pureed with curry and other spices.

We also had nan, the flat bread, and we tried regular, onion and garlic. I could have truly lived on it! I also loved that this bread could double as silverware, primarily because I love to eat with my hands, so anything that allows me to get dirty with class is right up my alley.

Since this was my first experience we decided to order family style so we could share multiple dishes and I loved how we could choose the level of spice for everything we ordered. The majority of the table wanted mild, however I ordered one dish with a little spice to it and it just made me happy!! It also made my eyes water and my nose run, but details, right? They also thoughtfully brought this virgin (to Indian food) a dish of yogurt to kill the spice in the event that my system started to shut down due to heat. I thought that was especially kind and thoughtful!!


So we tried Shrimp Tandoori which reminded me of the Indian varietal of a fajita plate. The shrimp had amazing flavor and they were cooked perfectly!


The dish that I choose and which I made spicy was the Lamb Biryani which is a rice dish that is flavored with saffron and other spices...I have no idea what the other spices were, however it reminded me of a cross between Spanish Paella and Asian Fried Rice. I absolutely loved it and the lamb was tender and melted in my mouth!! Happiness!!


We also tried Tikka Masala which is meat in a tomato cream sauce. It has a lot of flavor and well yeah it is not very pretty.

Finally, we also tried the Chicken Rogan Josh which is chicken served with onions, peppers and tomatoes with added spices. Also very flavorful and aromatic!!

I was truly impressed with all of the flavors, the layers of spice and the cohesive ability for the ingredients to meld together and just make my pallet happy. I loved the experience, the restaurant and the people who worked there. I definitely plan on making a special trip to check out the West Coast location which is called Anarkali Indian and if it is anything like the Atlanta restaurant I am sure you all will not be disappointed. Cheers!!