BY ANITA STIEFEL
EDITOR@OPELIKAOBSERVER.COM
AUBURN — The area’s newest restaurant for those who love international cuisine is India Palace, which opened earlier this month at 1100 S. College St., Suite 101, in Auburn.
Chef Sanjay Chowdhury prepares traditional Indian food, which is renowned worldwide for its flavorful use of herbs and spices. He said enjoys cooking dishes to taste and preference — guests can specify the preference of spiciness on a scale of one to 10 (with one being mild and 10 being extremely hot), and it’s no problem to ask for vegetarian and vegan options.
Chef Sanjay moved to Auburn from Florida, and manager Jimmy Hossain came from New York City, where he worked at the famous Carnegie Deli, satisfying the palates of celebrities who sought him out regularly such as Liza Minelli, Sarah Jessica Parker, David Letterman and others.
India Palace provides a friendly, casual atmosphere for guests to enjoy moderately priced delicious handmade food, masala chai (tea) and exotic juice drinks. Soon the restaurant will offer happy hour all day, featuring Indian beer and spicy cocktails. Jimmy’s always got a joke or a story to tell customers, and he and the servers are happy to explain the menu options and help guests find dishes they will enjoy.
Among India Palace’s most popular items are the garlic naan (fresh bread baked in a clay oven), chicken tikka masala (boneless chicken in a creamy tomato sauce) and mango lassi, a smoothie-type drink made from a blend of yogurt, mango pulp, milk and sugar.
Appetizers include vegetable samosas (crispy friend dumplings stuffed with potatoes and vegetables); keema samosa (stuffed with chicken and peas); and veggie, paneer (cheese) and fish pakora (marinated, deep-fried nuggets); tandoori wings and aloo tikki (potato patties served with chickpeas, yogurt and chutney). For those who want to try a bit of it all, India Palace has an appetizer sampler. The restaurant also offers cream of tomato soup, murg shorba (similar to chicken broth) and mulligatawny soup (made with lentils and mild Indian spices).
Among the tandoori meals (cooked in a special clay oven) are chicken, shrimp, fish and mixed grill, seekh kabab and skewered chicken tikka. The restaurant offers biryani (a popular mixed rice dish) that can be made with a choice of vegetables, egg, chicken, shrimp, lamb or goat.
Chicken dishes include afghani (mango and ginger sauce), saag (cooked with creamy spinach), vindaloo (cooked with potatoes in a spicy sauce) among others. There are also entrees of curry, kadai, vindaloo and Rogan Josh made with lamb or goat, as well as seafood dishes such as shrimp curry and fish tikka masala.
A wide variety of vegetable entrees are offered, such as dal tadka (yellow lentils prepared with garlic, ginger and tomato); masalas with aloo gobi (cauliflower and potatoes) and bhindi (okra); bangan bharta (eggplant); and a number of paneer (homemade cheese) and curry dishes.
One section of the menu contains Indian-Chinese dishes, which combine the two cuisines for interesting Manchurian (soy sauce based) and chili creations.
For the little ones, India Palace offers a kid’s meal of chicken tikka, rice, French fries and mango juice.
For dessert, there’s kheer (sweet rice flavored with cardamom, raisins and nuts), gulab jamun (sweet dumplings), rasmalai (cheese patties soaked in milk and garnished with pistachios), gajar halwa (carrots, milk and dried nuts with a fudgy texture) and different flavors of kulfi (ice cream).
India Palace is open Tuesday through Sunday for lunch (11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.) and dinner (5 to 9:30 p.m.) and is closed on Mondays. Food is available for dine in or take out, and catering is available. Check out the menu and order online at www.indiapalaceaub.com or call (334) 209-0064.
