Review: India Diner
Author: Smokin DB | Filed under: Food Reviews, Location: Indianapolis, IN
India Diner
8810 South Emerson Ave.
Indianapolis, IN 46237
I love Indian food. I really didn’t start eating it with regularity until about ten years ago, but once I discovered this cuisine, I was totally hooked. The dichotomy of creamy dairy based sauces that are also, in some cases, fiery hot is delicious. The number of spices and techniques involved also make it a cuisine that has an infinite number of variations keeping dishes interesting and adventurous
Unfortunately, I found most of the Indian in Indianapolis to be on the boring side. A dumbed down version devoid of the heat and complex flavors of the really good Indian that I have eaten elsewhere. I primarily eat Indian at lunch via the ubiquitous buffet (My daughter has some food allergies so this is my best chance to eat Indian). I get that you are trying to hit the lowest common denominator with this type of service but really, the blandness of dishes that I was experiencing was killing me. Then I tried India Diner. Yep, just a couple doors down from the newly expanded Brozinni Pizza.
India Diner is your typical store-front Indian joint; clean but somewhat dull interior dominated by a long buffet line. What’s on that line makes it anything but typical. It’s Indian food with the spiciness and depth of flavor that I crave.
What I Got: I usually graze these things, sampling small bites of a variety of dishes on the first pass and then absolutely destroy it on subsequent trips and there was no breaking from routine here. First trip was red onion chutney that was great. I also got Lamb Vindallu, Vegetable Pakora, Dal Makhni, Palak Paneer, Tandoori Chicken and finally Punjabi Curry. I don’t eat a lot of lamb but this was exceptional. Tender and moist with a brilliant red sauce of yogurt and spices. Heat was medium for me, but far beyond the Vindallu I’ve had elsewhere in the city. Pakora is a breaded fried fritter and this was really good, not greasy but again with a nice hit of spice, not heat, just spice. Dal Makhni is a vegetarian lentil based curry that is less about dairy but still manages to be creamy and full of flavor. Palak Paneer also vegetarian is spinach cooked with a mild, slightly dry Indian cheese that I have had many times. The danger here is the cheese, in spite of swimming in a very mild yet complex sauce, can get tough and dry. But not here, where it’s really good. The Tandoori Chicken with the to-be-expected Chicken Tikka (yeah, I killed this on trip #2) is great as well as it was correctly spiced and not overcooked. The unexpected star of the show was the Punjabi Curry. I’ve never seen this preparation before. Vegetable Pakora was in a sauce that was neon yellow. The flavor was citrusy with a bit of heat that hit late and then the curry spice from the Pakora. I asked the server about it and he said they just started to have this on the buffet. It was fantastic. The tip-in for me is that at India Diner they bring fresh hot Naan right to the table rather than having it on the buffet where it tends to either dry out or get soggy.
Would I Buy It Again? Oh yeah. With a drink you are getting of India Diner for around ten bucks and you are eating, as least in my mind, a fairly authentic representation of Indian food.
-Smokin DB
Tags: dal makhni, Food, india diner, Indian, lamb, lamb vindallu, palek paneer, punjabi curry, red onion chutney, tandoori chicken, vegetable pakora
I hate it when you come up with a good review for a place that I want to try but just don’t think I’ll be in that area any time soon!!!
Indian is something that I’ve recently found I enjoy, but haven’t had enough to know if what I’ve enjoyed has been authentic. I may have to make a special trip to try this place…
Looks good DB and I love a good Indian Buffet. I usually hit India Garden in Broadripple at lunch and it always this the spot. The food at dinner is usually a little better for some reason, but I am like you…I like a little bit of this and that.
If I am in the neighborhood, it would be pretty difficult to choose something over Brozinni’s.
Northsiders should try Amber Indian in Carmel. Killer lunch buffet and the best naan i’ve ever had (I always go for the garlic naan). It’s off of North Meridian. Best Indian I’ve had in a long time. Shalimar is good in a pinch, but I feel like they dumb down the lunch buffet to make it way less spicy.
Katy, Didn’t love it: http://wouldibuyitagain.com/2009/11/review-amber-indian-restaurant/
I will give it another try this winter.
Ah THANK YOU! I live right around the corner from this place and I’ve been itching to try it – hopefully I can get my husband to go. Did they have butter chicken? So far that’s the only Indian I can get him to eat
Thank you for being honest. Although I worked for Indian people for six years and found them to be good, honest, and loving people. Quick to help, but their cooking I found rather bland. that was because the were a vegan family, and spices aplenty, it seemed but all their food tasted the same. much as our food in the west must seem to them. Ghee and vegtables and nan bread. They do have some fantastic food, vegan or not. I will not appoligise for a meat based diet, but I eat less of it, because I now enjoy a lot more vegtables and grains. But India is a large Country. People forget that , sometimes. It would be like saying I dont like American food because you once ate a meal in nyc, tampa, la etc. Indian food can be good.
Everyone, thanks for reading the review! Heather, I have not seen Butter Chicken on the buffet but it is on the dinner menu. Speaking of Dinner, India Garden now has a dinner buffet on Friday Nights. I was told by the owner that it’s more elaborate than the lunch buffet. I plan on checking it out when I can.
Holy smokes I wrote that India Garden has a dinner buffet when I meant that India Diner has the Friday night dinner buffet. Sorry about that!
If you ever get the chance to go to Britain, you will be able to try the best, most authentic Indian food outside of India! Chicken Tikka Masala was actually invented in Glasgow (and is the unofficial national dish of the UK), and Balti was invented in Birmingham. If you can get hold of it, food from the south of India tends to be spicier as well as with less dairy and with more of an emphasis on fish and vegetable curries rather than meat. My favourite Indian place in London has a wonderful all you can eat buffet for £3.95/$6.27 and the price doesn’t go up in the evening – it’s pretty much vegan apart from a couple of yogurt dips but as a vegetarian student with lots of vegan friends, I like that
Best place in London for Indian food is Brick Lane, if you ever get to go.
Being from an Indian family I can say that what Americans consider “Indian” food is to authentic Indian food what “Chinese” food is to authentic Chinese food. I love eating out at Indian places but a significant number of the dishes are actually items which were invented in England and bare just a passing resemblance to true Indian dishes. Jade and Tom both make very good points and even standard dishes such as butter chicken can vary wildly from restaurant to restaurant, often depending on where in India the owners are from, or even if they are actually Indian!
Linda thanks for taking the time to read and comment, you are of course correct! I should have been much more careful when using term “Authentic.” I should have just noted that the versions of these “Standard” Indian dishes at India Diner, in my mind, are taken to a higher level when compared to other Indian spots in town.