I agree that finding quality Indian food can be a bit of a challenge in this town- aside from the super upscale, there really isn't much.
But here's what I have come to find- that if you are in the sweet South-easy, like me, India Oven will do the job nicely.
No, you won't find GREAT service... this is an area that these folks could use a sit- down on... but then, half the spots in this town are filled with entitled servers who have no serving skills. That said, yes, India Oven is on the slow side... We often go earlier or later, when they aren't so swamped, and things are generally fine.
(I also feel the need to point out that we Westerners want what we want when we want it, and if that is our cultural predisposition, it perhaps isn't our most attractive feature, collectively speaking. )
I would also like to make a point about ""blandness"". Tell me if this sounds familiar- You get a craving for Indian, and you order it hot... only to find it coming out with no spice at all...
Well, this was the story of my life, but I couldn't figure out why it kept happening... Well, I finally started asking some questions, and a picture began to emerge...
Look at it from a small restaurant owner's perspective...
Someone comes in and orders a dish ""hot"", only to have it sent back because it is, to the person that ordered it, unbearably hot. In the garbage goes the dish, and food costs soar.
The problem isn't laziness or rudeness on the part of the restaurant owner- it's just a matter of perspective... what is hot to one person may be unacceptably tepid to the next. Thai food has solved this problem to some degree by using ""stars"", but then one still doesn't know...
So, I talked to the lovely folks at IO, and when I got a dish back that wasn't flavorful and spicy enough, I politely got her attention and ASKED her...
She was surprized when I told her that it wasn't spicy enough at all. When I asked her what I could do to remedy the situation next time, she said, Oh, just order it ""Indian hot"". Finally!
After talking with various servers on repeat visits, it became clear to me that ""Oregon hot"", or what is somewhat spicy to some, isn't even a blip on my radar.
I think they have it right in London. Go to an Indian restaurant on Brick Lane, and just try and order anything above medium- the chefs in the kitchen will help you understand what spice really is.
Here's my impression: folks that own and work at places like IO might be worried about not getting it too hot- with the result that there is no communication between patron and server.
Which is why between the two, I would rather have it like it is in London, personally. (Somebody's gotta set the vibe, you know what I mean? )
All in all, I think India Oven is decent, and I gave them 3 stars. Not the best, but definitely not the worst, either...
We almost always order chicken tikka masala- Indian hot, please!, with Garlic naan, which is just fine... oh, and lot's of Raita... cuz if you do order it Indian hot, it's not gonna be bland, that is for sure! Also like the rogan josh a bunch too!
I think this place has promise, and I will keep rooting for them to work out the quirks. Definitely recommend, and definitely be going back.. in fact, all this writing about Indian is making me HUNGRY!!!! I gotta go make a phone call- it's take out tonight!
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