I'm going to try to make this short and sweet {mainly because I accidentally deleted the pictures I took!}: I do not like Indian food. We tried another Indian meal, after our first attempt left us undecided, and I have come to the conclusion that I do not like it.
First, let me say, I feel like I should like Indian food, as on paper, it is a vegetarian's dream. They use a lot of vegetables and flavorful spices when cooking. Heck, they even had a whole vegetarian section on the menu! What's not to love? However, I am not a fan of the spices. It has too much flavor {is that even possible?}. The curry overpowers every dish, so that every dish I tried tasted the exact same.
Second, I should tell you, that the restaurant itself was very nice and popular {look at the line in the ONE photo I managed not to delete!}, with an attentive waitstaff. We tried Punjabi in the Seven Dials area {although the website says Covent Garden}. We chose this restaurant, as it claims to be the oldest, Northern Indian restaurant in London.
- Papadum: Thin crisps, which reminded me of Pop Chips, dipped into one of three condiments.
- Veggie Samosa: Eggroll-ish, although too strong of a curry flavor.
- Pilau Rice
- Baigan: Roasted eggplant, which I would typically love, but this was cooked "punjabi" style, which I'm taking to mean a lot of curry.
- Acharri Murgha: "Pickle-style chicken--tangy and medium spiced," according to Ross.
- Tandoori Roti: Indian naan {bread}, which I happened to really really like.
So the good news is, unlike our first buffet experience, we were able to carefully select our meal. The other good news is that I enjoyed one part of the meal: the bread {go figure}. The bad news is, I didn't care for everything else I tried. However, I'm proud that Ross and I, after 5 months of being here, went totally out of our comfort zone and tried this by ourselves.
I have to admit, I do feel as if I am missing something. Everyone I talk to LOVES Indian food. Did we choose the wrong foods to try? Should we have tried a different Indian restaurant, rather than a Northern Indian restaurant? Help!