Have you ever been fascinated by exotic food? Perhaps India is on your mind?
If so, look no further than Raja, an Indian restaurant at 2955 Peachtree Road NE that offers a wide variety of savory Indian Cuisine that could satisfy the palate of even the pickiest connoisseur.
The interior decorations and furnishings of the restaurant are authentic. The tapestries and pictures hanging on the walls help accentuate the atmosphere of the restaurant and immerse the diners in Indian culture. The restaurant takes its name from the Indian word for a princely ruler of the nobility class in India’s caste system.
Indian cuisine features a wide array of spices, including saffron, nutmeg, cumin, cloves and curry. The most common of the spices, curry is many dishes like curried goat and curried chicken.
For diners who do not like foods heavy in spices, Raja offers milder grilled alternatives like tandoori chicken. Raja also offers vegetarian options.
My order consisted of lamb tikka masala (tikka is a small cutlet of meat) for the entrée, mango juice to drink, and a mango mulfi for dessert. The lamb tikka masala cost about $13 and includes a large side of rice, savory sauce large chunks of tender lamb meat. Although the tikka masala is supposed to be spicy, the chef allows the diner to select the intensity of the heat. I chose mild and the dish was perfect.
The rice that came with the dish is much different from the type I am accustomed to. I am Taiwanese and I’m used to the short-grained rice grown in Southeast Asia. The rice served at Raja is long-grained and isn’t as moist.
I washed down the lamb and rice with a glass of mango juice. Its flavor is strong and the smell is pungent, but it is pleasant and refreshing. The mango kulfi I had for dessert is a frozen yogurt treat much like ice cream. The scoop is cut into pieces so it is easier to pick up with a spoon.
For anyone trying Indian food for the first time, I recommend starting off with some naan ($3.35), Roti ($2.25) or Samosa ($4.95 for 2). Naan is a round flatbread made of white flour which looks like its Mediterranean counterpart, the pita. The slight dryness of the bread makes it a perfect pair for soup. Naan is served in plain and garlic flavors.
Roti is an unleavened flatbread that can be rolled up like a tortilla. Raja offers the tandoori roti, baked in the cylindrical clay oven. The Samosa, my favorite Indian appetizer, is a fried pastry made in a tetrahedron shape and often stuffed with chickpeas, ginger, green peas, potatoes, coriander and paneer cheese.
Choosing an entrée is a little more tricky someone new to Indian cuisine because of the wide range of dishes. Selections at Raja include the vegetable, shrimp, chicken, lamb, rice and tandoori specialties. You will notice that beef and pork are not on menu. That’s because Hindu laws in India prohibit the consumptions of beef, and Islamic laws forbid the consumption of pork.
From the chicken section, the curried chicken ($12.95) and the chicken tikka masala ($13.95) are popular. If you want the most expensive dish on that menu, go with the Raja chicken masala ($15.95). The lamb section features flavors similar to the chicken dishes, as well as the lamb kahmiri ($14.95), which combines lamb with bananas, coconut and raisins for a unique tropical flavor.
The shrimp specialties feature the Raja Mon Pawa shrimp ($15.94) and the shrimp karai ($15.95). The Mon Pawa is an interesting sweet, sour and spicy blend of shrimp, homemade cheese, yogurt, bananas and some spice. The shrimp karai is the chef’s special, prepared with cauliflower, potato and the chef’s own special spice (undisclosed).
From the tandoori selection comes one of my favorites, the shish kabab ($13.95), which is skewered lamb with onions and spices roasted in the tandoori oven.
For vegetarians, dishes include eggplant and spinach cooked with curry sauce.
From the rice category I would recommend the briyani rice, served with lamb, chicken, shrimp or vegetables. The pilau rice (rice browned in oil and cooked in seasoned broth), garnished with raisins, nuts and peas, is another nice option.
Raja offers three desserts, golab jamun, kheer, and khulfi. Golab Jamun is made from cottage cheese, fried in shortening and dipped in honey. The kheer is a traditional Indian rice pudding. Khulfi is similar to ice cream and comes in mango and pistachio flavors.
Overall, the Raja experience is satisfying and filling. Despite the being a little pricey for a college student’s budget, the scrumptious dishes and exotic decorations makes it all worthwhile.