India House
8660 S. State St., Sandy ; 801-569-0550
(see
map)
Well executed, creative and thoughtful Northern Indian cuisine. Lunch buffet is plentiful and reasonably priced.
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Cuisine: Indian,
Price: $$
Hours: M-F, 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m.; S, noon-10 p.m.; Su, 4-8 p.m.
Liquor: Beer & wine
Corkage: $ 10
Reservations: Accepted
Accepts:    
Website: http://www.indiahousecuisine.com
Recommended Dishes: Chicken pakoras, mint naan, garlic naan, shrimp coconut korma, kulfi.
February, 12, 2009
Just the right spice at India House
By Lesli Neilson
Sandy » I just saw "Slumdog Millionaire," a heartbreaking yet hopeful tale about human existence, and subsistence, in parts of modern-day India. Though the film shows numerous glimpses of Mumbai's Dharavi slum, rarely do viewers see examples of the cuisine -- in the form of naan, rice and chai, three of the country's food staples.
In Utah, we are fortunate to have many Indian restaurants that offer much more than those three mainstays. India House is one to recommend.
The Tribune last visited the six-year-old Sandy restaurant in 2003 and prices were very reasonable -- they still are. Most notably, for $8.99, the lunch buffet -- offered from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on weekdays -- is comprised of rice, salad, a soup of the day, naan, an appetizer, two vegetarian entrees, three meat entrees and dessert, hopefully all eaten in moderation.
Another plus is the restaurant's attention to detail. It shows in the house-made yogurt and paneer (cheese), in original creations such as mint naan($1.79) or saag (spinach) naan ($3.99), and in the tastefully decorated and dimly lit dining room done in primary colors.
With Indian cuisine, it's all about the spices. Spice doesn't just infer heat; it can mean tangy, bitter, smoky, sweet and earthy, to name just a few taste descriptors. It's the correct ratio of all of these that is the sum of a good dish -- and India House has many.
This is due, in large part, because the same chef has been manning the stoves since the restaurant first opened, allowing him to perfect his secret garam masala spice blend -- which uses six different spices -- as well as master the heat levels of dishes.
Here, order a dish mild, medium or hot and it will arrive as requested. Heck, the kitchen will even use a sauce made with habañeros for those who really crave heat.
That garam masala is put to good use in the lamb vindaloo (medium or hot only, $11.79). Small cubes of tender lamb are coated in a crimson sauce accented with cloves, black cardamom, ginger, vinegar, red chiles and the masala blend. A cheery orange creamsicle-colored mango lassi ($3.29) -- yogurt with mango -- really helps to cool things down.
Every cuisine has an entry-level dish. Thai has its Massaman curry, Chinese has its General Tso's chicken, Japanese sushi has its California roll, and Indian has chicken tikka masala ($11.99). Cubes of chicken breast are marinated in yogurt, cooked and served in a rich tomato cream sauce. It's a great dish for those new to India House.
More unusual but worth trying is the shrimp coconut korma ($12.59). Here, coconut milk is used instead of cream in a sauce that contains tangy fenugreek, soothing grated coconut, tomatoes and spices.
Vegetarians have more than 10 meatless dishes to choose from, including aloo gobhi ($8.99), featuring tender florets of cauliflower, potatoes, onions, tomatoes and peas, and saag paneer ($9.99), a creamy blend of spinach, broccoli, garam masala, onion, garlic and ginger.
For newcomers, an order of "assorted snacks" ($5.99) is a good way to sample the menu's starters. The vegetable and meat samosas are crispy, plump 3-D triangles stuffed with potatoes and peas or spiced lamb. Chicken pakoras were incredibly moist but the vegetable pakoras, skimpy on ingredients and heavy on chickpea batter, were dry.
If you can make room for dessert, order the kulfi ($3.99), an unusual off-white ice cream with cashews, pistachios and the scent of green cardamom, or gulab jamun ($2.99), fried, sugar syrup-soaked, spongy pastry balls.
In the kitchen and in the front of the house, it's obvious India House takes pride in exposing Utahns to its thoughtful Northern Indian cuisine. When I go back and savor the shrimp coconut korma, I'll be thankful I have the means to be able to enjoy more than naan, rice and chai.
Tribune's rating system
Overall rating
1 star Good
2 stars Very good
3 stars Excellent
4 stars Extraordinary
Entree price
$ Entree under $10
$$ $10-$18
$$$ $18-$25
$$$$ Above $25
Restaurant Noise
1 bell Quiet (under 65 decibles)
2 bells Can talk easily (65-70)
3 bells Talking somewhat difficult (70-75)
4 bells Raised voices (75-80)
A bomb Too noisy for normal conversation (80+)
The Tribune covers the cost of all meals at reviewed restaurants. Star ratings are based on a minimum of two visits. Ratings are updated continually based on at least one revisit. There is no connection between reviews and advertising.
March 21, 2003
India House Builds a Strong Foundation With Lunch Buffet, Dinner
By Nancy Hobbs
If the mention of spices traditionally used in Indian food -- cardamom, cumin, coriander, cloves, fennel seed and turmeric, to name a few -- is enough to make you salivate, enjoying their combined flavors in a fiery curry or masala at India House really could make you sweat. Of course, a milder version of those dishes -- just enough to tickle the senses without fueling a fire -- is certainly acceptable, and available at this small restaurant. The proprietors of India House spruced up the site at 8660 S. State, once a Mexican restaurant and later a home for "soul" food, almost two years ago and now attract a steady crowd.
Especially popular is the lunch buffet, which can't be beat for quality and value. For $5.95, diners (many of them clearly regulars) enjoy an all-you-can-eat feast, with tender tandoori chicken as a staple plus several rotating dishes, such as daal (lentils); battered and deep-fried vegetables, also known as pakora; a vegetarian entree; a frequent curry; and basmati rice. Fresh-baked bread, or naan, a green salad and a cardamom-laced rice pudding called kheer also come with the lunch buffet.
Our dinner was even better, and still reasonably priced.
With appetizers starting at $1.50, and nothing over $5, we chose a sampler plate with deep-fried pastries stuffed with a spicy ground-lamb filling (especially good with a spoonful of the house mint-and-pepper sauce) and vegetable and chicken pakora, both batter-dipped and deep-fried. The chicken, moist and delicious inside the crunchy coating, was complemented by a second house condiment: sweet tamarind sauce.
Traditional Indian cooking relies heavily on the use of a charcoal-heated clay oven, called a tandoor, which India House imported from India. Tandoori chicken is cooked in the 500-degree ovens after being marinated in yogurt and spices. But bread also is cooked in the oven, with flat rounds of dough slapped against the hot clay sides where it puffs and bakes. This fresh naan is hard to resist. India House offers it not only plain and brushed with butter or garnished with garlic ($1.25 to $1.75), but also with any of several stuffings, from meat to spinach or potatoes and peas.
A dozen trips to India House would be needed to sample the different tandoori breads on the menu; likewise if you wanted to try each of the restaurant's chicken, lamb or vegetarian specialties.
With only eight fish selections, the decision was easier. Our choice, a shrimp coconut korma with a spicy tomato and coconut-milk sauce, was delectable at $9.95.
One advantage of ordering off the menu (which is also an option during lunch hours) is being able to select your own "heat" factor, as buffet selections are understandably on the mild side. Our shrimp was amped up to a "medium-hot," which gave it a nice zing. At our own peril, and for comparison, we ordered the tandoori chicken "hot." Suffice it to say, the kitchen's "thermometers" are pretty darn accurate. Our waiter, thankfully, was keeping a close eye on our water glasses and never let them get empty.
While I preferred the hotter chicken and its accompanying vegetables to the milder meat served at lunch, I probably would request it a notch cooler next time.
The best way to cool the palate, we found, was with a bowl of India House's luscious mango ice cream ($2.50). Also delicious, but not quite as refreshing, is the kulfi -- homemade ice cream with pistachios, cashews and cardamom ($2.95).
Another hard-to-beat value is the restaurant's combination dinner for two: an appetizer, tandoori chicken and chicken or lamb curry, a vegetable, naan, rice and dessert for $26. A vegetarian combination dinner for two is $24.
It's interesting to note there are three Indian restaurants within about a two-mile radius in Sandy, all of them good. India House offers an especially large variety of excellent traditional food, with good service and comfort to match.
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