Old
Bridge Observer
Good Eating Section
May 05, 2007
By Tracy Lews Sharpe
Observer Staff
Taste of Tandoor
replicates finest dining experience
in New Delhi, India Taste of Tandoor restaurant in Smoketown
Plaza, Woodbridge, transports its guests
to a five-star New Delhi restaurant. Its
owner, Devainder "Dave" Mathur,
has ensured that everything, from the paint
color to the perfectly made cheese replicates
the finest dining experiences in New Delhi,
India.
Mathur was born and raised in New Delhi,
a large metropolis with its own variety
of cultures. He can tell which part of
New Delhi a patron is from just by that
person's preferences for a specific blend
of spices for a dish.
He aims to please each guest, so he makes
every effort to fill requests. Some ask
for certain Indian foods that might not
be on the menu, like a tomato and onion
relish for an entree, or the sweet betel
nut treat, supari. He brings the diners'
wishes to the table whenever he can. If
they call ahead of time, he can have special
dishes prepared.
My Indian-American friend, Shruti, joined
me for dinner at Taste of Tandoor. Instead
of sitting at a regular table or booth,
we choose to sit in the cozy, cushioned
filled nook of the restaurant. Shruti considers
the restaurant very family friendly, and
she and her husband bring their three children
regularly.
When scanning the menu, I asked Shruti
to help me choose a couple of vegetarian
dishes. After she recommended the majority
of them, I realized it would be tough to
pick just a few.
We started with an assorted platter of
appetizers. The seekh kabob looked like
a little sausage, but it tasted much lighter.
It is minced lamb blended with spices to
give it a hint of flavorful heat. The murg
tikka is a pink morsel of chicken, tender
thanks to its yogurt marinade, with a grilled
flavor that reminded me of summer.
The mixed vegetable pakora, made of potatoes
and spinach, was wonderful, especially
when dipped in the dark tamarind sauce.
The spinach wasn't bitter at all, but just
perfectly cooked to keep its texture and
flavor savory. The large samosa pastry
filled with mashed potatoes and peas is
filling, and always a favorite.
Before we realized it, our meals arrived.
The rogan josh is a lamb dish in a creamy
curry sauce cooked slowly, which keeps
the meat tender and moist. The curry for
rogan josh is predominately onion and yogurt,
but the yogurt tempers the onion significantly.
The creamy sauce seems like a perfect comfort
food. The baingan bharta, a paste of mashed
eggplant, is complemented with a blend
of cumin seeds, cinnamon, tomatoes and
Mathur's special blend of spices.
The garlic gave the sauces a different
flavor than the basmati rice, adding to
the variety of tastes we enjoyed. Shruti's
favorite dish, shahi paneer, is presented
in a creamy tomato sauce with green bell
peppers, fenugreek and many other spices.
The paneer, which is a cheese, is of a
very good quality, praised Shruti. She
has tried to finagle the recipe of shahi
paneer out of Mathur, but he won't hudge.
Shruti noted that the flavor, and especially
the texture, is remarkable. Mathur explained
that proper Indian cuisine requires patience
and time. His paneer has the texture of
fine tofu, and it just melts in your mouth.
Shruti's eight-year-old son, Bhavik, will
just devour shahi paneer, she said. The
malai kofta, potato croquettes, have a
delicate ginger flavor blended with numerous
other spices.
Mathur's adherence to patience in the
cooking of his dishes brings out the right
levels of flavors. He noted that there
is "street food," where food
vendors use store-bought spice blends for
their meals. And then there is "fine
restaurant" food, like his, where
he creates all-the spice blends in his
own restaurant. He even hand-grinds some
spices himself with a mortar and pestle
until the texture meets his approval.
The trick is to keep the flavors standard
so that guests will find the same flavors
each time they visit Taste of Tandoor.
He does have many regular guests who frequent
the restaurant. He knows their tastes and
brings the spices they desire to the meals
they order.
"He talks to everyone," noted
Shruti, appreciating his concern for all
his guests' gastronomic requests. Shruti
admired the paintings, which adorn Taste
of Tandoor's walls. Shruti told Mathur
that when her children returned from a
visit to New Delhi, they recognized the
paintings on Taste of Tandoor's walls as
those they saw in the Taj Mahal. He agreed
that he tried to recreate a little of that
memorial building and also identically
match the colors of the walls to that of
one of the finest restaurants in New Delhi.
He saw the colors in a painting of a sunset
behind Lord Krishna, and the orange-salmon
blend of colors do give a warm, inviting
feel to the restaurant.
As our meal drew to a close, we dined
on a large, spherical gulab jamun, a dumpling
dessert made of sweet dried milk, covered
in a honey sauce. A fine, gelatinous treat,
it's easy to realize that this would satisfy
any sweet tooth. With just a little room
left in our stomachs, we enjoyed the gajar
halwa, a less-sweet dessert perfect for
adults who prefer, a lighter finish to
their meal.
The gajar halwa is akin to rice pudding,
except it is made of carrots, cardamom,
pistachios and raisins. If you see Mathur
when you dine at his restaurant, at the
end of your meal, ask for the supari. He
will scoop out a tablespoon of the dried
sweetened betel nut. A south-Asian favorite,
it cleanses the palate with a refreshing
cool taste. As you exit the restaurant,
there is also a little dish with teeny,
pastel-colored beads. Those are candy coated
fennel. Fennel, which is the main ingredient
in licorice, is another sweet finish to
an Indian meal.
The appetizers are priced from $2.95.
The mughlai meat dishes, which are a blend
of meat, sauce, spices and basmati, range
from $10.95 to $14.95. The fish, chicken,
lamb, and tandoori (clay oven baked) dishes
arrive with basmati rice on the side, and
also range in price from $10.95 to $14.95.
The vegetarian specialties range in price
from $7.95 to $10.95.
Mathur noted that diners can request half-servings
of two different vegetarian dishes for
the price of one whole vegetarian entree.
The lunchtime buffet of vegetarian and
meat dishes is a local favorite on weekdays
and weekends.
Taste of Tandoor at 13836 Smoketown Rd.
serves lunch Monday through Friday from
11 :30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m., and on Saturday
and Sunday from 11 :30 a.m. until 3 p.m.
Dinner is served Sunday through Thursday
from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., and on Friday and
Saturday from 5 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. Reservations
are not needed, but requests, takeout and
catering can he ordered by calling 703-897-7200.
Taste of Tan door accepts all major credit
cards.
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