Hot Peppers
Website: indianhotpeppers.com
Location: 761 Rt. 33W. Suite 104, East Windsor, NJ 08520 (Near Gold's Gym)
Phone: 609-448-3615

LalQ Rating: 9/10

This is truly a Diamond in the Ruff.  A rare find...

The staff is courteous, and the restaurant, although a typical take out, it does have plenty of room to sit and have a meal without feeling too cramped, as many takeouts feel.  It has so much room in fact, that it almost feels like a nice casual lunch place, and even a casual dinner place.  I wouldn't go there for a nice romantic dinner, but it does have that relaxed, "at home" atmosphere.

I did notice that they do charge you $1 surcharge if you sit in their seating area to eat, instead of taking it out.  It doesn't bother me, since I mostly take out from there, but I can see how that would upset some people.  It is unusual and can lead to problems.
If I were management, I would just increase the cost of some of the items, to make up for the $1.00.

The food is very good, and I keep going back again and again.  Its as if I made the food myself in my kitchen.

I wish their website would list the names of the chefs and the managers.  It would add to the classy look and feel of their website.  :)

Kudos to Hot Peppers!!

"Crown of India"

Location:
Princeton Meadow Shopping Center
660 Plainsboro Road, Plainsboro, NJ 08536
Website: http://www.crown-of-india.com
Phone: 609-275-5707

LalQ Rating: 8/10

Crown of India is situated in a strip mall just outside Princeton Junction Train Station. For us, it was a nice stop off before heading home when we got home late from work one Friday night.

It was unobtrusive and almost hard to find, but once we were inside, it was like walking into a little piece of India. The fresh aromas of spices mingling in the air and the waiters whose eyes were used to staring unabashedly until someone broke the silence and spoke. All a nice comforting reminder that we could grab a piece of India and savor it even in Princeton, New Jersey.

The food was excellent, to say the least. The Lassi we had was not totally to die for, but it may be because we are both used to having the Lassis that I make at home and our taste buds have most likely become accustomed to my recipe.

For starters we had Chicken Soup and Tomato Soup. The Chicken soup tasted like broth taken right out of the container from a supermarket while the Tomato soup left much to be desired... But out of the two, the Tomato Soup won out with my taste buds.

For our main course, we ordered Chicken Tikka,which they describe as "boneless juicy chunks of chicken marinated in aromatic Indian herbs and baked in clay oven". The Chicken Tikka was smooth and tasty, and we took most of it home. We had already stuffed ourselves with the appetizers and the soups.

The picture above is not a picture of the actual Chicken Tikka that we had at this restaurant. It is just shown to give you an idea of what it looked like.
We had Gulab jamun for dessert. OF COURSE I had to have this. I almost never get anything else for dessert, aside from ice cream, and then it has to be Mango Ice Cream.

KARMA KAFE "An Indian Bistro"

505 Washington Street
Hoboken, NJ 07030
201-610-0900
www.karmakafe.com

LalQ Rating: 9/10

A very small, but quite trendy and busy restaurant on Washington Avenue in Hoboken, NJ. The staff was efficient and professional. We even got hand wipes at the end of dinner and free dessert! Rarely do I come across places where they dish out free dessert and hand wipes!
Ironically, earlier one of the waiters, in an attempt to move out of a customer's way, had a plate of Gulab Jamun just to the left of my husband's nose! My husband commented that the Gulab Jamun was so close he could grab them off the plate and eat them without the waiter even noticing.
Later, we got the same Gulab Jamun's free for dessert. Coincidence? Maybe...
This place opened in 1999.  I did not know that it has been open for so long!!

BUKHARA GRILL: INDIAN SPICE RAVE

LALQ RATING: 8/10

217 E. 49th Street (b/w 2nd & 3rd Avenue)
New York, NY 10017
212-888-2839
www.bukharany.com
www.bukharagrillusa.com



A nice ambiance, and exquisitely expensive and delicious food...
But the wait was extremely long. Even with making a reservation we were seated on the ground floor in the back of the restaurant on huge seats, which were designed as tree stumps. It was quite hot and cramped and the water fall they were trying to create on the backdrop was actually just dripping water, which smelled like fungus.

But, when we were escorted upstairs, the ambiance was very Persian and Exotic. I forgot all about my horrible wait. Probably because I was Ravenous by this time... :) The food was excellent and the wait staff were courteous. They did not go out of their way by any means, but they came by frequently and all in all, we had a pleasant experience.

MANTRA

LALQ RATING: 9/10

275 E, Rt 4 (Westbound)
Paramus, NJ 07652
201-342-8868


Mantra is another Diamond in the Ruff.

I've actually been there more than a handful of times, I dare say. Yet something about Mantra draws me in each time.

It is a relatively quiet Restaurant, which you may actually miss if you are not looking for it. It sits at the corner of a string of stores, such as the Thomasville Gallery. And when you do finally find it on Route 4 West, it looks from the outside as though it was closed and dead inside. But WAIT!!

If you do venture inside, the Restaurant is completely PACKED! Its beautiful, and cozy ambiance adds to the magnetic feeling that draws me in each time.
As you enter, you are facing an exquisite lounge called Nirvana.
You'll be greeted by a very enthusiastic Matre'd who will bring you to your seat.



We were waited on consistently and constantly all night long. It was a good feeling not to have to wait for the waiter to make eye contact with you so that you could ask him for a glass of wine or Tobasco sauce. The waiter were without fail, attentive. More so than any other Restaurant I have ever been to.
The meals I have had there have been varied. I have tried almost everything on the menu and each time I go, I realize why I keep coming back.

The last time I was there, I left my phone at the Restaurant. It must have fallen out of my bag. And the minute I came home, about 15 minutes after I left the restaurant, I got a call from the Manager who said that he had my phone. The manager was so helpful. He even offered to stay for another 10 minutes so that I could come and pick it up, but sadly, I was almost 20 minutes away, and there was no way I could go back.

Any how, even though I lost my phone, it was a great experience.
Highly Recommend this Restaurant!

"MING"

LOCATION:
1655 Oak Tree Rd, #185
Edison, NJ 08820
(732) 549-5051

Lal Q Rating Score: 9/10

This is one of the best restaurants I have ever been to. It is an amazing blend of SouthEast Asia.
It has a very classy atmosphere just as soon as I entered. There was a Matre d there to greet me when I entered, and I was told the wait would only be a few minutes. I was then directed to be seated on plush velvet couches, which formed a U-shape at the entrance of the restaurant.
I sat down for only 5 minutes and I was escorted to my seat in the restaurant. The waiters were extremely pleasant and attentive. My water was filled the moment it was half full.

And the food was spectacular. It was simply divine. Nothing was too spicy or too bland.

"MOGHUL"

LOCATION:
1655 - 195 Oak Tree Road
Edison, New Jersey 08820
Ph: 732-549-5050

LAL Q RATING SCORE: 4/10

I have to say that Moghul is just not one of my favorites. As much as I adored the spacious feeling at "Rasoi", I hated the cramped inkempt air in Moghul. The wait staff might as well have not even been there; this is how much of an impression they had on me.
The Buffet was spread out on the entrance level, with barely any room to walk; the seating was on a sligtly elevated level in a U shape surrounding the center area, containing the buffet.



The Buffet was nominally expensive, about double that of "Rasoi". And I truly expected the food to taste twice as good. But sadly, it did not.
It may have been the ambiance, which as much as we want to just taste the food and rate the food itself, the ambiance has a lot to do with what the over-all feeling of a place is.
I can hardly recall what I ate. I do remember however that the Gulab Jamun (an indian sweet dish) was outrageously watery, which just left me with a not so fine farewell of the restaurant, "Moghul". I will most likely not go there again.

"RASOI" - Fine Indian Cuisine & Banquet

LAL Q RATING SCORE: 6/10

Location:
620 Georges Road, Monmouth Junction, South Brunswick, NJ 08852
732-329-6540/ 732-329-0227(fax)
www.rasoibanquet.com

1567 Oak Tree Rd, Iselin, NJ 08830
(732) 549-8817
www.rasoiindianrestaurant.com

Rasoi is a calm indian restaurant, tucked away in the center of Edison, New Jersey. They have two locations, one in Iselin and one in Monmouth Junction. I have only been to the one in Iselin.

RASOI: ISELIN, NJThis is relatively inexpensive and one of the few buffets which has a nice variety. The quality of the food was also unexpected. The restaurant sits on one floor and gave me a sense of space. I did not feel at all cramped. What I liked about it as soon as I entered was the large lobby which was offset from the restaurant. In the winters especially, I like lobbies that don't blow a gust of freeze right at me when I am having a nice warm dinner; and just with that factor, Rasoi was a classy restaurant for me from the moment I entered.

As soon as you get through the lobby, the bar is there right in front, with the friendly bartender. To the right and left of the lobby are the restaurant tables.

The service could have been better, but the food was memorably good.
I especially remember the Chilli Bhajiyas lightly sprinkled with Chat Masala and stuffed with Potato. They had just the right amount of spiciness to tingle my palate.

My over-all rating for Rasoi: 6(On my scale between 1-10 with 1 being the worst restaurant imaginable and 10 being the most tantilizing.)

"SAPPHIRE" INDIAN CUISINE

LAL Q RATING SCORE: 9/10

LOCATION:
1845 Broadway, New York, NY 10023-7602
(Between 60th & 61st )
Tel: (212) 245-4444
Fax: (212) 245-9145

This was a complete surprise. I came across this restaurant while wandering around the Lincoln Center of Performing Arts, waiting for my show to start. I thought I would grab something to eat before I went into the almost 4 hour long show.
The restaurant is located right next to the NYIT (NY Institute of Technology). Of course, seeing many Indians hanging around NYIT, I made a comment to my husband, "I'm sure there must be an Indian Restaurant around here." And sure enough, as soon as the words came out of my mouth, there the restaurant appeared right in front of us.
We decided to go in and have a quick bite to eat. The service was excellent, and the ambiance pleasant and comfortable. The decor was all hand-crafted wood, even down to the large intricately carved lamp posts. I saw two gigantic lamps on either side of the restaurant, which was divided by a curved pathway. Called an "Indian Gem" by New York Magazine - October 30, 2000, this is the only Indian Restaurant near the Lincoln Center.



For Appetizers we ordered:
1. Tandoori Vegetables - Assorted vegetables marinated in yogurt, cheese and spices
2. Kakori Kabab - Finely minced lamb flavored with fresh herbs and spices

Both dishes were tintillating to my appetite. The lamb was soft and just melted in my mouth with each bite, with the Tandoori Vegetables adding a little excitement to my non-vegetarian appetite. We inhaled the appetizers, which were also served in quite a large quantity.

Next, we ordered our Main Course:
1. Mutter Pulao - Cumin flavored basmati rice with green peas
2. Lachha Paratha - Multi-layered whole wheat bread
3. Goat Curry - Flavored with Indian Spices

The Lachha Paratha was actually a "real" Lachha Paratha, made in Layers and just the right level of crispiness. The Mutter Pulao went really well with the Goat Curry. Our waiter was the one who graciously suggested the we get the Mutter Pulao.
The staff was very cordial and were extremely attentive. The minute my glass was half empty with water, they came by to fill it up again.

We did not get a chance to try the wines, but they do have wines from Morocco, Argentina, Australia, France and Italy, starting at $28.

When we were about to leave, I asked the waiter if he would keep my leftovers for me for when I return from the Opera. Without any hesitation, he grinned and nodded. He said, "Sure, we can do that. And if you don't come back, we'll have to eat it!".

This is a diamond in the ruff. I had no idea this restaurant even existed let alone being so good.