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| - A new Indian place in my work-'hood? Of course I had to go check it out!
Yuva India is in the same location as the now defunct Star of India. I do not know any of the details about the change of hands, but the restaurant space was closed for about a month for remodeling and Yuva India had their soft opening sometime this past week.
Regarding taste, the food was alright. When trying a new Indian restaurant, I look to one of two dishes that are common in restaurants to find out about their cooking: mattar paneer (mattar are English peas, paneer is a soft, mild flavored cheese, in a tomato sauce) OR malai kofta (a vegetable croquette made with ground veggies like carrots and potatoes and peas, sometimes with paneer, golden raisins, or cashews. These sit in a cream sauce that is either with a tomato base or an onion/butter base). The mattar paneer was good. The tomato sauce tasted fresher that what I've found elsewhere and had more tomato chunks than is usual. Pretty good, though the small serving of rice isn't enough for the amount of sauce. The potato cutlet was also pretty good; I would suggest it IF it is the kind of thing you are apt to like.
I'm feeling list-y, so let's go with that:
PROS:
+Clean, contemporary, and updated dining room. Bright warm colors on the walls with large photographs hung around and new laminate flooring. Feels spiffy.
+Courteous and pleasant wait staff. Very attentive. The service didn't feel like you were at a place in their first week of soft opening.
+They have chaat and poori on the menu. I don't see that much around PGH, so if you like those, you can find them here. If you've never heard of it, I can't give a full definition but to say they fall into a savory snack category and frequently have puffed rice or toasted vermicelli topped with things like chutneys or yogurt. Not my thing, but it may be yours.
CONS:
-Price. Expect to pay a few bucks more (for almost all items) than you typically pay at other Indian places. It adds up. Tea ($4) , mattar paneer ($12) and a potato cutlet ($4.50) were $22 after taxes. That's high for Pittsburgh prices and for a casual Indian restaurant.
-They don't make their masala chai. So, $4 for a 6 oz. cup of hot water and a chai tea bag seems crazy to me. No refill, by the way.
GOOD TO KNOW:
The heat scale is mild-medium-& hot. Medium here is about a 6-7 elsewhere, so they skew on the hot side. If you usually get medium and that is pressing your limits, it will likely be too hot for you here.
For me, this place will not be on my regular rotation of Indian joints I frequent unless their pricing changes. However, the food is decent, the atmosphere is nice, and the service is good. It is certainly worth a try if you are in the neighborhood to see for yourself.
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