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| - As far as Indian food goes, this tucked away place in Lakewood is quite OK. Now I have had a significant experience with Indian cuisine through extensive travels in the various regions of India. Those in the know, India Garden serves north Indian cuisine. Like Cara I too was part of the group visiting this place for the 2nd Yelp CLE International Supper Club.
My sweet Lassi was great - it was frothy, and well blended. It went down easy until at the bottom I got hit by unmixed sugar, this is a big no no for sweet Lassi preparation The Samosa were good. They were deep fried to the right semi-crisp factor. There were not drenched in oil nor the stuffing were overwhelming with spices. I did however find them a little colder than usual when served. It made me wonder if they are pre-made and only re-heated upon order. My entree was Goat (Mutton) Rogan Josh - the sweetness in this dish comes from saffron and nutmeg while the spiciness from the bright red chillies, blended with cumin, coriander, garlic, and ginger. The curry was thick and had a good balance of heat. The bone in goat meat was well marinated as it didn't have any gamy after-taste and the meat was very tender and came off the bone very easily. The pairing of this dish with Aloo (Potato) Paratha enhanced the combination even more. The paratha tasted great though the aloo stuffing was sparse. Although it tasted good as far as paratha goes, but it could use more potato stuffing given its an Aloo Paratha. My Masala Tea was OK - it could have been better with more portion of cardamom. White steamed long rice was served complements of the house. So was Kheer as a special complements of the house. Both these items were of standard grade.
The service was spotty at best. I found it to be inconsistent. We were being served by 4 different staff members. I got the feeling that though, such division of labor resulted in faster service, but it led to some confusion at times. For example, for a table of 8, we were only given two menu until we has to explicitly ask for more. The staff were very courteous otherwise.
India Garden has much of the basics right, but its rough around the edges. The curry and main dish are spot on, but it has room for improvement when it comes to side dish and accompaniments. India Garden is definitely a repeat visit spot for me.
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