Besides the remnants of it's counter-service past, the first thing you are greeted by when you enter the doors of Banjara is the mouthwatering, pungent smells of rich spices. Welcome to a seriously tasty Northern Indian culinary experience.
The room, full of clusters of small tables was absolutely packed when we walked in. Our makeshift table for four was puzzle-pieced together with two differently sized two-tops and one of my friends sharing a curiously two sided floating banquette with someone from a neighbouring table.
The food was excellent. The dishes we sampled from the flavourful mater paneer ($8.99), juicy chunks of chicken tikka ($10.99) that arrived on a theatrical sizzling hot plate, chicken in smooth thick saag ($9.99) and jumbo shashi shrimp ($12.95) were all delicious and served in generous proportions. The extremely moist peas pulao, fluffy plain basmati, roti, and butter naan were all great accompaniments too.
There was a really large staff on hand who seemed to enjoy standing in a row behind the counter, watching the happy diners. The service was incredibly friendly with orders sent immediately via PDA and constant water refills.
Although the intricate and brilliantly coloured Indian art on the walls and bright fabric panels covering the condensation covered windows provide distraction for the eyes, a little upgrade on the decor certainly wouldn't hurt Banjara.