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| - I've always been a big fan of Indian food, but as a newbie to the Valley, I wasn't quite sure where to get my vegetable korma fix. I mentioned this in passing to one of my coworkers, and he emphatically suggested India Gate, saying it was the best Indian food he has had in Valley, even after conducting a lengthy but informal taste test of the Valley's other Indian offerings. He then warned me that it would look like a hole-in-the-wall, with a secluded location within a Chandler shopping center.
So, when I had a particularly powerful hankering for Indian food one night, I decided to make the trip from north Tempe to west Chandler to check out this place once and for all. And I wasn't disappointed. This is, indeed, a gem of a restaurant. I decided on the bhindi masala, which is okra cooked with onions, tomatoes and spices. I am a big fan of okra, which, sadly, doesn't seem to make it onto many restaurant menus. My dish was incredibly flavorful and one of the most memorable of the year. I have since returned to try India Gate's malai kofta (vegetable dumplings in an incredible cheese sauce, vegetable korma, veggie fried rice, bengan bharta and samosas. Everything has proved to be delicious.
However, the restaurant is not without its drawbacks. The service I've received has been awkward at best, if not a touch rude. Also, many on the serving staff speak with thick Indian accents that I found hard to understand. Once, I even received the garlic naan instead of the plain naan because I couldn't understand my waiter when he was repeating my order back to me. For some, I realize that would be a pretty cool mistake, but garlic gives me heartburn surely invented by El Diablo himself. I would go here even more often if it weren't for the communication barrier.
Like my coworker, I highly recommend this place as one of the Valley's tastiest., even when considering the less than desirable service I've received there. It's a particularly great place for take-out; there's even a coupon for 15 percent off take-out orders on its website.
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