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| - Going to have to buck the Yelp trend a bit here and rate this one 2.5 stars overall.
Others have commented about the lack of ambiance here and I'll have to agree. The restaurant is very plain and we went our tablecloth was a bit dirty and there was a vaguely unpleasant smell in the air. The smell was probably just an unfortunate combination of spices and foods from the kitchen, but this could really do with being closed off from the serving area, not only to prevent a medley of odors, but so the diner isn't deafened by clattering of pots and pans and so on.
I ordered Chicken Tikka Masala, garlic naan, pappadums, the basmati rice, and water for my beverage. Instead of the usual Indian restaurant theme of refreshingly iced water topped up the second I sip from my glass, I was surprised to be presented with a single bottle of Kroger water which I had to sip sparingly lest I have to shell out another dollar for another.
The pappadums were OK, but unremarkable, not unlike the pre-made ones you get from Indian grocers and then stick in the microwave for 45 seconds. Instead of the usual bowls of mint or cilantro chutney and tamarind chutney these came accompanied by a couple of roadhouse diner style squeeze bottles filled with some sort of condiments. Both were extremely runny, almost a water consistency, one seemed to taste vaguely of tamarind and I couldn't identify the other.
My Garlic naan was the highlight of my meal and had that certain mix of denseness and crispness that's the hallmark of a good garlic naan.
The rice was pretty good also, cooked with saffron and ghee and very plentiful for just a couple of bucks.
The main meal, my Chicken Tikka Masala was just ok - the chicken was of good quality and well cooked, but the sauce lacked a certain deft touch and was a little aggressive as the spices didn't all blend together quite how I like. I'd be very happy if I had cooked this up myself at home, but it's a notch below what I expect at a restaurant.
The people running this place were very friendly, but it was a rather odd experience. At around 8PM we were the only people in the restaurant and it was a little strange and awkward having the guy sitting there in the tiny restaurant 15 feet from us while we ate.
One thing in Shalimar's favour is the prices - they are very decent. We didn't hold back on breads and rice and things and our entire meal for two (including bottled water) came to just over $25.
This is the sort of place I could imagine myself coming to regularly for a cheap lunch if I worked in the area and was limited in where I could travel on my lunch break. The food is good enough and cheap enough to eat again. For a dinner out; however, the atmosphere here is little above that of a food court and the food is only a few points above mediocre.
Worth a look for the price, but go in with low expectations.
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