Royal India Serves Some Chinese Too

When we arrived at Royal India, we attempted to enter through a door under a prominent canopy bearing the restaurant and banquet hall's name. Through the windows, we could see a spacious banquet facility. Finding the door locked, we followed a path under an arbor on the side of the building and were greeted at another door.

The dining room was much darker than the brightly lit front hall, with a mix of chandeliers and smaller artistic glass lamps. Mauve walls were decorated with colorful Indian scenes on black velvet. Tables were set with maroon and white linen tablecloths, napkins and paper placemats.

A server brought a basket of crispy Papadum and two chutneys and took our bottle of wine to be opened. She returned with wine glasses and the bottle with cork set in the neck. An Indian news program played on a flat-screen television before one of the servers changed the channel to Bollywood music videos.

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Although the menu included some Chinese dishes like Ginger Chicken ($13.95) and Fried Rice ($8.95 - $10.95), we chose to focus on the tastes of India. We asked for our dishes to be made with medium spiciness, which can vary from one Indian restaurant to another.

Two pillows of crispy, thickly battered Vegetable Samosa ($3.95) set on shredded lettuce were presented on a small metal dish. We didn't detect any peas in the chopped potato, cumin and coriander seed filling, and missed the bit of sweetness they add. The coriander chutney was a good sauce for the dish, adding some spicy heat.

We had ordered several entrées. Our server announced that the chicken was ready and asked if we wanted all of the dishes at once. We told her we’d like them as they were ready, and she pulled a neighboring table against ours to provide ample space for our feast.

We hoped that the whole Tandoori Chicken ($16.95) would be served intact, but it was cut into pieces and served on a sizzling platter with onions, fresh cilantro and a lime wedge. The chicken was tender, but we’d have liked more flavor of the spicy marinade to be absorbed by the meat.

Metal dishes of our other three entrées came with a bowl of basmati rice seasoned with whole clove and fresh cilantro. The vegetarian Allu Mater ($8.95) was a thick, complex sauce with peas and soft potato cubes. 

The Gosht Goat Masala ($13.95) was noted as a specialty of the house. The pieces of goat served on the bone had a much more meaty flavor than lamb. A complex, rich masala sauce with a yogurt tang paired well with it.

The most beautiful dish was the Shrimp Biryani ($14.95) with its red, orange, and green colors appearing like confetti amid rice with tiny shrimp. Though this entrée was made without a thick, creamy sauce, it had plenty of spicy heat. We also found no golden raisins which seem common in the Biryani dishes we've tried at other places.

The order of Naan ($2) was puffy, wonderfully crisp flatbread. The tamarind chutney that we often use as a dipping sauce was a much sweeter version than what we expected.

The dining room was still reasonably quiet on the mid week evening as we had our leftovers packaged for several meals at home.

Patrons can sample a range of dishes from the menu in the daily lunch and weekend dinner buffets to discover their own favorites.

55 Lancaster Avenue, Malvern

Telephone: 610-540-0253

Website: royalindiaonline.com

Hours: Lunch, 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.; dinner,  5 – 10 p.m., daily

Cost: soups, appetizers, $4 to $6; entrées, $9 – $17

Credit cards: VISA, MasterCard

Special Features: Vegetarian options, Chinese dishes, Dinner buffet on weekends, lunch buffet on weekdays