Business & Tech
Spice Up Your Meal at Himalayan
Himalayan Exotic Indian on Route 30 serves a range of flavorful dishes.
A wonderfully complex aroma of spices greeted us as we opened the door to Himalayan Exotic Indian Cuisine. A woman wearing an emerald green sari welcomed us, led us to a table in the larger of two dining rooms, and poured water into the goblets set at the table. A server quickly appeared with a plate of papadum and dishes of mint chutney and onion relish, ready to open our wine.
Indian instrumental music played in the background. Yellow tablecloths with clear covers and maroon cloth napkins complemented the golden walls and red-and-gold window treatments. Tasteful white paper napkins with gold trim complemented the tableware.
Many of the standard items were listed on the bound menus, as well as a variety of dishes we had not previously seen elsewhere. The wide selection of seventeen vegetarian entrees impressed us.
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Appetizers and most entrees were presented on metal plates kept warm by a tea light in the base of the supporting stand. Two pillows of Vegetable Samosa ($3.50) were chickpea turnovers stuffed with mildly spiced cumin-seed-studded potato and pea filling. The Drums of Heaven ($6.95)—a variation on Buffalo wings—were slightly dry, crispy skinned chicken wings and drumsticks with an intensely red glossy coating that had some spicy heat. Slices of fresh onion, green pepper and chopped cilantro were used generously as garnish.
Entrees were prepared to our desired level of spiciness, which we guessed should be “medium.” A plate of Basmati rice with small cubes of carrots and peas, dishes of tamarind sauce, raita (cucumber yogurt sauce) and dal (lentils) were included with our meal. A generous order of Naan ($1.95) brought puffy warm bread that was delicious without the commonly used butter baste.
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Bhindi Gosht ($13.95) was a stew of lamb cubes, small pieces of okra and perhaps too many onion slices for our taste, in a thick dark sauce. We chose this specialty dish over the common cream and butter infused curries and were pleased with the richness in flavor.
Shrimp Bhuna ($17.95) brought tender shrimp, onion and green pepper slices in a bright red sauce with ginger heat. Combining it with rice and raita helped cool the spiciness of the dish and added creaminess.
Always an attention grabber, the Whole Tandoori Chicken ($17.95) arrived sizzling on a hot platter with seared onions, green pepper and lemon wedges. The tender slightly charred chicken was served in pieces and not whole, with a mild flavor from the yogurt marinade.
We were impressed that all of the items were truly exotic and flavorful without being heavy with butter or over seasoned with salt.
Several friendly servers attended to us while we dined, and seemed to sense when we had finished all that we could. Our plates were cleared and packaged for us to take home in plastic containers. Our bill arrived with a dish of fennel seeds and candies—a fitting palate refresher.
Himalayan Exotic Indian Cuisine
Great Valley Shopping Center, 81 Lancaster Avenue, Malvern
Telephone: 610-644-4550
Hours: Lunch, Mon - Fri, 11:30 a.m. – 3 p.m., Sat, Sun, 11:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. Dinner, daily, 5 – 10 p.m.
Cost: Appetizers, soups, $4 to $8; entrees, $8 – 20
Credit cards: VISA, Mastercard
Alcohol: B.Y.O.
Special Features: Lunch buffet, Vegetarian entrees