I recently moved from Ann Arbor to DeWitt and have been craving good Indian food. I was pretty skeptical that East Lansing could compete with Ann Arbor's cullinary offerings, and I am afraid I was correct. Upon entering, we smelled the familiar lovely scent and felt optimistic. The host didn't greet us. She stood at the extreme back of the restaurant and pointed toward a booth next to her with a stern expression. We took our seats. The menu offerings were what we expected, and the prices seemed to be in line with the atmosphere. We each ordered vindaloo (mine was medium chicken and my husband ordered the spicy lamb) and a side of garlic naan. The server told us that the other guests' orders would be prepared first, so ours might take a while. The other guests consisted of a table of 8 and a table of 3.
We were prepared to wait a little longer than average for our food, but I expected some papadam or other munchies to tide us over, since we both ordered entrees. We weren't offered anything at all. The food took much longer than expected and all came out at once, even though the other two parties were presented with naan well in advance of their meals being served. I was very hungry and would have appreciated something to nibble while we waited.
The food itself was unimpressive. The vindaloo was lukewarm though presented over a tealight flame. My medium-spicy dish was less than mild, and my husband's "spicy" dish was anything but. They were both very salty, however, and the portions were decidedly on the small side. The rice was very oily. The garlic naan was actually very good, but we only got one piece cut into quarters for $2.50.
The final insult was the dish of anise seed at the door. It was sitting out empty. Overall, it was a disappointing dining experience and we won't be going back.
Pros: Naan is very good
Cons: Salty, lukewarm food, small portions, poor service
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