Our first night in Portland so after a long day of travelling we wanted dinner, a shower and sleep. I thought it was neat that Swagat was located in a house but that was the only thing that was okay. My husband is from India so we have been to India and beyond for Indian food so we know what we are talking about. We have never been to a Indian restuarant that had non-Indian servers so we were immediately on alert. When asking for Masala tea, the server did not even know what masala tea was which was a joke. She said you mean Chai tea which actually means "tea tea". How can you work in an Indian Restaurant and not know what Masala tea is!!? The chutneys had been sitting out all day and were awful. We ordered thali meals which included sides, desserts, etc. The egg curry sauce was a mystery sauce to say the least. The Dal was too thick and tasteless and somebody must have put corn starch in the Rasam soup because it had the consistency of gravy. The Mutter Paneer was okay but it is not supposed as spicy as this dish was. The naan was actually okay. (surprise). The server then left us way too long and I had to get up to find her to bring out dessert which was Galub Jamon. It was too dry and just tasted like globs of pound cake. It is supposed to be extra moist with rose water sweetened sauce. What a dissapointment! If you do not know Indian food you may think this place is okay but it truly was a waste of our money. Hopefully we will find the rest of our Portland culinary visits worthwhile.
Pros: Located in old house, naan
Cons: Service, Indian dishes
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