My wife and I live in Ocean Beach (San Diego) and traveled to Laguna for our honeymoon. We drove up to Newport one day and decided we wanted Indian food. When we arrived at Mayur, we almost left because the location was on a busy street and it just didn't look like the cozy, quiet sort of place we wanted. I sure am glad we decided to go for it. Inside was peaceful and quiet. You couldn't hear or really notice all the traffic outside.
The menu was simple, a $15 prixe fixe affair. The choices were Chiken Tikka Masala, Eggplant curry or a Lamb dish. I chose the chicken, wife chose the eggplant and we shared. You also got a delicious samosa to start and a dessert to finish. I was really surprised when each of our plates also included a bowl of sagg panner. I'm a big fan of this spinach and homemade cheese entree (even if I'm not spelling it correctly) and this dish did not disappoint. The spinach was well cooked and seasoned. The cheese was the perfect soft texture and size. This was my favorite dish.
The eggplant was tasty and spicy, and they gave you plenty of chutney on the side to add if you wanted some extra spice. The red veggie chutney was great, and the green mint chutney was out of this world. VERY hot, so beware, but if you dig that kind of thing, this was terrific!
The chicken tikka masala was also a winner. The chicken was tender and the tomato sauce was well seasoned and just hot enough. Although the food was great, it may have been a little overpriced without the additional helping of sagg paneer. That made it plenty of food for the price and made us very happy indeed.
The downside was that we were a little early for lunch and the place hadn't filled up yet, so it was just us and the music and our server. She was very pleasant (I assume the owner) and made us feel welcome. We would definitely eat here again. The food and service deserve 5 stars, the only detractor was the location.
Pros: Every bite of food was excellent, Server was pleasant
Cons: Location, incense was a bit strong
more