India Palace

My new favorite restaurant is India Palace. Totally affordable, totally delicious, and totally fun. I went with my friend Priya, which was fun because she gave me an introductory lesson on the different types of Indian food and what you get in different regions of India. For example, in Kerala where she's from, you get good spicy food with lots of coconut. Everywhere else, you get bland food.


Now, according to the Indian food guide pyramid (right), a healthy Indian meal consists of a well-balanced portfolio of dishes based mainly on rice & bread. I can see where my chicken biryani, naan with dahl, veggie ghobi and tandoori chicken fit in, but I don't quite see where the mango lassi and the saffron/milk/sugar/dumpling/dessert thing fit in. Despite this, my rough analysis of the meaning of "serving" leads me to believe that, all-in-all, I probably had a fairly balanced day's worth of Indian food in one meal. Very efficient.

In the car on the way there, I had a nice conversation with Priya's 2 sons. The older son, about 8, was quite serious in introducing himself and explaining where he attends school, which I appreciated. I hate riding in the back seat with someone without knowing where they go to school. The younger one explained to me how excited he is generally about life, by saying "goo ga gee ga be be ga goo ma ge gaa," while gesturing authoritatively at the world outside the car. I was delighted to find that we had something in common, as I too, am quite enchanted by the world outside the car.