Get comfortable at Oak Brook's warm, welcoming India House
Jagmohan Jayara, owner of India House in Oak Brook, plus three others (in Schaumburg, Buffalo Grove and Chicago), has one mission in mind: "to serve society with food that touches the soul and brings to life the Indian culture."
Once you find the restaurant - which is located off Butterfield Road inside the Inland office building complex; follow the signs that say "restaurant" - fear not, because there will be no mistaking you have found the right place as soon as the aromas and colors hit your nose and eyes.
About a dozen metal catering dishes from the lunch buffet setup line the wall on the left as you walk in, signaling that this is a very busy place at lunch. And indeed, one of India House's claims to fame, aside from its banquet and catering, is its lunch buffet, with its 12-14 rotating dishes from the regular menu.
The restaurant has a comfortably lived-in feel. Dark red carpet, maroon booths, white tablecloths, colorful figurines, small decorative mirrors and large windows that look out to the patio (which is framed by a lovely small pond) give the place a rather romantic ambience.
The menu, in true form, is a veritable encyclopedia offering vegetarian, seafood, chicken and lamb specialties, as well as quaint little introductions to each section, describing a certain tradition or way of life. As a bonus, you get small pieces of hot naan bread to dip in a tangy masala sauce.
We promptly began our culinary adventure with the lamb samosas - two deep-fried cone pastries stuffed with seasoned ground lamb kheema and peas, set atop a bed of red cabbage and accompanied by a trio of chutneys (a thick, spicy mint, a bay-leaf-flavored one and a sweet maple). Since you get so much food, it really is advisable to share.
We moved on to the chicken shikar and lamb boti kabab masala. The chicken dish consisted of large pieces of chicken on the bone marinated in yogurt, rubbed in mint chutney and seasoned in a potpourri of exotic Indian spices, then cooked in a traditional tandoori oven. Since the clay oven can get really hot (more than 600 degrees Fahrenheit), the result is amazingly flavorful and tender.
The lamb dish was made up of delicately spiced pieces of tandoori lamb folded in a thick, ginger-infused sauce of onion and tomato. The lamb itself wasn't as tender as expected or implied by the menu, but the dish as a whole, especially when combined with some hot garlic naan bread and fragrant saffron rice, became quite the tasty delight. Using your fingers here is advisable.
So far, so great. However, we overshot a little with dessert when we ordered the gajar ka halwa. The menu said grated carrots are slowly cooked in milk until reduced to form a halwa and generously sprinkled with nuts, but the reality was a rather thick, gooey and sugary creation of grated carrots that became at once too pungent and generally overwhelming. A couple of spoonfuls were enough, if not too much.
Throughout the night, no fewer than four servers took care of us. Each was perfectly synchronized with one another, picking up exactly where the previous had left off, and even complimenting us on our choice of food. We felt comfortable and welcome.
• Restaurant reviews are based on one anonymous visit. Our aim is to describe the overall dining experience while guiding the reader toward the menu's strengths. The Daily Herald does not publish reviews of restaurants it cannot recommend.
India House
Facts: 2809 Butterfield Road, Oak Brook; (630) 472-1500; indiahousechicago.com
Cuisine: Indian
Setting: A relaxed, comfortable atmosphere with a great view
Hours: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday: 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday through Sunday
Price range: Appetizers $3 to $9; entrees $10.95 to $19.95; desserts $3.50 to $4.50