It was not long ago that I went for the first time to Spice of India and had a lot of great food. Since then I have been hoping that I would be able to go back soon. That finally happened Saturday night when we left our pitiable kids home with a Hot-N-Ready and went. It actually worked out well for us because we were trying to get some shopping in and noticed they stayed open until 10:00. We weren't there that late but it feels good to not have to worry about being there after their normal hours.
Though we had ordered them on our previous trip we still wanted to try the vegetable samosas again. I think they may have been even better this time. I didn't remember the garnish before but this time they had thin sliced carrots and lettuce with a spice mixture sprinkled on top. The garnish alone was worth the price but the samosas were great too. The pastry was flaky and buttery and the vegetable filling was spiced and well cooked.
I ordered a sweet Lassi to drink which was a sweetened plain yoghurt drink. It was very refreshing, not too sweet and the perfect accompaniment to spicy foods which becomes important later in this meal.
We each chose an entree to share. My wife got aloo gobi and I ordered the tandoori platter. I justified the big plate reasoning I could bring what I didn't eat home to my son to make up for leaving him home with five dollar pizza. The aloo gobi came with a side of basmati rice. It consisted of diced potatoes and cauliflower all cooked with a mixture of spices.
The tandoori platter was a collection of most of the items on the tandoori part of the menu, specifically there was tandoori chicken, chicken tikka, tandoori fish, lamb tikka and ground lamb kabob. All of it was served on a hot iron griddle with sliced onions, peppers and lime wedges and it came sizzling and steaming to the table. We also got an extra order of garlic naan. The meats and vegetables were all timed right. The vegetable cooked enough to be softened but not so soft they lost their texture. The meats were all still moist inside but seared and with a hint of char outside. I requested medium spiciness and they were spicy. Not painful but the kids would have had no chance at that level. The fish was firm and tasted fresh and the spice mixture they were dusted in was not too strong to cover the flavor but pleasant and tasted slightly of ground coriander which has a bright flavor. The chicken was well flavored. The tandoori chicken had a noticeable yoghurt flavor which is the trademark of that item. The ground lamb kabob was good too but my favorite item on the tray was the lamb tikka. It was well flavored, not too gamey, and the spices subtle enough to let the flavor of the meat shine.
The naan bread was chewy but crispy at the edges. It tasted like it was cooked in a clay oven over a hot charcoal flame.
I feel a little worried that there is only one restaurant like this in the high desert that I might be judging it too lightly but I really feel that it would equally match the better Indian food I have tried over the years. I look forward to coming back many times.
Spice of India is located at 15751 Main Street in Hesperia. It is in the back corner of the Stater Brothers Shopping Center. The restaurant appears clean and orderly. The decor is standard fare for an Indian restaurant and the service has been good on each of our visits. In the back is a large buffet table which is used at lunchtime and the buffet specials are a great way to experience Indian food because many of the dishes translate well to that type of service and you can try many different dishes. I especially like to go to Indian food with a group of people because it is commonly shared family style and you get to try a bigger variety that way.
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