Reethika Indian Restaurant

Reethika Indian Restaurant is a new eatery located along the Sawmill/161 commercial corridor. It shares a plaza with Kihachi and Lee Garden.

As Reethika is an Indian restaurant, vegetarian options are numerous. The buffet, in particular, consisted of a majority of vegetarian dishes.

Choices on the buffet included a creamy mixed vegetable curry, a potato curry, spinach pakoras, a fried cabbage dish, malai kofta and aloo palak. The buffet cost $8.99 and was served with naan as well as a full array of vegetable, chutney and yogurt accompaniments.

The cabbage dish was delicately spicy with hints of anise, cumin and hot pepper. It was crunchy and flavorful.

The veggie curry was prepared with potatoes, lentils, green beans and onions. The soft potatoes soaked up the curry and carefully release the complex base.

The texture of the malai kofta (essentially vegetarian meatballs) was soft and crumbly. The sauce was slightly sweet and provides a nice foil to the fried veggie balls.

The spinach pakoras were delightful. They were prepared with a thick yet deceptively light batter that brings out the best flavor of the green. The citrus, mint and cilantro in the fresh mint chutney adds a nice touch to this well made dish.

The plain naan was average. On a future visit, it might be worth upgrading with a garlic naan or something with a little more character.

The rice pudding was piping hot and absolutely delightful. The subtle spices were rounded out by flecks of peanuts that added a great crunch.

The staff at Reethika was great at identifying vegetarian dishes and discussing how each dish was prepared. Everything had great flavor. This place is well worth checking out.

Reethika Indian Restaurant

Venky's Spice House

Venky's Spice House is an Indian restaurant tucked in a drug store strip mall in Hilliard. Interestingly, the restaurant has a large Mediterranean market next door, making it a one-plaza stop for shoppers looking to buy pakoras and hummus.

The Spice House has tons of options for vegetarians. Some fare can be prepared vegan upon request.

There is a Southern Indian influence at Venky's Spice House. The cuisine is representative of the city of Hyderabad in Andhra Pradesh. The area traces its roots to Persia, which is the root of its Islamic heritage. It also explains the Middle Eastern market/Indian restaurant juxtaposition in this plaza.

The lunch deal is exceptional. For $5.99 (or $6.99 if you order the top-shelf options), diners get a main course, a rice dish, an appetizer, a daal, a side curry dish, a dessert and a basket of naan.

The paneer tikka masala was prepared with a slow rolling heat that subsided slowly. Despite its nomenclature issues (tikka means chicken, but the dish is poultry-free) the entree is delicious. The strips of pepper and zucchini in the dish add layers of flavor to the dish. The soft cubes of paneer cheese soak up every bit of flavor from the sauce.

The curried cabbage was a delicious side. Tiny peppers made the dish slightly spicy, but ultimately, the dish was successful because it provided great textural and flavor contrast.

The green lentils (dal or daal translates as lentil dish) were also great. The side was earthy with subtle citrus notes. It was a fantastic dip along with leftover masala gravy for the naan.

The dish was also served with a saffron rice, vegetable pakoras and a mango yogurt pudding. It is served on a modernized thali that had partitions rather than separate bowls.

While the cuisine at Venky's is rooted in Southern Indian traditions, many of the choices on the menu are also somewhat Northern Indian in their origins. This probably is related to the city that inspires the food being slightly south of the middle of the country. It also makes the restaurant a winner for fans of varied Indian cuisines. Although the place doesn't have classic Southern offerings like dosas, the Persian cuisine influences and the thali serving dish firmly place Venky's Spice House in the Southern Indian tradition.

There are a number of non-traditional dishes at Venky's Spice House. Although there are pakoras and samosas, they also make dishes like the chili baby corn, stuffed breaded chili peppers and a roasted eggplant entree. When combined with Taj Palace, I am considering Hilliard Columbus' best Indian food suburban district now that Bayleaf has closed in the Polaris area.

Venky's Spice House

Taj Palace

Taj Palace is a delicious Indian restaurant hidden in the hinterlands between Hilliard and Upper Arlington. Like most Indian eateries, Taj Palace is heavy on vegetarian options, providing plenty of choices for those looking to reduce or avoid meat consumption without sacrificing flavor.

The menu features vegetarian starters like samosas, vegetable pakoras and vegetarian kebobs. There are also 18 vegetarian entrees on the menu as well as a few scattered biryani dishes and a vegetarian combo platter. There are also many bread choices.

The menu runs the gamut through North and South Indian cuisine. Also of note for vegetarians is Tuesday night's vegetarian buffet, featuring 25 different hippie-approved items for a grand total of $11.99.

A la carte diners start off with papadums and chutneys. The mint chutney is exceptionally flavorful, possessing a bright, clean finish that brings out the taste of the flatbread.

The chutney also pairs well with the samosas (but in reality, a better question would be what doesn't pair well with samosas?). The order of three samosas was very filling, and easily could be split between two people.

My entree was paneer kadai. Paneer, a mild, cubed Indian cheese, is prepared with curried tomatoes, green peppers and onions. The dish is mildly seasoned, and it provides a great introduction to paneer, a staple of the Indian vegetarian diet.

The breads were also great. The bread basket comes with naan, onion kulcha and aloo paratha, a potato- and pea-stuffed bread.

Prices at Taj Palace are slightly higher than average for an Indian restaurant. When the quality of the fare is considered, Taj Palace is very much worth the price of admission.

Taj Palace

Chutnys

I got a chance to try the lunch buffet at the oddly-spelled Chutnys on Campus View near 270 and 23. The korma was absolutely amazing. I'm definitely going to have to try the full menu on for size at a future date.

The buffet had three vegetarian entrees (cauliflower korma, a veggie curry and a mild, nutty green bean dish). It came with papadums and dosas, and naan could also be ordered. There was a large chutney bar. There also were spinach pakoras (which I would consider a starter) as well as two soups (sambhar, the South Indian specialty, and lentil soup).

The interior is nicely appointed. The front sign is a banner, and the street signage refers to the space's previous tenant. The proprietor of Chutnys formerly ran Maharajas and recently returned from India. The menu I saw posted on the window seemed very vegetarian friendly. I'll definitely be back.

Udipi Cafe

Southern India is home to a wide variety of vegetarian cuisines. One major region that is noted for tasty vegetarian food is Udipi, the city that gives its name to as style of cooking as well as many restaurants in the United States, including Columbus' Udipi Cafe.

The food from Udipi is prepared in a strict Vedic tradition--vegetarian, but without onions and garlic. There are a great deal of spicy broths like rasam, a spicy tomato and pepper broth, and coconut curries. Many of the dishes are prepared with gourd vegetables, including pumpkins.

I sampled the $6.99 lunch buffet, which runs from 11:30 am to 3:00 pm five days per week. The lentil donuts and the samosas were well made. The rice dish was rather spicy, as was the ajethna, a vegetable dish prepared as a dry curry, and many of the other dishes. They also serve sambhar stew, a South Indian classic. Udipi Cafe makes their food a little hotter than most Indian restaurants, which are afraid of burning my delicate American palate. Some of the dishes on the buffet were spicy enough that you can take the menu at its word when it says, "spicy." My inner masochist thanks Udipi Cafe.

There is takeout available, and during dinner, you may dine in as well. The restaurant is at the corner of Dublin-Granville and Beechcroft in Columbus.

This is a solid vegetarian option. I had a slight preference for the food at Banana Leaf, although the interior of Udipi was probably a touch nicer than it is at Banana Leaf. Check out the pictures below.

Udipi Cafe

Banana Leaf

Bethel Road in Columbus is a decent stretch of restaurants. The Refectory, one of the top restaurants in the state, sits on Bethel. The Winking Lizard offers 100 beers in bottle and draft along with a limited vegetarian menu. There are many other dining establishments along this major thoroughfare. Hidden near 315 sits Banana Leaf, a Southern Indian restaurant that makes dynamite vegetarian and vegan cuisine.

My buffet platter, pictured above, featured light, airy vegetable pakoras, saffron rice, a rich, spicy tomato soup and many different rices, breads and chutneys. The soup was delicious, as was the seasoned potato dosa that came to the table along with a bottled water.

Banana Leaf is so named because of the Southern Indian tradition of eating food from plantain and banana leaves. This shortcoming in Franklin county was addressed by placing an image of a banana leaf at every place at the table. They serve traditional vegetarian dishes, including chaat, the Indian equivalent of street cart fare. Chaat can be ordered mild or spicy.

The small restaurant does not serve alcohol but does offer pop, coffee, juice and lassi. The buffet is $8.95 and seemed fairly priced with a decent variety. Enjoy the photos and enjoy the chaat.

Banana leaf