03/21/2003

Of course, a milder version of those dishes — just enough to tickle the senses without fueling a fire — is certainly acceptable, and available at this small restaurant. The proprietors of India House spruced up the site at 8660 S. State, once a Mexican restaurant and later a home for “soul” food, almost two years ago and now attract a steady crowd.

Especially popular is the lunch buffet, which can’t be beat for quality and value. For $5.95, diners (many of them clearly regulars) enjoy an all-you-can-eat feast, with tender tandoori chicken as a staple plus several rotating dishes, such as daal (lentils); battered and deep-fried vegetables, also known as pakora; a vegetarian entree; a frequent curry; and basmati rice. Fresh-baked bread, or naan, a green salad and a cardamom-laced rice pudding called kheer also come with the lunch buffet.

Our dinner was even better, and still reasonably priced.

With appetizers starting at $1.50, and nothing over $5, we chose a sampler plate with deep-fried pastries stuffed with a spicy ground-lamb filling (especially good with a spoonful of the house mint-and-pepper sauce) and vegetable and chicken pakora, both batter-dipped and deep-fried. The chicken, moist and delicious inside the crunchy coating, was complemented by a second house condiment: sweet tamarind sauce.

Traditional Indian cooking relies heavily on the use of a charcoal-heated clay oven, called a tandoor, which India House imported from India. Tandoori chicken is cooked in the 500-degree ovens after being marinated in yogurt and spices. But bread also is cooked in the oven, with flat rounds of dough slapped against the hot clay sides where it puffs and bakes. This fresh naan is hard to resist. India House offers it not only plain and brushed with butter or garnished with garlic ($1.25 to $1.75), but also with any of several stuffings, from meat to spinach or potatoes and peas.

A dozen trips to India House would be needed to sample the different tandoori breads on the menu; likewise if you wanted to try each of the restaurant’s chicken, lamb or vegetarian specialties.

With only eight fish selections, the decision was easier. Our choice, a shrimp coconut korma with a spicy tomato and coconut-milk sauce, was delectable at $9.95.

One advantage of ordering off the menu (which is also an option during lunch hours) is being able to select your own “heat” factor, as buffet selections are understandably on the mild side. Our shrimp was amped up to a “medium-hot,” which gave it a nice zing. At our own peril, and for comparison, we ordered the tandoori chicken “hot.” Suffice it to say, the kitchen’s “thermometers” are pretty darn accurate. Our waiter, thankfully, was keeping a close eye on our water glasses and never let them get empty.

While I preferred the hotter chicken and its accompanying vegetables to the milder meat served at lunch, I probably would request it a notch cooler next time.

The best way to cool the palate, we found, was with a bowl of India House’s luscious mango ice cream ($2.50). Also delicious, but not quite as refreshing, is the kulfi — homemade ice cream with pistachios, cashews and cardamom ($2.95).

Another hard-to-beat value is the restaurant’s combination dinner for two: an appetizer, tandoori chicken and chicken or lamb curry, a vegetable, naan, rice and dessert for $26. A vegetarian combination dinner for two is $24.

It’s interesting to note there are three Indian restaurants within about a two-mile radius in Sandy, all of them good. India House offers an especially large variety of excellent traditional food, with good service and comfort to match.

Nancy Hobbs is The Tribune’s restaurant reviewer. The newspaper covers the cost of meals at restaurants reviewed and there is no connection between reviews and restaurant advertising. Hobbs welcomes food and wine news, comments and suggestions at nhobbs@xmission.com

India House

• Where: 8660 S. State, Sandy; 569-0550
• Hours: Lunch buffet, Monday through Saturday, 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.; dinner, Monday through Saturday, 4:30 to 10 p.m.
• Prices: Lunch buffet, $5.95; dinner entrees from $7.25 to 12.95
• Liquor: Wine and beer
• Reservations: Yes
• Child’s Menu: No
• Takeout: Yes
• Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
• Parking: Yes
• Credit Cards: All major