Somedays fate gives you a lucky break. Oh, we didn’t win a million dollars or suddenly discover the guy who hit us was an eccentric billionaire who decided to give us a small private island near Aruba, but we did have a great Indian dinner tonight.
We were heading towards a Tandoori place on Bell Rd, but there have been a gruesome car accident just west of the I-17 on Bell and we were forced to turn off. As we did, we saw a “now open†sign for the India Palace restaurant and decided to give it a try.
We parked near the banner, which is right next to the House of Bombay, an Indian and British grocery store. Things looked bleak for a moment as the shop directly under the banner was deserted and up for lease. We figured it must be on the other side of the Indian Grocery because, while they might leave a banner up if the place went out of business, they certainly wouldn’t have a sandwich board sign out front, too.
We made a brief detour into the House of Bombay when I saw a display of cricket gear for sale. I never thought I’d see the like of it in a store in Arizona. Bats, helmets, pads and gloves. It actually gave me the opportunity to discuss the recent World Twenty20 championship with someone who knew what I was talking about.
After leaving the store (without having purchased a cricket bat) we discovered that the restaurant is actually in the far corner of the shopping center. I mention this because we found the banner to be a bit confusing and if we hadn’t gotten out of the car, we might not have seen the restaurant on the other side.
It was a bit early and the restaurant wasn’t very busy. We were seated right away and the staff were very attentive. Papadoms with chutney were served right away and were good.
Irene chose the Karahi Beef Palak, which is described as Fresh chopped spinach cooked with fresh beef, onions, tomatoes & Indian spices tossed in an iron skillet.
I choose the Chicken Fraizee, described as Palace specialty, chicken cooked in special gravy with onions, tomatoes & bell peppers, tossed in an iron skillet.
Irene didn’t realize she ordered a spinach-based dish, but she thoroughly enjoyed it. She did order it medium spicy, but seemed to find it a bit hooter than expect.
Mine was one of the best Indian dishes I’ve ever had. My all-time favorite dish is a hot-spiced Ginger Chicken Balti from the Copper kettle on the extreme opposite side of town. This dish was very similar in flavor, and every bit as good. I asked for it hot and it was, and the flavor was just wonderful.
Both dishes were served with long-grain rice, and we ordered a couple of naan to go with our dishes. All were excellent.
They’ve only been open at this location for about one month, having moved from somewhere else on Bell Rd. Business was slow when we were there, but with Bell Rd. closed off the whole time we were there, there was little traffic in the area at all. It was beginning to pick up as we left. I certainly hope the location works out for them as it as good as any Indian food I’ve had, even counting London and Edinburgh. (The closest I’ve been to India.)
Another plus, the food was served incredibly fast. It was less than 5 minutes from ordering to delivery. It was so quick, I thought they might be bringing someone else’s food to our table, but it was ours and everything was hot and fresh.
Like most Indian restaurants in the city, they have a lunch buffet every day, and claim to be catering specialists. I might have to give that a try for a party someday.
They also have two other locations. There’s another India Palace in Sedona and a Dehli Palace in Flagstaff. It looks like the menu is identical for all three locations.
India Palace
2941 W Bell Rd. #1
Phoenix, AZ 85032
(602) 942-4224
Strongly recommended.
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