Cafe India
Badshahi Thali
Cafe India is one of those restaurants that we visit so frequently, we have settled into always ordering our favorite items on the menu. Once, when I was leaving for Uganda for a month, I chose Cafe India as my last meal in the States – such comfort food! One thing we love about it, is everything is homemade from scratch right there, from yogurts to cheeses, to grinding their own spices, everything is fresh and with no preservatives. And it tastes amazing!
Interior of Cafe India
Cafe India is in Lynnwood, just of of 44th. They do the buffet lunch like most Indian restaurants, but we usually end up going for dinner. The interior is large and open, with plenty of seating and Indian art on the walls. The staff is always friendly and prompt. I think the turnover is pretty low there, because I’ve seen the same faces for the four or so years I’ve been going, which is pretty exceptional for a restaurant.
We always get started off with a complimentary plate of crisp flatbread and three different dipping sauces. They vary in flavors and level of spice, and are a pleasant introduction to the meal.
Crisp Flatbread and Dipping Sauces
For an appetizer, we ordered Aloo Tikki, which are spiced potato patties. Such a delight! They’re crisp, flavorful, and a wonderful way to start off dinner.
Aloo Tikki
Our favorite meal here is called Badshahi Thali. It’s a platter loaded with Tandori Chicken (classic dish of chicken marinated in masala and yogurt for 24 hours, then baked), Lamb Rogan Josh (tender chunks of lamb with onions, ginger, garlic and yogurt), Palak Paneer (spinach and homemade chunks of tofu-like cheese, with diced onion, tomatoes and herbs and spices), Bukhara Daal (black lentils in a thick savory sauce), Naan, and Saffron Rice.
Badshahi Thali
After the meal is finished, they bring out a small dish of Gulab Jamun (warm cream dumplings soaked in rose water syrup). It’s a perfect combinatin for those of us that love a variety of flavors in their food. It’s only $12.95, and two people can easily share it. Everything always tastes delicious, and the meal is very satisfying. We sipped on a Mango Lassi throughout the meal, and it was a perfect sweet, cool treat to help balance out the spices.
Cafe India comes highly recommended!
[where: 19817 44th Ave W., Lynnwood WA 98036]
Tags: Indian, Lynnwood Restaurants
