Aug. 10, 2009 - Bhojanic

Bhojanic
1363 Clairmont Road
Decatur,GA 30033
404-633-9233
www.bhojanic.com

Every month we get a new Savvy Shopper magazine, see a coupon for Bhojanic and say, "We need to go there." Well, "Taste of Asia" week meant a prix fixe menu for $25 a person so we used this as a good excuse.

Billed as "Fusion, Homestyle Indian, Tapas", we decided to stick to the three-course menu.

Appetizer
Vegetable Samosas - Potato and peas with mint leaves and an authentic blend of spices stuffed into a triangular pastry.

Two large Samosas per person. Despite the mostly-potato filling, it was not too starchy. Obviously fried, but not oily at all. In fact, it was quite light. I alternated between the mint (hot) and tamarind (sweet) chutneys. Not sure which I liked better.

Entrees
Tilapia Curry - with garlic, tomato and cilantro
Lamb Curry - Boneless lamb in a tangy yogurt based sauce

Both entrees were served Rice Pullao, Raita (cucumber yogurt sauce), Papadam (crispy lentil cracker), and Indian pickle. The pickle was strong-flavored, maybe even bitter. Luckily our waiter told us to take it easy on those before we dove in. I used it more as a palate cleanser, but could do without it next time. I did enjoy dipping pieces of the Papadam into the Tamarind Chutney.

The lamb was tender without much of that gamey taste you occasionally get with lamb. The sauce was thick but not spicy. The tilipia was soft, not flakey or dry. The sauce had just a hint of spice (although I loved being able to eat the whole pepper that made it onto the plate). I could have eaten the sauce and rice by itself.

Dessert
Saffron-Cardamom Cheesecake - with pistachios and mango sauce

We each got a piece of cheesecake, but ended up wrapping up one for home. One piece was more than enough for both of us. Loved the flavor of the mango sauce on the cheesecake. With the color, you think it's a caramel sauce, but then you taste the mango and it's refreshing. I thought the pistachios could have been chopped smaller as there were some times I would get only pistachios in my bite. However, I will say I thought the pistachios were essential to the dessert. On the occasion I got a bite without any pistachios, I missed the texture and flavor.

We were a bit skeptical at the cost at first, but we got value for our money as we will be having a second dinner at home with our two boxes of leftovers. We'll definitely be going back, perhaps to try the tapas but more likely to eat the homestyle dishes again.