'Passage to India's' glimpse of Indian cuisine is clear portrait

In an area filled with Indian restaurants, most of them mediocre, Passage to India stands out as the best by far, with the most freshly prepared food and the largest variety.

Unlike the other Indian restaurants in the Princeton area, Passage to India offers a menu that features both northern and southern Indian cuisine in addition to buffet options.

The restaurant serves complimentary papadum — large, circular chips that resemble tortilla chips — to start every meal. Within the crunchy chips are spices, such as fennel and poppy seeds, which lend a unique flavor to them, .

The papadum are accompanied by an extremely spicy chutney made mainly of tomatoes and onions.

The samosas, which are the Indian appetizer of choice, were delectable; the tender and flaky crust practically melts in your mouth, and the spicy inner filling of potatoes adds some flavor to the pastry, balancing out the dish. The samosas are served with two types of chutney: green coconut chutney and a tamarind chutney. While both are spicy, the coconut chutney is the spicier of the two, since it is made of green chilies, which give it the characteristic dark green color. While both chutneys were well-prepared, I preferred the tamaring chutney, as it's flavor is more complex and rounded.

Tuesdays at the buffet are Chaat Night, during which they serve traditional Bombay kiosk food, called chaat. The buffets come with masala dosas, consisting of a dosa — which is a crepe with batter of ground lentils and rice, which have been allowed to ferment after mixing. The dosas are stuffed with masala — a mixture of cooked potatoes and onions with some turmeric added for a yellow color.

The entrees — vindaloos and Murgh Shahi Kurma — were fabulous. Vindaloos are a type of curry, which is a specialty in Goa — a resort town on the southwest coast of India, which has a heavy Portuguese influence. Slightly sweet, and very spicy, the vindaloo was a slightly dry curry that came with rice. The lamb was tender and cooked to perfection, and while the dish was spicy, the rice mitigated its zestiness.

The Murgh Shahi Kurma, also made of lamb, was a cream-based curry with almonds and raisins with the different types of naan and rotis (various flatbreads) which came in the bread basket. The Shahi Kurma was extremely rich and filling, mainly because of the cream and butter it contains.

Although the entrees were filling, the desserts cannot be refused. Gulab jamun are fried balls of dough (similar to the Italian zeppoli) which are then immersed in sugar syrup. Passage to India's gulab jamun was extremely sweet, and the balls were soft, with just the right degree of chewiness. Kulfi is similar to ice cream, but it is hard because it is not churned. The delicate flavor of rose water within the kulfi helps clear the palate, acting as the perfect ending to a meal that was rich in flavor and texture.

Passage to India's decor is quiet, yet interesting – the walls are decorated with items such as traditional tapestries and dolls, yet they are not too garish. The service is timely and courteous, although waiters were not very willing to advise about what to order.

Although it is a bit of a drive, Passage to India is the place to go when you want something exotic and different from the chai an restaurants which are abundant in the Princeton area, or if you just want some good Indian food. They are closed on Mondays, but open the rest of the week, and most nights have some sort of buffet. Prices range from $2-$5 for appetizers, $8-$15 for entrees, and $3-$7 for desserts.