A Hardy Welcome Back to MINT in Laguna Hills

 MINT Desi Craft Kitchen

25381 Alicia Parkway

Laguna Hills, CA 92653

MINT restaurant is back, but it's been a long and laborious road getting things ready for their guests to walk through the door and experience what I feel is one of the best Indian-Pakistani restaurants in South OC. Founded in 2016 as a family business, MINT expanded two years later by taking over the vacant storefront next door. Unlike many other restaurants, this helped them grow their business enough to survive the COVID crisis unscathed.  

Then, in 2022, another setback. As MINT was weeks away from reopening after a remodel of their dining room, tragedy struck. Every restaurant's greatest fear, an electrical fire started in their kitchen. After nearly three years of hassling with the insurance claim, the city permits, and restaffing their restaurant, they were in soft opening mode at the end of last year and had their official grand opening the first week of 2025. Great news for the people of Laguna Hills and the surrounding area. 

MINT comes to us from the same family that has brought us the much-ballyhooed and Michelin-recognized Khan Saab Desi Craft Kitchen in Fullerton and Shor Bazar in Hawaiian Gardens. These restaurants have been featured on all of our local TV stations, in both the OC Register and Los Angeles Times, and on too many best-of lists to mention. There might even be more accolades to come, as we've heard rumblings that another concept from this family is on its way to Long Beach. Stay tuned for that, but for now, it's MINT's turn in the spotlight. 

We were invited to visit MINT on a recent Wednesday evening. For reference, this restaurant is located in the Alicia Center, which is located at the corner of Paseo de Valencia and Alicia Parkway. Other standouts in this center include Heaven on a Fork, Mercado Corona, and Pizza Hut. Okay, I'm kidding about that last one; I wanted to ensure you were still paying attention. We were immediately met warmly at the host stand and whisked to our table. 

The dining area has a lot of character. One wall features a full-length booth that spans the entirety of the restaurant. Tables are spaced apart comfortably, so you are not sitting right on top of other diners. The room is deliberately darkened so guests can easily see a Bollywood movie projected on the exposed brick wall. The music playlist over the speaker system is at the perfect level to still allow for talking at your table but also fill in the gaps of silence with upbeat contemporary Indian favorites. 

The MINT menu is divided into five sections; starters, grilled meat dishes, stews and curries, rice dishes, and sides. The menu will look familiar to Indian food fans, but even if you're an Indian food novice, the menu explains what items are very well, so you can order to your tastes. The price point here hovers right around the $20 mark, with only two items over $30. When eating at MINT, a good rule of thumb is to order one item from each section of the menu to get the full experience. Just make sure you have three or more people, or you'll end up taking food home like Katie and I did. Enough talk; let's check out the food. 

MINT is a halal restaurant, so that means no alcohol, so mocktails are the order of the day here. Mixologist Ahmad Hosseini has curated a cocktail list that was such a hit at their other restaurants that they decided to bring the alcohol-free beverages to MINT. Katie selected the Hide 'n' Seek ($12), while I tried the Mint Lemonade ($12). Katie's beverage comprised guava, lime, blood orange, and Seedlip 42, a popular non-alcoholic spirits brand, while my lemonade included lime, blue curacao, mint, simple syrup, and Seedlip 42. Both mocktails were refreshing, and the best part was that they were not overly sweet, like many non-alcoholic drinks tend to be. They were sophisticated, well-crafted drinks, and the fresh fruit burst through with each sip. Well done, Ahmad. Other beverage options include non-alcoholic beer and mimosas, craft sodas, lassi, and bottled water. 

Starters are not to be skipped at MINT; we ended up having three of them. I would not skip the Chili Chicken ($12) on future visits. They coat tender boneless leg meat in a delicious sweet and slightly spicy chutney. The result reminded me of a buffalo wing with a less vinegary tinge. I found myself devouring these to ensure that I'd get more than Katie. I know, selfish. The Bandar Buns ($12) are very popular online. They came out on a lava-hot skillet and were paired with a mango chutney, which was equally spicy and sweet. The rolls were soft and pillowy inside and lightly salted on the outside. It's not listed as a starter, but we could not wait to get some Garlic Naan ($5). This was a good version, but I would have liked the garlic to be used more abundantly, but I'm a garlic fiend. 

If you thought we went overboard with the starters, we went crazy with the entree portion of our evening. I hoggishly ordered the Lamb Chops ($28), knowing that Katie is not a fan of lamb, and I'd be able to have the whole thing to myself. Ingenious, and after my first bite, I knew my plan had worked perfectly. The lamb came with four chops to an order, and each chop included a masala rub with garlic oil for a pleasant, earthy taste. I was not the biggest fan of the yogurt sauce that came with this, but luckily, the tenderness of the lamb and the excellent rub negated the need for it. 

Since a trip to New York in 2010, Katie has become a big fan of Chicken Biryani ($22), and although that one was the Middle Eastern version, she is inclined to order it whenever she sees it on a menu. This version at MINT is a lot spicier than its Middle Eastern cousin. It's probably due to the inclusion of Thai chili, which is included in this good-sized bowl of rice and boneless chicken. A very comforting dish; the heat with this was the way I like it, a slow burn. A perfect meal for the wet and chilly weather we've been having lately. This will definitely warm you up from the inside out.  

This is probably more of what you think when Indian food is mentioned. The best Butter Chicken ($19) I ever had was at the long-departed Tamarind of London, which closed in Newport Coast ten years ago. Lucky for us, the Head Chef of MINT, Jamil Hosseini, is guided by the former executive chef at Tamarind of London, Imran Ali Mookhi. This butter chicken was exactly as I remembered it at Tamarind. A buttery-rich tomato-onion gravy base that coated the tender and plentiful chicken. Each forkful was silky smooth, and I craved this the more I ate it. The Dal Tadka ($15) paired nicely with the richness of the butter chicken. This yellow lentil dish also included onion seeds, ginger, and garlic. It gave off slightly smoky vibes, with a burst of spices at the end of each bite. We closed our entree course with more carbs, this time opting for the Butter Naan ($4). A classic and one of the better naans we've had in a while. 

I saw online that they served pineapple sorbet in an actual pineapple, which seemed right up my alley since I've been eating a pineapple a week for the last couple of months. Unfortunately, they took it off the menu recently, but we veered towards their Coconut Sorbet ($9). This was a nice and light end to our overindulgence at MINT. The sorbet was very creamy, and the coconut flavor came through loud and clear, 

South Orange County residents should be excited that our area has another excellent option for Indian-Pakistani food. MINT is right up there with some of the best in the whole county. We experienced some really excellent service during our stay, and every employee we encountered seemed very eager to share how proud they were of this restaurant. With all that has happened here over the last few years, I'm sure the community will be eager to support this family-run business. We will be making a return visit very soon. 

For more information about MINT Desi Craft Kitchen, head to their website by clicking here: https://mintdesikitchen.com/

** We were provided this meal for free in exchange for an honest review of their service/food. No other compensation was received.

Indian Food in Living Color at Rangeen Kitchen

 Rangeen Kitchen

28241 Crown Valley Parkway

Laguna Niguel, CA 92677

Day number four of OC Restaurant Week has brought us to Rangeen Kitchen. This location used to be home to one of our favorite local Mediterranean spots that we would grab takeout from at least every other week. We were sad to see Zait Bistro close down at the end of 2021 but were happy to find out that the owners still have a restaurant in Rancho Cucamonga, a little far for takeout, but we never know where we'll end up these days. 

Rangeen Kitchen opened in March 2022. It's owned by Sukhi Nagpal, who left her corporate job in 2017 and followed her calling to start a catering company. After a successful run, she decided to take the next step and open her first restaurant. With help from her mother, mother-in-law, and husband, Rangeen Kitchen came into existence. Their cuisine stays true to the authenticity of Indian food, but they put their own spin on things. 

In the Ralph's/Chick-fil-A shopping plaza, Rangeen's menu is divided into sections featuring appetizers, plates, handhelds, curries, salads, and tawa rice. It's a diverse menu for such a small restaurant. Nothing eclipses the $20 price point, which is rare these days. Of course, we were here for the OC Restaurant Week dinner menu, a $45 four-course dinner for two. Let's take a look at their take on Indian food. 

Before we ordered, we were presented with Papadums and a dill-based sauce, which I believe was raita. The papadums were crispy like crackers and did not hold on to the thin sauce as much as I would have liked. They were free and helped us pass the time as we waited for our food after ordering. 

The Rangeen Restaurant Week menu started with Gobhi Manchurian ($12), fried cauliflower tossed in a sweet and tangy sauce. This also had some slightly spicy parts to it. The sauce was made up of ginger and chili, and then some cubed bell peppers, garlic, and sesame seeds were added to the dish. We've had something like this in Persian restaurants, called arnabit, but this one was made differently. I liked the big pop of flavor here, and the different flavor profiles came in waves. A must-try when visiting Rangeen Kitchen. 

We had to choose between one of five curries and two kebabs for the main course. It might seem basic, but I always veer toward Chicken Tikka Masala ($18) when eating in an Indian restaurant for the first time. If they can make this good, I will venture out and try something more adventurous the next time I return. This tikka masala was much lighter than others I have had, but it did not sacrifice the depth of flavor this dish possesses. The chicken was tender, and the sauce was very comforting. 

The Mango Habanero Chicken Tikka Kebab ($17) was a plate with a herbed salad, rice, and extra tikka sauce. I liked this, but not as much as the curry version. The chicken was in giant hunks, so some bites were less moist and tender than others. The mango habanero sauce would have been more front and center if it had been served like the tikka sauce in a ramekin instead of just placed on the platter. I enjoyed it but used it up too quickly, so I used the tikka sauce more frequently. The salad was fine and fresh but a little bland for my taste. 

The Garlic Naan ($4.50) was one of the better ones we have had recently. It was soft and included plenty of butter and garlic. It took some great willpower not to order another basket of it. 

Katie was a little concerned about the spiciness of the mango habanero chicken, so she chose to get her own entree instead of helping me with the restaurant week menu. She selected the Chicken Tikka Sandwich ($14). The sandwich was wrapped in what I assume was naan and filled with chicken, lettuce, tomato, lime pickled onions, and some herbs. Katie was thrilled with this sandwich and wants to return and get it again. She loved the chicken and produce included in it and the way the tikka sauce tied everything together. This usually comes with fries, but she got rice instead. 

Our last hurrah at Rangeen Kitchen was these Chocolate Puffs ($4). They were half dipped in chocolate and filled with mango pudding. Our server gave us instructions on how to eat them, but I was not listening and made a big mess when I bit into mine. Katie was listening to him and was much more demur when she had hers. Even though mine dissolved into a big mess, I liked the mango pudding and the crunchy outer shell of the puff. 

Rangeen Kitchen was an excellent local find, thanks to OC Restaurant Week. We live close enough that this spot will become our go-to for Indian food when we don't want to venture too far from home. I look forward to trying more of their curries and other proteins on future visits. We experienced outstanding service from Jaime on this visit, as he kept things moving and ensured our every need was met. The value for the money at Rangeen Kitchen was one of the best offers for Restaurant Week that I saw. We were saddened by Zait Bistro leaving, but Rangeen Kitchen is a worthy replacement.  

Out of five rainbow sprinkle donuts (because Rangeen means colorful in Hindi, and I can't think of a more colorful donut than one with rainbow sprinkles), five being best to zero being worst, Rangeen Kitchen gets three rainbow sprinkles donuts.  

For more information about Rangeen Kitchen, head to their website by clicking here: https://rangeenkitchen.com/

Adya Is Doing Good in the Community - CLOSED

 Adya 

4213 Campus Drive

Irvine, CA 92612

I really like to show support to restaurants that have a conscience. Most restaurants do way more for the community than just nourish us. Think back to your childhood and the local pizza parlor that sponsored all those local sports teams posted proudly on their walls. Many other restaurants provided coupons in the now-forgotten Entertainment Book, which allowed many non-profit groups to raise money for new sports equipment, uniforms, or fund outings for kids. 

This spirit of giving has brought us to Adya in Irvine. Back in mid-May, Adya donated one hundred percent of its weekly sales to COVID-19 relief efforts in India. At the end of the seven days, they raised $29,100 for the American India Foundation, which will be used to provide portable hospitals in hard-hit India. Katie and I decided to do our part and headed to Adya, one of our favorite Indian food restaurants in OC.

Adya is an Indian street food restaurant that utilizes local ingredients to create modern Indian cuisine. Chef Shachi Mehra opened the first Adya at the Packing House in Anaheim seven years ago, and two years later opened this second spot at the very popular University Center, which is tucked neatly into UCI. Chef Shachi was the opening chef at the critically acclaimed Tamarind of London at Newport Coast and, more recently, was triumphant on the TV show Chopped. Joining her as a partner at Adya is Chef Sandeep Basrur, who gained prominence as one of the best Indian chefs in Northern California. Quite a team these two have become. 

Every time I eat at Adya, I am amazed at how much lighter their Indian food is than others we have tried. However, they don't sacrifice the bold flavors and spices you have come to expect from Indian cuisine. Their menu features a quartet of starters: pavs, kathi rolls, kebabs, curries, and, of course, everyone's favorite, naan. Let's find out our thoughts while we do some good for the people of India. 

It's nearly impossible to visit an Indian restaurant and not gobble up copious amounts of naan. It's even harder when Goat Cheese Naan ($5.99) is offered. Katie zeroed in on this, and after our first bite, we were hooked. I'm not the biggest goat cheese fan, but the tart, earthy cheese flavor went well with the well-made, leavened flatbread. 

Since we visited New York way too long ago, Katie has been looking for a Chicken Biryani ($13.49) that would rival the one she found on the street there. This biryani was offered as a special on the evening we visited, so she gave this one a shot. She loved the moist chicken and sauce here but felt the rice-to-chicken ratio was way off, as all left after getting halfway through this was rice and a little bit of sauce. Still a very comforting dish, but it needed to be better to supplant the one she had on the East Coast. Her search continues.  

You can call me basic all you want, but my favorite Indian meal is Chicken Tikka Masala ($13.99), which most novices get at Indian restaurants. No apologies; I enjoy this dish with its flavorful spiced curry sauce bathing in the cubed chicken. This version was nicely done with the masala sauce covering the tender poultry pieces on a basmati rice bed. For an extra $4, I made it a thali, which I'd describe as an Indian combo meal. I added a small green salad, butter naan, and some delicious cucumber raita, which went well with my and Katie's leftover rice. 

The food at Adya was just as good as I remembered. The flavors are bold, the spices are prevalent, and it is comforting. Their portion sizes are a little out of whack compared to their price point. We had way more rice than chicken at the end of our meals. Service this evening was fine, but be aware that this is a pretty small restaurant, with only two tables inside and a few tables out in front of the restaurant. During peak mealtime hours, call in your order and take your food to go, especially on chilly evenings, like when we visited Adya. I'm glad we could do a small part to help the people of India by eating at Adya during their weeklong event. Still, I'm way happier that there are restaurants like this that want to not only fill our bodies with excellent food but also want to do some good in the world. 

Out of five sundials (because the largest sundial in the world is located in the town of Jaipur, India, and measures an imposing 90 feet tall), five being best to zero being worst, Adya gets 3 sundials. 

For more information about Adya, head to their website here: https://adyaoc.com/#home

Hoping to Slam the Gates of Hunger

India Gate Restaurant

2512 Walnut Ave. 

Tustin, CA 92780

Indian buffets are very enticing, but most are only available during weekdays during lunchtime, and after having four plates of delicious Indian food, the last thing I want to do is go back to work for four hours with a stomach full of tikka masala. I'd be pretty useless at work, okay, more useless than a normal day after eating all that Indian food. I bring this up because I always feel a little gipped when I see signs that promote Indian buffets when I'm at a restaurant for dinner. It doesn't diminish my love for Indian food, but I wanted to get this off of my chest.

Our good friends Angel and Rebekah have been talking about India Gate for a long while now, and we finally set up a double date night to try it out. When I looked up this place before coming here, almost all of the comments were about their $9.99 lunch buffet, and how great the food was. Even though we were going to be meeting here well after lunchtime, all the positive praise really got me excited to give this place a try.

India Gate has been around for a year and a half now. They are located in a very out of the way shopping plaza just off Tustin Ranch Road and Walnut. This small, five-unit strip mall also includes a Korean restaurant, chiropractor, beauty salon, and a tiny sandwich shop. We arrived here at 6 pm on a rather chilly Saturday, but the restaurant had a steady stream of customers coming through the door. The inside of this restaurant is spacious, with nicely spaced tables, and bright lighting. Not being too well versed in Indian cuisine, I appreciated that the rather large menu was easy to navigate, and had good descriptions of each item. It really made it easy to order, and speaking of ordering, let's see what we ended up getting and if Angel and Rebekah's praise for this restaurant was justified.

We were pretty hungry, so we got a couple of dosas to start our meal with. This was our first time having dosas, which I'd describe as part crepe and part quesadilla. Our first foray into dosa-hood was the Cheese Masala Dosa ($11.95). The menu said that the crepe, which is made of lentils and rice flour, was to be filled with cheese and potatoes, but it was devoid of potatoes. Nonetheless, this was good, with a crunchy outer shell, and the not overly stuffed cheese filling inside. This came with two chutneys, one of which had coconut in it and it was the better of the two. Our second dosa was the Masala Dosa ($9.95) and it was partially filled with peas and spiced potatoes. This was a little hard to eat, as the fillings fell out rather easily. It had the same crunchy outer shell, but the insides were kind of boring and did not add too much to this, as the chutneys did a lot of the flavor work here.

Entrees made their way out pretty fast at India Gate, and we each picked a dish and decided to eat family style. Angel's selection was the Chicken Tikka Masala ($12.95). This is undoubtedly the most popular of all Indian dishes, and this version was wonderfully full of rich flavor, the chicken was tender, and it was hard to stop dipping my naan into the sauce. Delicious. My favorite Indian dish is Butter Chicken ($12.95) and this one rivaled the best one I have had to date at the now-shuttered Tamarind in Newport Coast. Much like the tikka, this also featured some very tender chicken and a delicious sauce, which was a tad more subtle than the one used for the tikka masala. Another winner. I actually picked the Lamb Korma ($14.95) partly because I love lamb, and also because I knew that both Angel and Katie would not want any. Yes, I'm very selfish. Most bites of the lamb were tender, with only a few clunkers in the bunch. The sauce for this was both sweet and spicy and had a tinge of cardamom hanging around each bite. As for Katie's choice, the Chicken Biryani ($12.95), I made the cardinal error of any food blogger by forgetting to take a picture of it because I was so focused on eating. Rookie mistake. Anyways, Katie is always on the hunt for a biryani that matches the one she had in New York and this one was pretty close. The chicken is cooked with rice and then garnished with a little bit of cilantro and fried onions. She really liked the authenticity of this dish, but I was a little bummed that the chicken came with bones in it. It made it more difficult to eat. No complaints from Katie though, as she assured me she would get this again.

Of course, some naan needed to be ordered to go along with our meals. The Plain Naan ($2.45) and the Garlic Naan ($2.95) came out nice and warm, but I thought it was pretty average. The garlic version needed to have more garlic included. Nevertheless, this was a great vessel for sopping up the excess sauces, which is definitely a trademark of Indian cuisine and one of the best parts of the meal.

I've come to the realization that Indian desserts just might not be for me. I tried all three of these and was not really wowed by any of them. Out of the three that we had, I probably liked the Kheer ($2.95) the best. It's made of rice in sweetened milk. Kind of like a less sweet version of rice pudding. I forget what Angel had wanted to order, but they were out, so he got the Kulfi ($3.95) instead. This was simply a scoop of mango ice cream, which had a good texture to it, but I'm not really a big fan of mango. The last of our three dessert options was the Falooda Kulfi ($3.95), which the menu described as being rose-flavored ice cream, but I did not get too much rose here. Again, these are not really my ideal types of desserts, but the rest of my dining partners enjoyed them well enough.

If you get a chance to try the lunch buffet at India Gate, do it. Although I was not in love with the dosas or the desserts, all of the entrees that we had on this evening were exceptional and from what I hear they are all available at their noontime ten-dollar buffet. The entrees that we had here were some of the best Indian food we have experienced thus far, although I am by no means an expert in Indian cuisine. The service was a little inattentive, especially as the night went on and they became busier. Thanks so much to Angel and Rebekah for introducing us to this restaurant, we enjoyed our double date and the delicious Indian food. Not necessarily in that order.

Out of five running shoes, (because the India Gate monument in New Dehli was the starting and ending point for Robert Garside's 35,000 miles run around the world, and I can imagine he went through a lot of running shoes), five being best to zero being worst, India Gate Restaurant gets 3 running shoes.

For more information about India Gate Restaurant, head to their website here: https://www.indiagateca.com/

Adya One Year Anniversary Dinner

Adya

440 South Anaheim Blvd. #201

Anaheim, CA 92805

When I started this blog, I never really had any exposure to Indian food. No one in my family ever thought of going to an Indian restaurant. My friends never suggested eating Indian food either. In fact, there are no Indian restaurants in the city of Yorba Linda, the city where I grew up. To my knowledge, there has never been an Indian restaurant in the, "land of gracious living." It really wasn't until I started this blog and was invited to an Indian restaurant that I really started to appreciate Indian cuisine.

We were recently invited to attend a one year anniversary party for Adya, which is located at the Anaheim Packing District, a place that I was ashamed to say that we had yet to visit. For those of you that are not aware, the Packing District is like a mini Grand Central Market in Los Angeles. There are 20 plus eateries in this downtown building, and the whole vibe of this place was cool. After walking around, I made a mental note of all the places I wanted to visit next; Georgia's, The Kroft, and The Chippy, just to name a few. For now though, I was excited for Adya.

Adya is brought to us by the very talented Chef and Executive Owner, Shachi Mehra. She was the first executive chef at another of our favorite Indian restaurants, Tamarind of London in Newport Coast. Her new place showcases Indian street food, which is prepared using wonderful local items, but are made in traditional Indian ways. Growing up in New Jersey, and spending summers in India, she wants to show that Indian food does not have to be that heavy, curry focused cuisine, but instead she features lighter food, which does not sacrifice the bold flavors of Indian cuisine. I was definitely looking forward to seeing if she could achieve this delicate balance with the food we were about to have.

The people of Adya were kind enough to set up a table for us on a recent Tuesday evening. I've heard that getting seating at the Packing House can be a little bit tricky, and that is even more so on weekend nights. On this night the crowd definitely swelled during our stay at the Packing District. We were seated at a long communal table, with Puffed Lotus Seeds, Papadum, and a Trio of Chutneys, spaced about every four seats. Already I could tell that this was unlike any Indian food we have had. The papadum was lighter, more like a tortilla chip, than the kind of rigid papadum we are used to. The three chutneys represented here were tomato, mint, and tamarind varieties. It's hard to say which one was my favorite, as I found myself using each in equal measures. The lotus seeds were again light, but kind of missed the mark with me. I was more in the mood for something a little more substantial, and these had more of the texture of chicharon, which kind of melted away after consuming them. Others in our party were pretty impressed with these though.

Now the big boys were on the way out for us. Up first was this Crab Masala, garnished with corn, asparagus, and a very light mustard yogurt sauce. This is not what you would probably expect when having Indian food. The crab was light, and had the consistency of a very well made crab cake, but with a unique flavor profile that did not mask the natural taste of the crab. The corn added a nice texture element, and the mustard sauce played along nicely with the rest of the plate. Very well done crab plate.

I'm always a fan of lamb, so when I heard that Lamb Kofta was up next, I got pretty excited. I don't order lamb nearly enough, which I need to rectify. These lamb meatballs were in a tomato tamarind glaze, which burst with flavor. The lamb itself was very tender, dense, and spiced perfectly. Luckily, a few people that we were sitting with were not a fan of lamb, so I had four of these by myself. Score.

Next up for us was a Thali, which I had to look up what it was. I learned that a thali is a plate of food, which includes six different flavors; sweet, salty, bitter, astringent, sour, and spicy. I'd say this plate got all of them, but I don't really recall anything being crazy bitter. This thali included black lentils, chicken tikka masala, raita, kokum fish curry, rice, and salad. All of this was pretty stellar, but the chicken tikka masala really stole the show. The sauce was delicious, and could make an old shoe taste great. The chicken was tender, and again, the masala sauce was incredible. I liked the rest of the plate as well. The fish curry was good, and the kokum spice gave off a tinge of sourness to the fish. Raita is not really my thing, since I'm not a fan of yogurt, but Katie enjoyed it, as did other people at our table. The lentils are always a favorite of mine at Indian restaurants, and they impressed at Adya as well. A very well balanced meal.

Desserts at Indian restaurants have always kind of let me down. I like sweeter desserts, than most people like, so I'm usually left out of luck at most Indian joints. This was not the case at Adya. The White Chocolate Rabri with Cardamom Grilled Peaches was one of the better Indian desserts I've had. Rabri is made of condensed milk, sugar and other spices, and it kind of has the consistency of a less smooth budino. The peaches were good, and added even more sweetness to the rabri. We were also given some Coconut Date Naan to wrap up our meal. This was a very good version of a dessert naan, but I have a feeling they could do anything with their phenomenal naan, which we enjoyed very much earlier during this meal.

Chef Shachi and her team at Adya really did deliver on their promise of lighter, but still flavorful Indian food. Even though we ate all of this food, we did not feel crazy stuffed, and even had room left to try some ice cream at Hans' Homemade Ice Cream. The menu here changes frequently, depending on what's available, but if our dinner is any indication, you will have no trouble finding something that you will enjoy. I'm so happy that this blog has opened me up to liking more than just burgers, Mexican, and Italian food.

We would like to thank Chef Shachi, and everyone at Adya for having us on this very special occasion. It's easy to see why you guys have made the coveted one year mark for your restaurant, and why you'll be around a lot longer than that. Not only was the food great, but their hospitality was also on full display. We would also like to thank Mona and everyone at Moxxe PR for thinking of inviting us to this wonderful event. You guys rock.

For more information about Adya check out their website here: http://adyaoc.com/#about-intro