By MARK VAGELAKOS
Authentic in its taste and ambience, Passage to India offers Orlando a unique experience to dining and catering.
Located in a strip mall at 6129 Westwood Blvd; Passage to India offers ample parking. The restaurant looks like the average Asian takeout-eatery on the outside, but walking through the double doors, diners find an elegant restaurant adorned with genuine Indian decor. Statues, paintings, plants and lavish drapery are accompanied by soft music from the region.
Passage to India is owned and operated by Uday Kadam who has training in Bombay India, Jordan, Kuwait, Egypt and Saudi Arabia. Kadam offers an original recipe every couple of weeks on their website, as well as discounts for the restaurant.
Passage to India also offers catering for meetings and weddings.
Additionally authentic, the menu is a compilation of chicken, lamb, seafood and vegetarian meal options ranging from $12.95 – $29.95 and similar appetizers from $6.95 – $10.95. The restaurant prides itself in catering to all diets, including vegetarian and vegan. All meals are served with basmati rice with an option of naan, kulcha and rooti breads ranging from $3.50 – $4.50. Overall, Passage to India’s food is tasty and accompanied well by sides and dipping sauces but not spectacular and not worth the price-tag.
Before the meal, appetizers range from the vibrant Vegetable Samosa ($6.50), a pastry filled with peas and potatoes, to Chicken Tikka ($8.95), chicken roasted with spices and yogurt, as well as other options. Appetizers are served with the option of various sauces including mango chutney, mixed chutney, masala and raita, a yogurt and cucumber dip. The sauces go well with the appetizers but could use more heat.
Accommodating to all kinds of diets, the menu contains lentil and bean specialties like the Dal Makhni ($12.95) as well as vegetable meals like Palak Sabji Dal ($14.95) with spinach, eggplant, potatoes and cauliflower.
Meat meals include the succulent Lamb Vindaloo ($19.95) and Fish Curry ($19.95), both made with traditional Indian spices, herbs and sauces. Other selections from their meat menu are the Lobster Masala ($28.95), cooked in tomatoes, onions, herbs and spices, and the Chicken Hyderabadi ($16.95), a curry meal that blended sweet and spicy tones well. Curry is a spice traditionally made with turmeric, coriander and cumin that is popular in southeastern Asian cultures and regions. Passage to India offers curry in various degrees of heat from mild to hot. In general, the heat of meals is satisfying and accurate to their labels.
All meals come with an option of Indian breads like Kulcha ($3.50), a light bread with onions, Naan ($2.95), a light baked bread or Garlic Naan ($3.50). Also available is Tandoori Rooti ($2.95), a whole wheat bread cooked in the Tandoor.
After a main course, Passage to India’s dessert menu ($6.95) provides solace for the sweet tooths of the group. Made in the traditional Northern Indian style, the Rice Pudding ($6.95) is a treat offered after an entree. Also on the menu is a homemade mango ice cream ($6.95) and Kulfi ($6.95), a more plain ice cream dish traditional to India.
While taste reins supreme at Passage to India, the service is lacking. With several large groups, the understaffed wait service was less than attentive and simple tasks like refilling drinks and adding extra napkins took several trips, while separating tabs on the checks was unnecessarily confusing.
Passage to India offers a flavorful and authentic meal and atmosphere, but is pricey and slow-serviced.