Paradise, Lawrenceville

By now you know just how much Indian food I have access to on a regular basis (and I am sure you're jealous... at least you should be). Sadly (for the other places) we have pretty much spent all of our recent time at one particular restaurant... Paradise. Boy is that an apt name... the place has an extensive menu, really efficient service, and awesome food. The decor is nice, not impressive by any means, but the place is clean and the food is a delight, so, really, who's looking around?

As I am sure you also know by now, I absolutely adore paper masala dosai... the thin, crispy lentil crepe stuffed with an oh so delicious mixture of potato and spices. Paradise serves this up in a slightly unique way... while it's still absurdly over sized, instead of having the potato schmeared throughout (think burrito) it has it all gathered up into a ball in the middle, leaving the majority of the crepe to be torn off and dunked into the happy ball of filling. This makes me thrilled, as it means more crunchy bits of crepe and less soft bits. Their potato mixture is far more spicy than others I have had, and it leaves my mouth all a-tingle. Delish. So yum.

Matt's new favorite dish is called the malai cheese kabob, even though it is completely dairy free... weird how it's called that. What it is is chicken chunks over a veggie slaw... mostly cabbage and onion, but some bell pepper, too. The chicken is so tender... our assumption is that it's marinated in yogurt, along with spices. The cabbage and onion get sweet and soft, adding an awesome contrast of flavors. This all comes out on a steaming hot plate... I don't remember what it's called, but think fajita platter (metal... has a handle... waiter always says 'don't touch it it's crazy hot'). Anyway, it keeps the chicken warm, and continues to cook down the onions. Delightful! Drizzle it with the spicy green sauce that comes on the side (I think it's corriander) and the whole thing brightens up and gets a serious kick.

The vindaloo at Paradise also happens to be spectacular. While I typically steer clear of dishes that have heavy sauces and potatoes in them (because they get so starchy and are often done ickily), I made an exception here after seeing how well they do everything else. Good move on my part (genius... I know). The sauce is thick and flavorful, lending a decent amount of heat and a ton of spice to the chicken. The potato is cooked to perfection, not at all mushy or fall aparty, but fork tender and completely saturated with saucy goodness. Suggestion... eat all of the big bits out of the dish and then use the extra sauce left at the bottom of the bowl to mix with white rice. It's like an Indian risotto. You can send all thank you notes to me via comment. While not pictured in this blog, perhaps what Paradise is BEST known for is their biryani, a rice dish that has meats and some veggies and some SERIOUS heat. Paradise has won several awards for this dish of theirs, and I can see why. We ordered a chicken biryani and out came a giant bowl, holding an almost obscene amount of rice, two chicken legs, a hard boiled egg, half of an onion and some lime wedges. The sauce that the rice and chicken are cooked in is HOT (we never order 'hot' in Indian restaurants... their 'medium' practically made me weep, so from now on, on this dish at least, its mild or bust! The flavor is outrageous.. a little citrusy, a little earthy, so much spice, it's like a food dance. This is really special.

Paradise seems to have several locations, although it is by no means 'chainy'. I do not know how the menu's vary from location to location, but I bet that they can't be too far off from one another. Check out the website for one closest to you... let me know what you think!

Paradise

www.njbiryani.com

3800 Quakerbridge Rd

Lawrenceville-08648

609 586 9119