New Indian restaurant on the Coast adds spice to favorite entrees. What’s on the menu?
It’s been a week since Indian Delight opened and already people are filling the restaurant to get a taste of authentic Indian cuisine.
At 6615 Washington Ave., (Mississippi 609) north of Ocean Springs and nearly across from the Walmart market is one of two Indian Delight restaurants owned by Gautam Nautiya. He opened the first in Hattiesburg after leaving New Orleans to strike out on his own.
He studied culinary arts in Mumbai and came to the United States to work at the Hyatt Regency in New Orleans, he said during a Hardy Street interview.
South Mississippi has only one or two other Indian restaurants, and Indian Delight provides food that is “visually stunning” and delicious, according to the website.
Ingredients and spices are sourced locally and internationally, and Nautiya said his attention to detail extends to personally choosing the best brand of turmeric from an Indian company that has been in business for a century.
He created a menu that is both familiar for those who want to try Indian food and more adventurous entrees for those who crave something exotic and spicy.
Diners at the new restaurant are sampling it all, said manager Malcolm Pinto, and they are returning for more.
“We’ve seen a table come in three days back to back,” he said.
What to order?
The menu lists appetizers, soups and entrees, with descriptions of each.
The wait staff can guide customers on how much seasoning they want in their dish, and Pinto suggests they order milder the first time.
Malai chicken curry is in a very mild cream sauce with a blend of spices, which he said is a good dish for those who don’t like a lot of heat.
Unless butter chicken or mango chicken curry is their go-to favorite, customers will need a few extra minutes to decide what to order from the large menu.
Onion pakora — onion slices dipped in chickpea flour with Indian spices and then deep fried — is a good start. Or choose a pickle plate appetizer or a chicken lollipop that is a bone-in chicken wing seasoned with ginger and soy, fried and tossed in chili sauce.
Now that it’s soup season again, hot and sour soup is spicy and tangy, available with chicken or shrimp.
For the entree are coconut shrimp curry or several other curries and rices, more than a dozen vegetarian dishes and even lists of goat and lamb entrees.
Then there’s bread
The breads baked in the clay oven are a hit, Pinto said, especially the naan cheese bread stuffed with mozzarella cheese.
About nine varieties, such as a spicy bread stuffed with jalapenos, are on the menu and customers can sample several when they order the bread basket.
The dining room is bright and modern, with a food graphic covering one wall, splashes of yellow and red, cloth napkins and music that’s not too loud.
Soon the bar will open, Pinto said, so customers can order wine or a cocktail with their meal.
The restaurant is open from 11 a.m. to about 9 p.m. daily except Tuesday, when it is closed. Take out is available or get food delivered through DoorDash and Grubhub.
