Shanti-Taste of India, Roslindale Village, MA

"Shanti" means "Peace" in Sanskrit.  Their new space in Roslindale fits the bill (the older space is in Dorchester).  
A beautiful dining room draped in reds, orange, and metallics, it is both intimate and family-friendly- a place for a date or a family meal.

The walls were adorned with art pieces.

 

The Food

Shanti serves an abundance of diverse regional dishes, namely Bangledeshi recipes such as Bhuna, a "style of cooking, where spices are gently sauteed to bring out their flavors, the meat is added to the spices & cooked in its own juices resulting in deep strong flavors".  There are also classic Indian style dishes including Vindaloo (a spicy dish made with roasted hot chili peppers, citrus, and curried potato), Shaag (creamy, spinach-based dishes), Korma (dishes with spices, nuts, and cream), and many more, including Tikka Masala, Rogan Josh, Curry, and Jhalfrezie.

Of course we began out meal with papadum, a mild, crisp, lightly spiced, lentil wafer served with onion, mint, and tamarind chutneys.

A go to starter for me at any Indian restaurant has to the the Mulligatawny soup, a rich, warm soup made with lentils, vegetables and spices.  Shanti's is heavy on the coriander (cilantro), just as I like it and served uniquely with a lemon wedge.  The citrus added a lovely bite to the soup.

Mulligatawny soup

 

A dish which I'd never sampled before and absolutely loved was the chana masala-whole chickpeas with red onion cooked Indian style.  It came highly recommended by Andy, our courteous server, as it is his favorite dish.

Chana masala

The chef sent out a platter of appetizing starters including vegetable samosas (curried potato, peas, nut and spice filled turnovers), Aloo tikki (fried potato patties), Chicken tikka (skewered tender chicken, marinated in spices and yogurt, cooked in tandoor oven), and Nabaraton Korma (fritters of nine different vegetables cooked in a mild creamy sauce and garnished with nuts).

Appetizer platter

I was pleasantly surprised to see okra on the menu.  I tend not to focus much on vegetarian portions of any menu, but I cannot recall noticing okra on other Indian restaurant menus in the past. Bhindi masala is made of fresh okra delicately spiced and cooked with tomatoes and onions.  

 No one should leave such a phenomenal Indian restaurant without sampling something extraordinarily spicy!  We decided to try the goat vindaloo that we enjoyed with pine nut garnished Basmati rice and our other side dishes and garlic naan (roti bread) stuffed with garlic and topped with fresh coriander.

We ended our feast with a pretty unremarkable Kheer, a rice pudding cooked with sweetened milk, garnished with pistachios.  I think I'll sample the homemade kulfi (sorbet).

Have you been to either location of Shanti-Taste of India?  Let me know what you think in the comment box below.

If not, you must get there soon and try something new!  Shanti also features a daily lunch buffet, the perfect time to try different dishes for one low cost.

Owners Rokeya and Solomon Chowdhury were present during my visit.  They will welcome you will open arms and a smile.

I am also looking forward to checking out their other ventures, across the river, Moksa and Naga!

Disclosure:  This meal was provided at no cost to the author.  My opinions, however, are my own.