Taj Mahal (Great Indian food in Costa Rica)

Before arriving in Costa Rica the last thing I thought I would be trying for the first time is Indian food. While there are many Indian restaurants where I am originally from (Washington DC), I was not interested in going to one. After being in San Jose a couple of days a new acquaintance continually raved about his desire for a “proper curry” (this meant Indian food). I had never heard anyone go this crazy over Indian food, or even mention that Indian food was any good. I figured that for a person to go this crazy over a food (it was seriously like a heroin addict going through withdraw), that it would be worth trying. A friend knew of a good place for a curry on the other side of town called Taj Mahal (not the Casino).

Arriving to the restaurant I did not know what to expect. The building outside an in where very nice. A man (not sure whether he was Indian or not) wearing long robe and a small hat looked similar to one of those hats you’d wear on your 5th birthday. The table we were sat at was huge and in a private room, even though we only had a party of 6, but I’m not complaining it was very nice. The server brought out tortilla shaped crackers with several types of dipping sauce, none which where good tasting. At this point I was very sceptical. The curry connoisseur instructed me to order the chicken tikka masala and a bread called “naan”.

The long wait for the food made me extremely hungry and even more nervous that the main course was going to be as bad as the appetizer. There is no doubt that I am now a lifelong Indian Cuisine fan. The food was absolutely delicious, the naan is perfect for dipping in the chicken tikki masala sauce. I personally like very spicy food, some of the other dishes the more experienced curry eaters ordered were much spicier and I liked more.

The dessert was an entirely different story. The choices were limited, the waiter suggested one item, which I can not remember the name of, but it was not good. The dessert consisted of 2 small round doughnuts in a liquid sugar, served in a small glass. I would suggest against it.

My English friends who encouraged me to go to the curry, approved that the quality was good, but made sure to tell me that they have had much better back in the home land.

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