Location visited: Their new location - 3450 SE Belmont St, Portland, OR 97214
Website: listing from urbanspoon w.menus
To Visit? Richly flavorful
Indian Oven was one of those places that I would keep driving by, quiet but always someone there, and looked welcoming with a nice wafting smell of food through the entryways. It is now a place that I would definitely return to for my occasional Indian food craving. It has to be done right, and it has to be packed with rich flavors, not too thick, and not too watered down. This place does it. And yes, it's VEGAN FRIENDLY. Their dishes range at about $12 and very worth it. Vegetarian, clay oven skewers, soups, rice dishes, and all sorts of curries. If you like lamb or chicken, then definitely give this place a try. I knew there were lots of ways to prepare chicken and lamb, but I didn't expect to find so many at one location. Also contrary to belief, as an Asian American food consumer, rice is not of that importance to me, but when I do get around to eating it, it should be done right. None of that dry sand grainy pellets that seem under cooked or overcooked. None of that overly boiled into borderline oatmeal or porridge consistency. The rice here is a slightly longer grained rice cooked just to readiness. When paired with the dishes such as the lamb curry, the whole spoonful is a burst of flavor, and the rice becomes naturally softened by sauce to perfection. I ate all my rice. ALL of it. Mostly because I didn't want the sauce to go to waste after all the meat and veggies were picked from it, but even still, the rice was good. Nothing was there that didn't belong. The portion sizes are a healthy amount too. Just enough to get you hitting the full mark on a regular night out. No bagful of to-go-boxes to lug around, and just enough room for a dessert venture ...
