Culinary empire

Portland boasts a broad range of delicious eateries. It is possible to enjoy a wide variety of food, from many different cultures. However, one thing I have felt was missing from Portland was a really great Indian restaurant. It was hard to find one that blew my mind. I’ve eaten at some fabulous Indian places, and was hard pressed to find one in Portland that matched up.

I approached the East India Company with trepidation, especially since the place is so swanky. For some reason, it is easier to imagine getting an authentic Indian dish at a hole in the wall, not a large, glistening dining room. However, perhaps it is called the “East India Company” for a reason.

Upon entering the restaurant, there is a large bar, with television screens and a lounge area. Continue forward, and the very elegant dining room opens up. The atmosphere is calming and classy. It makes the higher-priced items on the menu seem reasonable.

There are a few things that always pop into mind when Indian cuisine comes up. For me, they are: naan, tikka masala and chai. Something that I feel gets overlooked here, with the ample supply of chai in any tea store or Starbucks, is that we are not really drinking authentic chai. It’s always a pleasure when I can have a cup of the real deal. Not sweet, but smoky, rich and full of flavor. The chai I had here was fabulous, and a good start to my meal.

The meal came to me on three plates: a little salad side dish, a plate of naan and the chicken tikka masala and rice. The naan was steaming, fresh from the oven, and the chicken tikka masala was presented beautifully. The rice was piled into a pyramid, with the sauce in a brass bowl to the side.

It was definitely delicious, the chicken was very tender, moist and cooked perfectly, and the sauce was creamy and spicy. The portions are limited but very filling. My visit was at lunch, and I was not hungry for the rest of the day.

A lovely aspect of East India Company is their lunch menu. For $8 on any day of the week, you can get their daily curry with rice, a small cup of soup, a salad and naan. It really is a great value for the quality of entrees you receive.

A word to the wise: If you want to go during lunch, expect nice service, but with a sharp aftertaste of disorganization. If you go for dinner, do so on a slow evening. It’s hard for a restaurant to prepare beautiful food for masses of people, and while the servers obviously are trying their best, they are often hugely out numbered by guests. On my second visit, there was only one waiter for the entire dining room, and one bartender.

Overall, East India Company left me happy and surprised. I went in not expecting much, but enjoyed the food and the entire lunch. It is possible to eat here if you are vegetarian. However, the menu has a plethora of meat dishes so you will make the most of your experience if you enjoy eating meat.

The thing I still miss most is the authentic feel of India, not present in most Indian restaurants here. East India Company comes close to that mark but still filters their dishes through an Americanized lens, giving us passable cuisine that still falls short of its Eastern roots.

East India Company 821 S.W. 11th Ave. Happy Hour: 4 p.m.-7 p.m.Make sure to try the: Daily $8 lunch special