A Sensory Feast at Laxmi's Indian Grille

March 28, 2016

11:12 AM

“People were forever asking us where they could go for good Indian food,” relates restaurateur Dinesh Purohit. His wife, Mickey, adds, “We knew Berks Countians were driving 40 miles or so just to get it.” At one point, they simply decided, “Why not open a top notch restaurant right here in Wyomissing?” With a focus on North-Indian-influenced cuisine in a warm and genteel atmosphere, Laxmi’s Indian Grille offers all the most popular dishes from curries to tandoori (clay oven) grilled chicken, lamb and salmon. Vegetarian dishes comprise an extensive separate section of the menu.

“All of our ingredients — our vegetables, everything — are really, really fresh,” says Mickey. “That keeps our chef happy.” Having spent 17 years in the Philadelphia area, Chef Prem Bahadur KC holds high standards, and Dinesh is quick to praise him and the entire staff for Laxmi’s success.

The Mulligatawny, a lentil soup, arrives in all its golden splendor adorned by a thin slice of lemon and fresh-picked cilantro. What’s astonishing is how such a simple legume can be transformed into such an elegant, luxuriously soft soup. The lentils are pureed until silky, and each spoonful is pure joy. The warm, satisfying broth is endowed with just enough spice to open the nostrils in the healthiest way.

Chicken soup is served in the same sleek tureen as the Mulligatawny: a warm white porcelain of an unusual asymmetrical shape, almost pouring the soup to the palate. This soup boasts a creamy onion and tomato base with hints of cilantro and other flavors, both subtle and tangy. With each spoonful, one tries to hold on to each of the tastes as it is followed by others; the chicken pieces are ample without being intrusive. This soup will find a permanent place in your memory.

Next up: Vegetable Samosas as an appetizer. It’s no surprise to find these tri-cornered, potato-filled, deep-fried dumplings are light but substantial, perfectly balanced with coriander and cumin. They’re seasoned with a light touch to allow diners the fun of adding their own favorite chutney flavor as a single accent or even blending two or more to personal taste: the sweet-sour, earth-colored tamarind; red onions; or cilantro-mint in a deep green hue. Each of the two samosas is large enough to share with a dining partner. Strips of cabbage are strewn artfully on the plate, a tasty counterpoint to the potatoes.

The Garlic Naan is fabulous. “We bake it in our clay oven at 500 degrees,” says Dinesh. Think garlic bread, Italian-style, only made Indian-style with the large circle of dough flash-baked. It floats as you tear it with your fingers and melts on the way down.

Delicate Aromas, Flavor Explosions

It’s hard to choose an entrée. (Why not choose several and have leftovers packed up to take home?) Most dishes work well with a large bowl of delicate Biryani (rice), which contains perfumed hints of cinnamon and cumin, plus a touch of saffron. Add a Chicken Tikka Masala, made with chunks of white meat poking out of a cream-based, richly tomato-y masala sauce, and the end result is an unmatched flavor explosion. The visual, the tactile, the olfactory, and the taste — all are wedded here.

Salmon lovers will adore Laxmi’s fish made Tandoori-style, as it comes on a hot platter in a remarkably beautiful presentation — as gorgeous as a painting — surrounded by fresh-grilled vegetables and garnished with an elaborate edible “flower” carved from a single tomato peeling and a carafe of carrots and whole mint leaves. Thus the garnish serves a triple purpose: garnish, separator and palate cleanser. This is a guilt-free, health-enhancing choice in a generous portion size. The salmon exudes and is enhanced by the grill’s light charring. It’s moist and tight, made piquant by fresh herbs.

Kababs and Such

Two kababs — Lamb Seekh Kabab and Malai (Chicken) Kabab — complement each other. Lamb tends to shout that it is lamb. Not here. This one speaks in whispers, and all the other flavors that Chef imbues it with tease the tongue. The lamb, though subtle, is hearty and earthy while the chicken is delicate. Both are cooked on heavy skewers, or seekh. The ground lamb is laden with spices, wrapping around the rods, maintaining shape without any breading at all. The succulent chicken comes with a garnish of carrots, cilantro, and lemon.

The Kadhai Lamb kicks things up a bit. This medium-heat dish has a bell pepper, onion and tomato base. Its darker flavor is reflected in its darker color. Cloves and other secret spices add to the complex taste of this delicious sauce; cilantro and ginger serve as garnish.

Do check out Laxmi’s savory desserts, including Kheer, Gulab-Jamun or Ras-Malai. Or finish up with a Mango Lassi. Deeply mango-licious, this lassi is a sunny, yogurt-based beverage with just a drop of rosewater that imparts a long-gliding afterglow. Sensational.

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