It’s always a good sign when you go to an ethnic restaurant and you see people of that restaurant’s ethnicity as the majority eating happily. Thus was the case at Hyderabad House, a small, dimly lit Indian restaurant near Borders on University Avenue. It’s quite small so I wouldn’t recommend bringing a big group but for a casual dinner for two or four this place shines.

There was a bit of wait for the food which was unexpected because you order the food upfront at the register and then they bring it out…but it’s also a good sign, that they are actually making the food fresh as opposed to just ladling things out. You can enjoy a hot milky chai tea as you wait and admire the landscape photography of India on the walls. The wind will be bustling and sweeping outside, but inside you’ll feel as if you’re in a slighly exotic cafe. The majority of the diners when I was there were Indian men…perhaps this place reminds them of mom’s cooking?

If you get the Chicken Tikka Masala I recommend dipping everything in the sauce. The basamati rice our dishes came with was fragrant and fluffy. We even found a stick of cinnamon and bayleaf buried in the rice. A basamati mama would be proud. I like that the rice and naan always comes with the curries so you don’t have to order seperately and get a huge plate of rice that ends up either being overindulged in, wasted, or brought home and forgotten. The naan was chewy with a light taste of butter, a bit over charred on the edges but nothing that a bit of tearing with the fingers wouldn’t solve.

I’m certainly not an Indian food connesiour but if if I were looking for hot flavorful food that pleased every taste bud this would be the place to go.