Mayura Restaurant

I visited Mayura with a big group of friends last Sunday for lunch. Mayura is known for their Indian food from the southern region. (The owner claims that this is the only southern India restaurant on the Westside. I have no idea if this is true.) This is a bit debatable as they do have many northern India dishes like chicken tandoori, probably to please a more diverse set of customers. Speaking of customers, most of them did seem to be Indian (except for my group) which is a good sign.

Virtually everyone else was going for their lunch buffet which is $12.75 on weekends. Although the buffet looked pretty good, it’s pretty pricey for a lunchtime buffet, particularly since I wasn’t in the mood for a huge lunch. I decided to order from their regular menu instead and focus on their south India dishes, given that this is what they specialize in. I was thrilled when I saw bisi bele bath, a south India rice dish made with lentils, vegetables, and a gazillion spices. (I first had this bisi bele bath years ago when a friend of mine, who had studied and traveled all over India as part of her PhD studies, made me this dish after learning it during her time in southern India. I was blown away by the depth of intricate flavors of this dish the first time I had it, and even made it myself upon my friend’s instruction. However, it’s too time and ingredient consuming to make regularly.) Unfortunately, Mayura’s version of bisi bele bath was nowhere near as flavorful as my friend’s version. It wasn’t terrible, but it did not sing. I am wondering if they “dumbed down” the spices for me because I’m not Indian. Big thumbs down for that. (What they didn’t realize is that I grew up in the NYC area, where there is stellar Indian food, and so I know what to look for.) However, the raita and chutneys served with the dish were very good and enhanced the flavor of the rice when I added a little to it.

I also had a mango lassi, and it was good but a bit too thick in consistency for me. I rarely order lassis, so perhaps I’m just not used to heavy drinks accompanying my meals.

My friends who were ordering from the buffet seemed pretty happy with it. My friend did sneak me a piece of naan which was nice and fluffy. Because we were a huge group, the owner gave us a sample of some plain dosas which were delicious. I noticed that a lot of people at other tables were ordering them.

Am I likely to return to Mayura…I don’t know. I wasn’t all that enamored with my entree. I realize that I tried only one dish in their extensive menu, and perhaps their other dishes are better. If I were in the area and in the mood for Indian, I’d consider it, but only for the buffet or for the dosas. I give it a 3 stars…barely.