MmmMmmm Mela update – Boston

This is the first time I’ve written an update on a restaurant but considering how many new things I tried on the menu, it seemed like the thing to do…

Mela Vegetarian Platter – Life lessons in Indian cuisine: the higher-end the restaurant, the cleaner the veggie pakora looks! The veggie pakora here is a pretty shade of light brown, and though I’m clearly overly partial to brown, the cheese pakora will please the palate of even the most stubborn Indian skeptic.

Onion Kulcha – Bread with onion. Unless you have anaphylactic reactions to onion or suffer from severe celiac disease, what the heck could be reproachable about kulcha?

Naan – It’s naan. It’s thin and alternates between soft and crispy. Again, it’s naan. It’s good naan but it’s just naan.

Goat Curry – No one makes goat curry better than my dear friend Amrita. However, I might be bold enough to consider this one a close second. The goat meat is tender, (no small feat for goat meat!), the curry is heavenly thick, and the portion is reasonably generous. That being said, I would love to re-compare this with my dear friend Amrita’s goat curry (HINTHINT)…

Tandoori Chicken – Everything tastes better when you put aioli on it AND everything tastes better when it’s cooked in a tandoor. The chicken is juicy but not dripping and the flavor goes clear to the bone. The dipping sauce is a creamy tikka masala, and it’s easier on the central fat deposition than aioli…

Malai Kofta – It’s actually the same sauce as the tikka masala they use for the tandoori chicken but I wasn’t complaining! The veggie meatballs add a fun texture, and a spoonful of this sauce helps the rice go down…

Even my Indian dining companions tell me that Mela is authentic enough for them, and trust me, if you’ve had Yash’s matter paneer, you’d believe him too. Now that I’ve had the privilege of trying a good number of tasty dishes from their menu, my 4-star rating holds true. Consistently strong dishes - haven’t had anything I didn’t like!

Bottom line: Go to Mela, it’s still taste-tastic!

MmmMmmm Mela - Boston

Warning: the story you’re about to hear is very sad. If you are Indian and/or a diehard lover of the beautiful dish called vindaloo, brace yourself. Mela is the first place in Boston and Raleigh combined where I ate vindaloo made with perceivable vinegar and it was awesome.

Loved the lamb vinadaloo – the chunks of lamb were abundant and tender though I wish they had soaked up more flavor – however, that’s my main critique at every restaurant so please take that with a grain of coriander. 

When they said the palak paneer was made with FRESH spinach, they weren’t kidding! Usually when I get a dish with pureed spinach, I usually taste only the spices and the spinach just adds texture. In this dish, I could actually taste that slightly bitter kick of spinach through the creamy sauce.

Love the attention to detail, both the food and all the little things: When we asked for extra plates, the plates they gave us were warm. Not out-of-the-dishwasher-still-damp warm, but clearly incubated to not turn your food into a frigid mess. (HintHint Sibling Rivalry…) The server was polite and knowledgeable about the food and everyone had a quiet polish. The staff was good, but they were so quiet about it I never noticed them working - all I remember is that my dining experience was pleasant, everything ran smoothly, and my water glass was always full – quite a feat since the vindaloo gave me tears of joy/capsacin.

Love this place even though it's a little pricey for my liking, but imo, the quality of the ingredients and the savory, well-balanced cooking is worth paying extra. So if you’re craving Indian food minus the fake, Mela just might be what the doctor prescribed.