Entertainment > Dining

Posted on Fri, Nov. 14, 2008

e-mail	print	RSS	reprint
AIM	Digg it	del.icio.us	Facebook

Maharaja a welcome work in progress

The restaurant, though in its growing stages, brings good Indian food to central Wichita.

BY JOE STUMPE

The Wichita Eagle

For a city its size, Wichita has always seemed a little light on Indian restaurants. Other than Passage to India and Deshi Curry, which face each other across East 21st Street, it's a tandoori wasteland out there.

But the opening of Maharaja on North Broadway has brought good Indian food -- with some new-restaurant hitches -- within easy reach of downtown workers and central Wichita residents.

ON THE MENU: Beef, chicken, lamb, goat and vegetarian dishes prepared in a variety of Indian styles; freshly baked flatbreads; relishes, desserts, chai and other beverages.

DON'T-MISS DISHES: We were knocked out by our first visit to Maharaja. This was at lunch, when the restaurant offers an all-you-can-eat buffet. There were about a dozen items on the buffet, and much to our delight (and surprise), all were good to excellent.

The tandoori chicken was subtly flavored, the skin roasted to a beautiful red hue, and the meat slipped easily off the bone.

Chicken tikka masala -- pieces of chicken in a creamy, exotically seasoned tomato sauce -- was one of those dishes you scoop rice into to catch every drop. Another version of tikka masala featuring goat was just as delectable.

Two vegetarian dishes -- a spicy one built around garbanzo beans, and a curried one founded on spinach -- were also satisfying. A dish or two featuring fiery heat, an Indian specialty, would have been nice.

The owner, who also appears to be the only server, ferried batches of hot naan, the simple but delicious flatbread of India, to our table. A dessert called galub jamum -- described as balls of "dry milk and homemade cheese," deep-fried and dipped in syrup -- was an unexpected treat.

As we ate, we read through the extensive menu of dinner entrees, deciding to return soon to sample shrimp vindaloo and the Maharaja platter (described as all manner of battered and deep-fried morsels).

But, alas, when we did, we discovered that the restaurant is still in its growing stages. As we tried to order one thing after another, the owner shook his head sadly and said, "Not yet. Soon."

We eventually settled for lamb vindaloo, which was excellent, and the Maharaja biriyani, which was just average.

The moral of this story: Go for lunch, maybe wait a bit before trying it for dinner.

AMBIENCE: Clean but spartan. What elegant touches there are -- such as authentic Indian serving dishes and napkins folded to pop out of water glasses -- are undermined by clear plastic tablecloths.

PRICE RANGE: All-you-can-eat buffet at lunch and dinner costs $8.95. Dinner entrees range from $9.95 to $14.95.

SERVICE: Friendly but it's unclear how the restaurant would be able to serve more than a dozen people at a time.

Ratings reflect the critic's judgment of the food, service and atmosphere in relation to the price. If you would like to nominate a restaurant to be reviewed, call 316-268-6321.