The Justice

Media Credit: Julian Agin-Liebes The Waltham restaurant New Mother India has a polished ambiance with interesting decorations to promote conversation during a romantic rendezvous.

When we entered New Mother India, the first thing we noticed was how empty the place was. At 6 p.m. on a Saturday night, maybe we were early; but still, we felt a bit confused. The soft lighting coupled with the gentle music made for a very calm and open atmosphere that was perfect for a date. The food we were about to eat certainly warranted a full house.

The owner, who introduced himself as Sham, is from India and moved to the U.S. to continue a career as an information technology consultant. As we heard Sham's story about coming to America, we were surprised to hear he had learned how to cook here in the States. The attention to detail and the complexity of the dishes suggest a lifetime of cooking experience, which explains why Sham says it's harder to be a chef than an IT consultant. He told us how a dish can be ruined in 30 seconds, whereas a computer script has a perfect beginning and end. The food we ate certainly displayed his attention to detail.

THE MEAL

Royal Basket: a combination of aloo naan (kind of like naan filled with a huge grated-potato latke); tava chappati (a thin, soft wheat bread); onion paratha (a multi-layered fry bread filled with onions) and poori (a light, puffy bread that looks like a balloon).

Jason: This was a great omen for the rest of the meal. When I eat Indian food, one of the things I look for is the intricate balance of textures, flavors and spices. The breads were all flavorful yet allowed the taste of the chutneys to come through. They were light, yet satisfying; softened by the oils but none felt remotely greasy.

Kelsey: The bread was a delicious array of varied textures and tastes for the palette. What stuck out most was the onion paratha-I'm always nervous when there's onion in bread, but this was exquisite. The onion in the naan was soft but not obtrusive-it added flavor but did not ruin the texture of the bread.

Chicken Pakora: boneless chicken chunks lightly breaded and served in a tangy sauce.

Continued...

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