I was in 7th grade when my “health freak” of a dad stumbled upon the Indian restaurant Chai Shai. At the time my sister was a vegetarian, and their menu proved to have some really good vegetarian options. I wasn’t too big a fan because of my lack of interest. I would rather just stick with my frozen pizza and move on with my life. However, coming back to it now with developed taste buds, I’m in love.

I was reminded of the restaurant by a friend and went in on a Friday night. It’s small, with a bar and several small tables inside. I didn’t know what to expect, but it was by no means busy. The setting is beautiful, with an elegant and clean design. When you’re ready to order, you go up to the bar and tell them your order. The dish I tried first was the pakora curry. It comes with a poppyseed salad, garlic naan and of course, the pakora curry served over basmati rice. From what I could see, a pakora is a ball shaped fried food with onions and other yummy stuff inside. The curry was absolutely amazing. It wasn’t too hot and the spice of the sauce mixed so perfectly with the pakoras. It was magical, the pakora gives it almost this creaminess and goes great with the curry sauce. I could go on and on about the garlic naan, but all I will say is that it was fantastic. The texture of the soft warm naan with the garlic garnish was incredible. The last thing I ordered to go along with this dish was their mango shake. It was so good, I wanted to suck the entire thing down in one gulp. The cold shake was so smooth and creamy with the mango and came with mint that really added to the flavor.

I, of course, had to have the dish that their website claims “made them famous.” I took my first bite into the soft, doughy samosa, and I was sold. It was a veggie samosa with spiced mashed potatoes. The triangle shaped morsel was crispy on the outermost layer and became doughy as I bit into it. Then you hit the mashed potatoes and veggies and it all comes together in one delicious bite. There was a gray and brown seasoning on the samosas that weirdly reminded me of the seasoning that goes on Chex Mix. Along with the samosas were two pakoras and some spiced mangoes. I thought I couldn’t love the pakora combined with anything other than the curry, but I was wrong. Alone, the pakora is a beautiful ball of fried goodness that my mouth just couldn’t resist. The spiced mangos were very interesting and I was surprised that I enjoyed them. I bit into it and I tasted the sweetness of the mango, followed by the spice of the cayenne and various spices.

After trying just these few dishes on Chai Shai menu, I know it will be a place I begin to frequent. I definitely will be back to explore their menu further, and I highly suggest you do too.