By William Kristoph

Samrat Indian Restaurant (Tallahassee, FL) Review

Samrat is the place with a funny name and a plain exterior that is easily missed on a drive down Apalachee Parkway. However, my wife is a big fan of Samrat, so last week I finally joined her for dinner there. As soon as I entered the restaurant, my nose informed my stomach that it was about to be very happy. A friendly waiter seated us in a booth and we checked out the menu for a bit. We ended up starting with Onion Bhujia (Onion Fritters), eating Chicken Tikka Masala for dinner and Punjabi Kulfi for dessert.

Onion Bhujia (Onion Fritters)

Onion Bhujia (Onion Fritters) at Samrat Indian Restaurant, Tallahassee, FL.
Photo by William Kristoph using iPhone 4 and iPhoto.

Do you like Onion Rings? If you answered yes, Onion Bhujia is like all of the flavor of a ring, in a ball form, a bit chewy and with Indian Spices. These were good any way I tried them. Plain, with mint or sweet and sour the Onion Bhujia made my taste buds smile. They were an excellent way to get my dinner started.

Sauces at Samrat Indian Restaurant in Tallahassee, FL.
Photo by William Kristoph using iPhone 4 and iPhoto.

Chicken Tikka Masala with Naan

Chicken Tikka Masala with Naan at Samrat Indian Restaurant in Tallahassee, FL.
Photo by William Kristoph using iPhone 4 and iPhoto

I’m not big on spicy hot foods, so I appreciate that our waiter asked how hot we’d like our dinner when we ordered. I said, “Not very.” He laughed and soon after we finished our appetizer we had our main dish. The Chicken and Basmati rice arrive in separate dishes, but I like to combine them by putting the chicken over the rice. The mixture is creamy and full of flavor. I’m not doing it justice with my description. It’s just absolutely warm with a great depth of spice and flavor. The naan is wonderful flatbread that I use to sop up the remaining sauce. Yum!

Punjabi Kulfi

Ice Cream from India, flavored with cardamom, Saffron and pistachios. My wife and I split a small portion. The texture is very different, almost like small sheets which then melted in my mouth. It was a very fresh and not overly sweet way to end the meal. I will definitely get this again in the future.

Samrat Overall

If you’ve missed out on it so far, you should definitely stop in soon for a great Indian dining experience. I should have listened to my wife sooner! I rated Samrat as “I like it” on Urbanspoon.