Authentic Indian restaurant with a pleasant spin

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Shreya Jagan

In an Indian inspired restaurant, Malgudi Garden brings North and South Indian dishes to Frisco. Wingspan’s Shreya Jagan shares her thoughts on the environment and food Malgudi Garden had to offer.

Shreya Jagan, Guest Contributor

An original take on Indian food, Malgudi Garden is known by many people. This restaurant is almost like a dedication to Gandhi. Not only was the aroma pleasant, but a very inviting and welcoming exterior adorned the restaurant as well. But yet another reason that people are attracted to this restaurant is because of its very unique name which comes from the famous book Malgudi Days, a fictional place in South India.

A buffet style restaurant, it’s set up to allow diners the ability to try anything and everything. There were many south Indian dishes such as dosa, idli, vada, and bisi bele bath. These are usually to be eaten with the side curries such as sambar (a lentil soup), and several chutneys.

Looking on the north Indian side of things they had savories like samosa chaat, and naan. Some side dishes that Malgudi Garden had were paneer tikka masala and a surplus of vegetable curries. Sweets are a big deal in India, and this restaurant lived up to the word with items like kesari (semi-solid dessert), ladoo (sweet in a round ball like form), and custards, this portion of the meal was big hit with my whole family.

Something that is cool about this restaurant is their adaptation of foods from other cultures. For instance, corn isn’t a delight usually in India, but they decided to add their own spicy kick to it. Though it was a little bit undone, the execution was creative. Just like the pizza, which was infused with some traditional spices like turmeric, chili powder and such. And alongside the normal vegetables as toppings there was paneer on top as well. This was probably one of my favorite dishes in the whole menu.

However, not everything was good as a classic dish that is a favorite of many indians, curd rice, lacked the familiar sourness and is bland.

But be warned, it can get a bit crowded, with waits up to 30 minutes not out of the question.

Despite this, Malgudi Garden is a delight. It’s a kid friendly place with more than just a few of items to pick from. This restaurant is an attraction to many because of their execution, their adaptations, and their innovative ideas to put a spin on their food.