Mayuri

Recently took the trip over the bridge to the east side for some Indian food at the surprising Mayuri in Bellevue. I say surprising because it is located in a strip mall and I probably wouldn't have given it a second thought had it not been for the recommendation of an Indian friend, but it turned out to be really delicious.

To begin with, the vegetarian section of the menu was as large or larger than the meat section, which got me off on a nice start. I was in the mood for something rich, and ordered the Navaratan Koorma, which is described on the menu as "Vegetables, cheese and nuts in a mild cream sauce," as a Thali plate that also came with the vegetarian curry of they day, lentil soup, dal and beans, raita, rice and naan. Dining companion ordered the same thing, but with Lamb Vindaloo as the main.


For the most part, the food was all excellent. My Koorma, with soft cashews and satisfying cream, was exceptionally rich and delicious (so rich that I ended up using it more as a garnish for the other little dishes than by itself), and the Vindaloo was described as the best my dining companion had ever had. Everything, for the most part, was well spiced and balanced in that way that makes you think "mmmmm, this is good," without having to think to hard about why exactly. Another nice detail was that most items weren't overwhelmingly salty.

One of my favorite details of eating at an Indian restaurant is the selection of sauces that they bring to the table, and they tend to vary wildly. In the case of Mayuri, they were exceptional. One tasted like spicy tomato cardamom, and the other tasted like toasted grains and coconut.

The only item that didn't really live up to the others was the vegetable curry of the day, which was the contradictory combination of being simultaneously bland and too spicy and salty.

Gulab Jamun, aka fried doughball in sweet cardamom syrup, as the Thali dessert.

Ordering Thali is always fun, but we were seeing some pretty spectacular specialties brought to the tables around us, including things like stuffed thigh sized moong bean flour crepes, and I'd b be curious to sample some more specialised dishes.

Mayuri Indian Cuisine
(425) 641-4442

15400 NE 20th St
Bellevue, WA 98007
www.mayuriseattle.com