We liked Indian Palace immediately for a reason that has little to do with the food.
Their menu is structured like a newspaper. It even has a name: The Palace Times.
The Palace Times, incidentally, also resembles most newspapers today: slim, light, a lot of food content.
But that’s okay for a menu, so on to the ordering. This menu offers a variety of Indian food from all over the subcontinent.
We ordered a few thali sets (around 6,000 kyat each, or nearly $5) and Shrimp Tikka (5,000 kyats, or $4).
The first set is pictured above and has dhal, chicken curry, mutton vindaloo, naan (or chapati) plus a few smaller garnishes.
Here’s the Shrimp Tikka.
Indian Palace, which opened on Monday, is on Bo Aung Kyaw Street, in the New Aye Hotel between Merchant and Mahabandoolah. If the location sounds familiar, it’s because that’s where the old Olive Garden was located. Olive Garden had its problems, and having taken the name of the better-known US-based Italian restaurant chain was only one of them.
The food was hit or miss and the selection was hard to pin down. Mediterranean, Indian, hamburgers. You name it, they had it, and it felt like quantity over quality.
Indian Palace is more consistent in what it has to offer, though the menu is still huge and takes some studying. The thali sets were just enough food, with the mutton vindaloo having the right amount of spicy kick. The Shrimp Tikka was succulent but could have been more succulent, if that makes any sense.
We recommend sticking with just one set per diner. Don’t be tempted to venture into Tikka or other appetizer land. The meals are enough.
Indian Palace, not to be confused with India Kitchen almost right around the corner, is open daily from 5:30am to 9:30pm.
