BHOJANIC

He says:
In the world of dashed hopes, there are letdowns, and then there are letdowns. I am sorry to report that Bhojanic falls into the second category, which is unfortunate because I really want to like – and recommend – this north Indian restaurant. Heaven knows Atlanta needs some good South Asian food.

Earlier this year Uptown Girl and I took Indian cooking classes at Cooks Warehouse with Archna Becker, and after 3 hours of crazily running around the communal kitchen trying to keep pace with Archna’s madcap exuberance, we feasted on some of the freshest and best Indian cooking I’d ever had. At the end of the meal, Archna told us to visit her family’s restaurant, Bhojanic, where the food was even better than what we’d just tasted. Needless to say, we were thrilled to drive over to Decatur to try the finest Indian cuisine in Atlanta!

She says:
At Bhojanic, you won’t find the garish decorations typical of Indian restaurants; instead, live jazz, colorful décor, and a front patio attempt to make the dining experience a bit more modish. Happy in our outdoor seats, we so wanted to love Bhojanic!

We started with the samosa chat, which was a potato samosa topped with yogurt, tamarind chutney and mint chutney. Although the samosa was on the bland side, the chutneys and yogurt added an interesting tangy and sour relish. We also tried the daal canai (lentil of the day); it tasted like a watery bowl of unflavored black beans and so we left it mostly untouched.

For entrees, rather than eating family style, you create your own platter and pay according to how many meat and vegetable dishes you choose from the menu of specials. Downtown Boy and I both got the punjabi, which included one meat dish and one vegetable dish, along with rice pullao, chapati, pappadam, raita, and salad. For the meat, we both ordered the chicken tikka masala, remembering how scrumptious this dish turned out during our cooking class. Unfortunately, Bhojanic’s version wasn’t nearly as good as Archna’s. The chicken that was so fresh and spicy the first time was now goopy and tired. As for my veggies, the okra I ordered was so salty that it was inedible. Fortunately, the waiter had accidentally delivered the wrong platter, so I also ended up with chickpeas, which turned out to be the best dish of the night.

He says:
I agree with Uptown Girl. Overall, the food was underwhelming in terms of flavor. In fact, I don’t even remember much about my side items, they were so boring. Another oddity was that the meal was served on a stainless steel tray, like something you’d see in the mess hall of the Citadel.

After such a disappointing appetizer and dinner, Uptown Girl and I opted to skip dessert. Can you blame us?

We say:
Alas, the search for great Indian in Atlanta continues …



Bhojanic
1363 Clairmont Road, Decatur,GA 30033
http://www.bhojanic.com/