Subscribe
Share
Share
Embed
When in Rome is a food review forum featuring local reviewers who explore unique restaurants
and cuisines throughout the Rome community. They share their experiences, discussing the
dishes they try, pricing, and whether they would return, helping others discover new dining
options with honest, firsthand insights.
Welcome back inside the podcast studio known as The Forum, and I'm sitting here at the table with the senate for When in Rome starting with my left. If you wanna introduce yourself and we'll tell the viewers a little bit about what we're doing today.
Tristan Summers:Hey, this is Tristan Summers.
Amelia Daniels:Hey, y'all. This is Amelia Daniels.
Kate Dempsey:Kate Dempsey.
Will Hoogendyk:So as we said, we're back for episode two. We're switching it up a little bit. Last time we had two different Mexican restaurants and today we're just doing the one Indian five star. And Amelia, talk to the viewers a little bit about why we chose this restaurant and then why we decided to go with just one rather than two.
Amelia Daniels:Yeah. So there's two Indian restaurants in Rome, Indian Five Star and Best Indian Restaurant. But while we were looking through both of the websites, we learned that Indian Five Star is actually the first Indian restaurant in Rome. And we really wanted to just discover what that looked like. And we found out that their mission is to serve flavorful food that is made with care and to introduce something new to the neighborhood.
Amelia Daniels:And we were really excited to try that and see what it looked like.
Will Hoogendyk:Yeah. And they have all kinds of different stuff on their menu from combos to a buffet. I saw that when we went and walked in. They also have beverages, desserts. They even have breakfast.
Will Hoogendyk:And they're open six days a week from ten to three and then five to ten. And they're located on 1517 Dean Avenue, Rome. So if anyone's interested in going. But we'll hop right in here. I'm gonna tell us a little bit about one of the appetizers and then Tristan's gonna tell us about the other and then we'll kind of break down with our reviews and what we thought.
Will Hoogendyk:So the first thing we got was a side of regular naan and then a side of garlic naan and that's just a traditional flatbread. It's baked in an oven giving it a fluffy texture and it's got charred spots and it's often used to kind of get up everything left on the plate and really just soak everything up or you can kind of put your food in it and eat it as sort of a a taco type style. Tristan, what was the other appetizer we had?
Tristan Summers:Yeah. So we also got some onion samosas. And these are popular South Indian appetizer characterized by its small size. They're thin and crispy pastries. And they're usually a savory filling with onions, spices, and often rice is also added as well.
Will Hoogendyk:And so starting off our kind of appetizer review session, who wants to go first and let us know what they thought about both the naan and the samosas?
Amelia Daniels:Both were super flavorful. I think I was really impressed with the quality of both of them. I think when we're discussing this, they were transported, like, fifteen minutes from the restaurant to the studio. And I think the samosas could be a little bit, like, soggy, but they still felt crunchy and flavorful.
Amelia Daniels:And even the naan was still, like, a good texture and pulled apart really well for us to share.
Kate Dempsey:Yeah. I agree. I think the naan was soft and, like, by the time we got it, it was cooled down. But I can imagine, like, it being warm and soft and, like, picking up the sauces from the food with it. It'd be really good.
Tristan Summers:Yeah. I definitely say it was really good. It almost reminds me of a pizza crust. I feel like that's a good way to describe it. But had great flavor.
Tristan Summers:It was kind of flaky and still still had great taste. So I was a fan.
Will Hoogendyk:Yeah. I thought both of them were good. I will say one thing is they were both wrapped up in the same tinfoil, so they kind of both tasted like garlic naan a little bit. And I think because they were a little bit older, they had gotten a little crispy, but still very delicious and really really good with all the rice and meat. But Tristan, I think the samosas might have been your favorite part of the meal.
Will Hoogendyk:So tell us how you felt about those.
Tristan Summers:Yeah. No. I I think they were. So I definitely bit into one and I think it definitely reminded me of like a taquito which is actually what Amelia described it as and I thought that was pretty spot on.
Tristan Summers:Very crunchy and very thin layer. So I think all around it just had great flavor and great texture. So I definitely recommend trying these if you come here.
Kate Dempsey:Yeah. There was like a sauce that came with it Mhmm. That I think Will and I tried, and I really liked it. It was really flavorful. Lots of seasoning and spices in it.
Will Hoogendyk:Yeah. I didn't even know that they were coming with sauces themselves, and I have no idea what it was called or what was in it, but it was really good. And I think one thing too is they were actually nice and small and kinda handheld, so they truly felt like appetizers. It didn't you know, wasn't the type of thing that would spoil your meal.
Will Hoogendyk:And there were four, so there's one for all of us. It was perfect. Alright. Well, now we'll move on to the entree section. And so for that, we got some chicken biryani and then goat biryani.
Will Hoogendyk:And Amelia and Kate are gonna tell us about the descriptions of those, and then we'll talk about our reviews. So, Amelia, ahead.
Amelia Daniels:Yeah. The chicken biryani is typically just a classic dish that has marinated chicken, rice, mint, caramelized onions, and lots of spices. And it's just really good and all compact in one container.
Kate Dempsey:Yeah. And the goat doom biryani is a classic South Asian dish, which includes rice. And the key thing to it is the tender marinated goat meat, and is layered with fragrant and, long grain basmati rice, which ours had, it was colorful from the seasonings that they used in it. And then it is slow cooked in a sealed pot.
Will Hoogendyk:So let's talk about that goat first because I think, Tristan, I know you and I, that was our first time having goat. Amelia, Kate, have you guys had goat before?
Kate Dempsey:I don't think I have.
Amelia Daniels:I've had goat overseas. Yeah.
Will Hoogendyk:How did it compare?
Amelia Daniels:I think just really this restaurant did a great job executing their meats. I know some of the pieces had bone in them but it was really flavorful, really tender, and really good.
Will Hoogendyk:Yeah. It definitely fell right off the bone which they did they do say on the menu that it is bone in. I think they have some dishes that are not on the bone too. But Tristan, what did you think about your first goat experience?
Tristan Summers:Yeah. I I mean, I loved it. I've never had goat or even thought about trying goat but I mean the texture, the taste, all the spices that went with it. I thought it was I thought it was great.
Will Hoogendyk:And so we've talked a little bit about the spices and the color. Kate, tell us more about what the bowls actually looked like. I mean Amelia said they were compact which I think is probably an understatement. I mean those things were heavy duty Bowls of rice.
Kate Dempsey:Yeah. So they put the the meat at the bottom and then covered it on top with rice, had an onion and a lime in there. And all you could see is the rice, onion and lime. I'd For a second, I was like, where's the meat? Yeah.
Kate Dempsey:So yeah. It was You get your money's worth for sure.
Will Hoogendyk:I mean, to put it in perspective, the goat was I think $18.99 and the chicken was $16.99. And I would say it's pretty fair portion for the price you're paying.
Tristan Summers:Yeah. It definitely seemed worth what you're paying because I mean, that seems like a lot. But when you see these bowls and you feel them, I mean, they're like two two to three pounds maybe? You could knock someone out with it. Yo.
Tristan Summers:I feel like you could.
Will Hoogendyk:Yeah. The chicken was very very colorful along with the rice. Amelia, what were your first reactions when you opened the bowl?
Amelia Daniels:Lord have mercy.
Amelia Daniels:I think if you listen to our last podcast, we talked about how one of the meats in our tacos was, like, talky red. That sucker of that chicken was talky red.
Will Hoogendyk:Like It was.
Amelia Daniels:It and our stomachs are feeling that talky red. So if you're a spicy, scared, fearful spices don't work with your stomach, definitely be aware when you're trying the chicken because it will get your stomach turning.
Will Hoogendyk:Yeah. We were all talking about that pretty much three or four minutes after we had eaten it. And also too, I mean, when I put the order in, I did say zero spice. So a fair warning to any people listening. If you like spicy food, I think there were at least three levels of spice that you could have.
Amelia Daniels:Yeah. But I would still say like even though it was spicy, the flavors were delicious. Like I would not be like, oh I'm not gonna get the chicken again.
Amelia Daniels:Like it was so wonderful to eat.
Kate Dempsey:I would say like, we were talking about the chicken being a Talky red but it's again does not have a Takis taste. The taste was very traditionally Indian. Mhmm. I think you get the like cardamom, turmeric, cumin, all of those spices in there which yeah it was like explosion in your mouth.
Will Hoogendyk:In a good way.
Kate Dempsey:Was so good. Yeah. It was really good.
Amelia Daniels:And I wouldn't say it looked like like why is it this color of red. Red. It was just from the spices that Kate just said. Yeah. Where I think before it was like why is this such a red meat?
Amelia Daniels:But this looked really natural and it was such a beautiful dish as Will said too.
Will Hoogendyk:Yeah. Well, I think also the spice part of it too and the color and it it still feeling natural just adds to the kind of authenticity. I don't know if you guys came with me to pick up the meal but I mean it smelled really good in there. I mean it just felt very much like, okay, this is an authentic Indian restaurant. And I think as you know, even we're just talking about, we've definitely kind of picked up on that even though we got to go, which I think is pretty cool because I don't think everyone can do that when they're making food and it, you know, stay consistent to the dine in experience and then also the the takeout experience.
Will Hoogendyk:Any more thoughts on the entrees, Tristan?
Tristan Summers:Yeah. Definitely say a disclaimer. This is a meal for two people. This is not something that you're gonna go get and eat all of in one sitting. So that's another thing I think of.
Tristan Summers:But this is definitely a restaurant you guys should check out.
Will Hoogendyk:Yeah. Well, and fun too because if you get the samosas and the naan, like you do have at full meal and it's not just everyone getting their own entree too. It's a very shareable meal. Because, you know, you can use the naan to scoop up the rice and then I mean, even the desserts we'll get to later are are very shareable as well.
Will Hoogendyk:Alright. Well, now, we will move into the third section of our course, you could say, and that was dessert. So Kate and I are gonna read some descriptions about the desserts that we had. And before we do, I would just wanna preface and say I think this was the the course that most of us had our new experiences in. Definitely tried some new flavors and new foods.
Will Hoogendyk:But Kate, go ahead and tell us about the Besan Ladou.
Kate Dempsey:Yeah. So the besan ladoo is a popular melt in your mouth sweet which is in Andhra, India. And it's made of gram flour, g, sugar, and cardamom. And they often tie in, like, nuts or dried fruits into the dessert.
Will Hoogendyk:And so the other dessert that we got was called ras malai, and it's a popular South Asian dessert. It is consists of soft, spongy cheese discs, and they're soaked or sweetened in a thickened milk, very similar to sweetened condensed milk, which is what we had said. And that milk can be flavored with cardamom, saffron, and nuts like pistachios. And I think ours definitely had pistachios in it. I'm not sure what else it did.
Will Hoogendyk:But the name itself, ras means juice, and then malai means cream. So which I would say is pretty accurate to Yeah. To what it ended up being. So I I gotta say for the listeners who can't see the reactions around the table, Tristan and Amelia are both laughing because I think our The table was a little more split on this one. Tristan, you look very antsy to get into the mic.
Tristan Summers:This was definitely the divide. This was the divide.
Will Hoogendyk:Where's the divide at for you, Tristan?
Tristan Summers:I think that I think I could speak for Amelia too.
Tristan Summers:The texture and just what it kinda looked like. I mean, it's it's a little cup that looks like there's milk poured into it and then literal small sponges that are set inside and they kind of have been soaking there.
Amelia Daniels:That's true.
Tristan Summers:And so, know, some people may like that but I know me personally, I I did take a bite and I tried it but I just it's just it's just not something for me.
Will Hoogendyk:Amelia, what were your thoughts?
Amelia Daniels:You know, I will don't think I will be eating it again. Okay. As a texture person and kind of like a visual by what it looks like, it really threw me off and I think that probably threw off my taste buds a little bit. And I yeah. I just think it probably would have been a really good flavor if I maybe had had it in the restaurant and and if it hadn't maybe soaked an extra fifteen minutes.
Amelia Daniels:But, yeah, it was not my favorite dish that we had.
Will Hoogendyk:Now, Kate, what did you think about both the desserts?
Kate Dempsey:Yeah. I My favorite was the Ras Malai.
Will Hoogendyk:Okay.
Kate Dempsey:I know that it's an unpopular opinion. I think it, in a way, reminded me the flavor did of key lime pie. Like, there was a little bit of lime taste in there. And I'm not really a texture person, so the cheese, it it was more I thought it was, like, almost cake.
Will Hoogendyk:Yeah.
Kate Dempsey:And then was reminded that it's actually soft cheese,
Will Hoogendyk:Which Amelia and Tristan are laughing at us.
Kate Dempsey:They are.
Will Hoogendyk:No. Okay.
Will Hoogendyk:I agree. Because I mean, it didn't When we say cheese, I think that will give people the impression of like, oh, it was cheddar cheese in dessert with sweetened condensed milk. Like, yeah, that sounds nasty. But no, it wasn't. And before we had looked up really the descriptions of what we got, or I guess reminded ourselves of that, the way I described it was like a spongy cake dipped Or not dipped, but soaked in sweetened condensed milk.
Will Hoogendyk:And this end up being very similar. But, yeah, it's not cheese in the sense that, you know, the cheese you're putting on your cheeseburger or something.
Kate Dempsey:Right.
Will Hoogendyk:It's much ... More light and not as flavorful because it really gets the flavor from what it soaks in. Yeah. I thought it was really good. We both commented that we would would have drank the liquid that it was in and Emilia and Tristan were Yeah.
Will Hoogendyk:Pretty grossed out by that. But I stand by that.
Tristan Summers:It would just seem like you're drinking milk, but I just I don't know.
Tristan Summers:And you know, I don't regret trying it, but I will not try it again.
Will Hoogendyk:Hey. I'm glad you did at least once though.
Tristan Summers:Yeah. And Kate did talk about how it tasted like key lime pie. I'm gonna have to disagree with that.
Will Hoogendyk:I I did not see that either. I did not see that either. Amelia, any final thoughts on the rasmalai or would you wanna move on to the besan ladoo?
Amelia Daniels:I would say with both. I think the besan ladoo was just very different. It looked like it was just straight sugar put in it.
Amelia Daniels:And there were nuts in it. So if you have a peanut allergy, stay away. But both of them, I think, are just so far from what we typically are used to eating, and they're so authentic that I think it really caught my taste buds off guard to eat both of these desserts. And I think especially spongy cheese soaked in sweetened condensed milk is so far from what my taste buds are used to, but I think it's cool to challenge our taste buds
Amelia Daniels:And to explore new flavors and new textures. And even if it wasn't my favorite, and I probably wouldn't eat it again, it was really cool to try something new and something that's authentic to a lot of people and in their homes that's a normal dessert for them to have.
Kate Dempsey:The besan ladoo you did say, I remember you said it kind of reminded you of a doughnut hole or, like, somehow dough doughy In its texture. Yeah. What else did you think about the flavor?
Amelia Daniels:Yeah. As I'm thinking about it more, it's kind of like a payday
Will Hoogendyk:No. Can't see that.
Kate Dempsey:No. It was.
Amelia Daniels:With the nuts and like
Will Hoogendyk:Not so much caramelly, but sweet the sweetness was there. Yeah.
Amelia Daniels:Yeah. Yeah. And so it was like good. I think it could be paired with like milk or a tea or something to add to it.
Amelia Daniels:Especially after just having spicy chicken, it wasn't the best flavors combined. But I think if you had like a palate cleanser, it would be really good.
Will Hoogendyk:Right. Yeah. No. I know what you mean. And also to what you were saying, it can be hard to categorize something we haven't really placed in one before.
Will Hoogendyk:Like, yeah, I can't think of outside of cheesecake, any dessert that's had cheese in it. So even the the besan laddu, it's like, yeah, would say it was similar to a donut hole because I don't know what else I would compare it to. Tristan, what do you think about the besan laddu?
Tristan Summers:I definitely feel different about it compared to the other dessert dish. I just feel like it was very similar to a donut hole but it was more crumbly, kinda fell apart more. But I mean, there's not a ton of crazy flavor coming at you but I I still feel like it was a nice little treat to have. It is something out of our comfort zone. So I think it was good for us to try.
Tristan Summers:And I bet there's different ways that they can make them or add different things that could maybe make the taste a little more flavorful. But I mean, overall, I thought it was I thought it was I thought it was much better than the other dessert.
Will Hoogendyk:But also another nice thing is that they were they both came in four piece versions, so they were very shareable, which goes back to what you were talking about Tristan, like great to take somebody to and, you know, go about with a bunch of friends and then just order kinda like what we did. We ordered, I think, $70 worth of food, and I would say we were all pretty pretty fulfilled and even have more left over and gave some to Grant. So we had plenty plenty of food, but it was it was really good.
Will Hoogendyk:Well, as we're kind of done with our last course here, any final thoughts on the foods or just kind of the restaurant in general, the whole experience? Did it live up to expectations?
Will Hoogendyk:Did you guys have any expectations?
Tristan Summers:I don't have a lot of previous knowledge when it comes to Indian food and I just think that I was greatly surprised and it was it was so much better than I honestly thought it would be because I mean it is stepping out of my comfort zone. So I thought it was a great experience for us to all get to try new things such as the goat and even the cheesy milk, the cheesy milk sliders. But I I mean I thought it was great. So.
Kate Dempsey:Yeah. I will say I think it's a refreshing like change in restaurants in Rome. And I I think it's really cool that it's the first Indian restaurant in Rome. Definitely go support that. And from having had Indian food before in other restaurants, it felt and tasted very authentic to me.
Will Hoogendyk:Well, also you were I think the only one in our group who had been there before too. So how did it compare? Mean, you go in last time or do you remember what you got? Was it a while ago?
Kate Dempsey:Well, I actually heard references about it from other people. I've never been.
Amelia Daniels:Okay.
Kate Dempsey:But I heard people rave about it all the time and I would say it lived up to the hype.
Will Hoogendyk:Yeah. I agree. Amelia, what about you?
Amelia Daniels:Yeah. I had never really grown up eating Indian food or, really similar to Tristan having really no expectation of what it would really taste like and I think it was such a pleasant experience and I think, similar to what we said about the Mexican restaurants that we did last episode, it is really important to challenge ourselves and to, experience new cultures and to experience new flavors and I think although we may have not enjoyed some desserts or, all of the portions of the meals, but I think it's really cool to explore what other cultures find and enjoy and make and create and to just grow a passion and an appreciation and respect for other flavors and other textures and tastes and I think that's awesome.
Will Hoogendyk:Yeah. No. Absolutely. I think through both weeks I've definitely seen how trying new foods can be a humbling experience but also one that really brings you together. I mean it was a lot of fun just eating, chowing down in here in the studio, and laughing at each other as we're eating the spicy food and then, like, really struggling with it.
Will Hoogendyk:But, no, definitely a good experience. And I think also cool that Rome, again, going back to last week, has multiple places that are very very authentic. And I know for me, I've been to so the other restaurant we had considered doing was best Indian restaurant in West Rome. And I had been there before and honestly, I would say this one's even a little bit better than best Indian restaurant. Definitely did not get as many dishes as I did here.
Will Hoogendyk:But both, I mean, both of them really did feel authentic and were very tasty and I would say challenged and expanded my own kind of palette, I guess you could say. But yeah, both of them, very glad I went to and
Tristan Summers:Yeah. You were talking about, all these pretty much authentic restaurants in Rome. I think that's what makes this area so special when it comes to food. And I think that's what allowed us to even consider doing this as our podcast.
Tristan Summers:I definitely think it's a great place to go out and try and explore new things.
Amelia Daniels:Right. And I think going along with what we said of just the portion sizes and sharing this with people, I think it can be such a sweet way to bring people together like Will just said and allow people to experience other cultures and to welcome people into these wonderful tastes and flavors. And so I definitely think you should get a group together and go visit these Mexican restaurants, go visit Indian and just see what all the flavor and wonderful food is about.
Will Hoogendyk:Yeah. And even see what else is out there because I know I think me and my friends have a tendency to find a place we like and go to it over and over again, which is not bad, but I think we also forget how many options we do have. And so just trying to try new places and and try new foods even if it is, you know, spongy cheese and sweetened condensed milk, but you never know. You might find it a new dessert that you like. So Alright.
Will Hoogendyk:Well, I think that wraps up all of our conversation about Indian five star. I think we can agree that this restaurant does get five stars, lives up to its name. After trying the appetizers, the entrees, and the desserts, it was very good. And us here at the senate in the forum, highly recommend that you go there, try it out, bring some friends, share the food, share a good time. And we'll see you next time for the live broadcast episode where we will be breaking down all the sushi in Rome.
Will Hoogendyk:Until then, have a good time.