VERANDA INDIAN CUISINE
3310 Troup Highway
Tyler TX 75701
Phone: 903 593 3600
Open Tues – Sun 11.30 – 2.30pm
Tues – Sat 5.30-9.30pm
Pssst! Guess what? Tyler has an Indian Restaurant!
OK so it might not be very authentic, BUT it is curry and the atmosphere is definitely a step up from most of the other Asian places – like Basil Thai for example, which is little more than a takeout.
The Veranda is situated at the back of the Ramada hotel, behind Benigans on Troup.
It is not very large but does have some outside seating (oh yes!) by the hotel swimming pool. The bar is right next door to the inside seating area so it may not be ideal for anti-smokers. Having said that a hotel bar is rarely busy and it didn’t seem smoky when we were there.
The servers looked Indian which was encouraging. They were super-polite, and courteous.. They brought spicy poppadums with condiments to start and my glass of water was never allowed to reach half empty. They were keen to help us make our food choices thinking we were unfamiliar with Indian food. The only drink served to us was water. However, there is a bar inside so perhaps we should have ordered a glass of wine from there to go with the meal.
The menu included a variety of meats, seafoods and vegetables – including chicken, lamb, goat shrimp and fish (no beef – cows are sacred in India) and there was a choice of Indian breads. If you are vegetarian then the Veranda is definitely a place to try as they have plenty of vegetable, Tofu-like cheese dishes and a delicious chickpea item called Chana Masasla. All the entrees were served with plain basmati rice or naan bread but noodles and fried rices were available on request.
We asked about how spicy the meals would be. There was a mark on the menu for those which were traditionally more spicy and as each meal is cooked to order, it was possible to ask for mild, medium or hot. Most dishes were actually mild in flavor. One of our party requested a hot vindaloo and was disappointed that it wasn’t very spicy – I think the sauces have been toned down for the East Texan palate but they have forgotten that we do enjoy a good bit of chili in our food!
On the whole the food was good. The quality of the meat was fine – I’m always picky about that! However, as a regular consumer of Indian food (in a former life!) I found the dishes I tried a bit bland, even mediocre.
The price was fair – $12 for an entrée, $4-8 for an appetizer and $5 for dessert. Not inexpensive but as it is somewhere different to go, quite acceptable.
With the smell of curry undoubtedly wafting up to the hotel rooms above I can’t see the Veranda lasting long in this location unless curry suddenly becomes incredibly popular in Tyler. So- be adventurous and go and experience it soon!