Restaurant: Natraj Cuisine of India Location: 24861 Alicia Pkwy Laguna Hills, CA Phone: (949) 581-4200 Price Range: $7.95-$16.95

Number of visits: many
Last visit before review: November 17, 2001

Randy has had: Lamb vindaloo, vegetable jalfrezi.

Both have had: tandoori chicken (baked in a clay oven), chicken tikka (tandoori chicken off the bone), chicken tikka masala (chicken tikka in a creamy sauce), karahi lamb (lamb served in a special metal container), vegetable biryani (rice with chopped vegetables), matter paneer (peas and farmer's cheese), mushroom matter (mushrooms and peas), mulligatawny soup (lentil and chicken soup), aijwan paratha (caraway bread), iced tea.

Rating 10 (of 12) Excellent

Jeff says: The tandoori chicken and chicken tikka we have not had in a number of years, but I remember that I liked the tandoori chicken, and I thought that the chicken tikka could sometimes be a little dry. The chicken tikka masala, which is the same thing but in a rich sauce, is very good.

Randy says: I liked the karahi lamb. The vegetable biryani is good and has a lot of different vegetables. The matter paneer was good, but we thought we might like the peas without the cheese, so we went for the mushroom matter and really liked that. We always asked VJ, the owner, to make it mild for us, otherwise it was a bit too spicy.

Jeff says: The mushroom matter was good. We haven't been able to find anything comparable anywhere else. Natraj is where I first experienced the joys of mulligatawny soup. Theirs is subtly flavored and delicious.

Randy says: The mulligatawny soup is very good even though the chicken is cut into tiny bits and seems less integrated into the soup than other mulligatawnies we've had. We thought we remembered the aijwan paratha being good, and while it's not on the menu anymore, we asked if we could get it and they made it for us. Unfortunately it was a bit greasy, but tasty. Also on the recent visit I was disappointed to find that the iced tea was from a mix.

Jeff says: I liked the aijwan paratha, even though it was a little greasy. The iced tea used to be very good but isn't anymore.

Natraj has about the best Indian food we've had anywhere. When we lived in Orange County (until 1996) we went to Natraj quite often for their exceptional food. For a while there was also a beautiful hostess who wore elegant outfits and seated customers. On our recent visit we found the quality of food is still excellent overall, even if a few items here or there have declined.

The service used to be hyper-attentive. There were waiters that would stand a few feet back from the tables and the minute you took a sip of water it would unobtrusively be refilled. After the meal a waiter would rake the crumbs off the tablecloth after clearing the plates. Nowadays there is no such attentiveness. In fact, on our recent visit the waiter was, while accommodating, not very friendly.

Seeing the entrance of the restaurant in a strip mall, you wouldn't think there's much inside but you'd be surprised. The restaurant consists of a large, interesting room. There are carved panels on the ceiling and arches on the walls. Cloth on the tables and cloth napkins. And most importantly, really good Indian food.