Taj Mahal

Rating: Very good
Meal: Dinner for 2
Price:  2322 php
Payment: Credit cards accepted
Dishes: All for delivery - paratha and roti, raita, mutton biryani, mutton keema, chicken cashew coconut milk curry, veg/chicken samosas, tandoori paneer
English Menu: Yes
Smoking: No

Last night for dinner we walked a ways to find a Persian spot that advertised shisa, but were sad to find when we got there that the location was closed and that *all* indoor smoking at restaurants is banned in Manila now.  Stunned, we walked back towards our building and passed by Taj Mahal, an Indian restaurant.  It was still early, but we stopped in to see if they looked legit, and boy did they ever!  So we ordered a bunch of stuff for delivery to our hotel/apartment in about an hour, closer to dinner time.

It arrived a bit earlier than advertised and we unpacked everything on the table resulting in the picture above.  It was incredibly delicious.  The only thing we were a bit disappointed by was the paratha/roti, neither of which was what we thought it would be exactly.  The quantity of food was, again, staggering, and we now have leftovers for 2 or 3 meals, which is good because we have two more breakfasts to figure out before we leave.

The quality of the food would otherwise merit an Excellent, but there was one other factor dragging things down a bit.  I usually rate restaurants on food only, as I am quite tolerant of atmosphere issues, or dirt, especially if it's a hole in the wall.  This place, however, is definitely not a hole in the wall, and the prices reflect that.  The service was great too.  But the stench inside while we were ordering was really bad, somewhat like a filthy urinal.  I don't know what the problem was, but it definitely contributed to us ordering delivery instead of staying there.  Nonetheless, the food was so good I still have to give the place a Very Good as I would order from there again in a heartbeat.