I regret that I’m unable to show you a photo of the onion naan I got with my takeout order from Gateway to India, the popular Longwood restaurant. But once I had the order in my car, I reached in the bag and found the foil-wrapped naan and figured I would just have a nibble to sustain me on the ride home.
But one nibble lead to another, each savoring the mild onions, bits of cilantro and peppery powder, and soon it was all gone. It wasn’t that I was so hungry I couldn’t wait, the naan was just too good to stop. And I can only be grateful that I didn’t try to sneak a taste of the curry dishes because my car would have needed to be hosed out by the time I got home. The food here really is quite good.
My companion and I started our meal, naan notwithstanding, with an appetizer of aloo tikki, crisped dollar-sized patties of potatoes with peas blended in. They had a pleasant spiciness that was complemented with the mint chutney dipping sauce.
For my entree, I chose the aloo gobi, a vegetarian dish of cauliflowerets and chunks of potatoes simmered with onions and tomatoes and myriad spices that touched the tongue and then exploded throughout the mouth. By the way, I ordered the dish medium hot and found it all plenty spicy without being overwhelming.
Aloo gobi doesn’t make a lot of sauce, so I was glad I also ordered the lamb korma. The tender chunks of lamb were submerged in a creamy sauce that included tiny bits of cashews. It was wonderful spooned over basmati rice.
And boy did we have plenty of rice. The restaurant included a large clamshell container loaded with the fluffy kernels. More than enough for leftovers. You know, if there were leftovers.
It’s a good thing, too, since I didn’t have any naan to eat with the food.
Gateway to India is at 790 E. State Road 434, Longwood. It is open for lunch and dinner daily. There is an online ordering form for delivery or pickup that allows you to order for a specific pickup time and pay in advance, including gratuity. The ordering form’s user interface isn’t the smoothest, and it requires registering and creating a password, which is annoying, but it was manageable. There was no place to indicate curbside pickup, but when I arrived I called the restaurant’s phone number and the food was brought out to the car immediately. The phone number is 407-339-9996.
