I always gravitate to the same dishes when I order from an Indian restaurant. Part of it is the comfort of familiarity and knowing that it’s something I’ll probably enjoy. It’s also partly to have a benchmark that allows for comparisons.
But when I ordered recently from Mynt Fine Indian Cuisine in Winter Park, I decided to focus on dishes I haven’t had before.
And I’m glad I did because I probably wouldn’t have discovered the shrimp pasanda. The six large shrimp had a tender-firm texture that was quite nice, but it was the creamy gravy that made it so enjoyable. It was similar in consistency to a korma, one of my go-to dishes, but was infused with crushed cashews and had a delightfully spicy note. I continued to spoon the gravy onto the basmati rice long after I’d eaten the shrimp.
I also had the gosht sagwala, which had hefty hunks of lamb in a spinach-based sauce that was permeated with coriander seeds and had a chili-pepperish taste that coated my tongue and gave it a tingle.
For appetizers, I chose the pani puri shooters chaat, a popular Indian street food that featured little crispy hollow puffs (the puri) filled with finely diced and seasoned potatoes. They may be a street food but these would have looked at home on a silver platter being passed as hors d’oeuvres.
I also had the gobi Manchurian, a Chinese influenced vegetarian appetizer with cauliflorets coated in corn and rice flour, fried, and tossed in a sweet and spicy sauce. There was a good presence of soy sauce, which helped to identify this as an Indo-Chinese dish.
And instead of my usual onion kulcha, I selected the Mynt special naan, which was stuffed with mozzarella. Quite a bit different from the usual but just as good.
Takeout orders are made over the phone. I requested that my credit card information be taken with the order and asked if curbside takeout was available. I was accommodated on both counts.
And a nice extra: Mynt is offering a special through September of a free bottled beer with takeout orders of $45 or more. I enjoyed sipping a Bira beer with my order.
Mynt Fine Indian Cuisine is at 535 W. New England Ave., Winter Park. It is open for lunch and dinner daily. The phone number is 407-636-7055.
