Antarctica Starts Here.

This evening while going walkabout after work, Lyssa and I happened upon a new Indian restaurant in Chantilly, Virginia that chanced to have opened just last week called Dishes of India (13949 Metrotech Drive; Chantilly, Virginia; 20151; telephone number 703-961-1004), which can be found in the big shopping plaza. It's a fairly unassuming place, sandwiched between a Catholic Store (no, that's really what it's called) and a small pizzaria, but the service was enthusiastic, attentive, and most of all, helpful. We sat down to try a selection of the fare and were pleasantly surprised at how excellent it was. The malai kofta was tender and the sauce thick and tasty; the lamb saag was cooked to perfection and not overspiced; onion kulcha made a perfect side dish for the two entree's. Their masala tea is definitely not out of a bag, and I highly recommend trying it without cream the first time you have it, you won't be sorry. For dessert we split a pair of dishes, an Indian rice pudding called kheer pista and fried milk balls in syrup called gulab jamun. Both were extremely tasty and just enough to polish off the meal without leaving us overfull.

It's always a pleasure to try a new place to eat in our neck of the woods, and I recommend that anyone who happens to find themselves in Chantilly along the main drag stop in at the same shopping mall that you'll find Lowe's and the Games Parlor. It's near the back, sort of. If you drive around the perimeter, you're sure to find it sooner or later. One flare gun out of four - highly recommended.