SPICE ROOM — Restaurant in Denver

Spice Room is off to a wonderful start as a strong new Indian food offering in the area.

We dropped in for an early dinner on a non-buffet night, so it was fairly quiet. The service was on-point. They were quick to greet us, get us a table, take our order, and serve our food. While we were sitting there, the staff did come in and out a bit though, so a new couple coming in had to wait a bit to be seated. I think this was mostly just due to the quiet Sunday night, though.

The food was also on point, with familiar flavors that had interesting twists. I cannot quite explain the spicing difference, but I can say that I enjoyed in immensely. We tried the vegetable samosas, the Chana saag, and the aloo gobi plus vegan soy chai's to drink.

All of the entrees were prepared vegan on request. It appears that almost all of their vegetarian dishes (of which there are many) can also be prepared vegan by asking. This is awesome!!

Even better, the staff didn't bat an eyelash when we asked for things vegan. This was so refreshing and felt right since they clearly marked vegetarian and vegan options on the menu. Always happy when the staff has been trained on what a menu says.

The vegan chai was one of the best I have ever had! The spicing was perfect and the creamy soy milk was the perfect match. It did take a little extra time to come out, but it was worth the wait.

The entrees have a spicing level or mild-medium-hot. We tried the medium which was a little on the hot side for me, but my husband loved it. So I think their spicing is right where it should be, but if you are sensitive to spice, definitely get mild.

Very...

I'd give this 3.5 stars. I live 2 hours away and we only have 1 indian restaurant. So I really wanted to love this place. We came here on a holiday weekend when they were clearly overrun with dining and take out orders. It's a small restaurant and lots of people waiting at the door to pick up their orders. Wearing masks and all, but still.

We started off with the dahi papari and a nice cup of chai. For the main course, we ordered the boneless chicken tandoori, dal makhani with rice and a plain roti to share.

Now the dahi papari was very very good. Perfect amount of chatpatta taste. The chai is even better. One of the best I've had.

The main course was a little disappointing. We asked for Indian hot, as we both love spicy food. But what we really got was food with chilli powder dusted on top, so it wasn't cooked enough. Ultimately everything tasted decent but with a coating of red chilli powder on top. I do not like eating red chilli powder by itself. So was disappointed. Will recommend not asking for Indian hot to all the spice lovers.

The dal makhani did not have the usual taste but I liked the twist to it. They had some rajma in it so pretty authentic as far as ingredients go. The chicken tandoori would've been good without the chilli powder. Comes with onions, tomatoes and peppers grilled. Decent portion size and can be shared properly between 2 people. The roti was plain disappointing. Guess I was expecting a regular gujju roti but got a tandoori roti instead. It was a little dry. But went some way balancing the chilli powder taste on my tongue.

Servers were nice despite being so busy. Appreciate the...

Eating Indian food in the US feels different from eating it in India. Maybe it's the changes they have to make to accommodate local palates.

And the name has to cue India as well. With the obligatory elephant. All the boxes are ticked.

I guess it's how Americans would feel if they went to a restaurant serving burgers in India and felt there was something off from the taste back home.

The restaurant was packed and it felt like being back in India except that most guests were locals.

When the food arrived, the portions were generous. And the rotis were large. Again, I don't know what it is that felt different. Just the vibe, I guess.

And the waiters as well as the owners seemed a little wary. Were they going to be put under a microscope and get examined? And would the guests point out why something didn't taste right?

The dessert was definitely off - the carrot halwa, which was milky, weak and tasted timid. As if the rich full-bodied flavour has been scared right out of them.

What I liked was that Spice Room seemed to be a favourite with the locals - and that's essentially when a restaurant comes into its own in a different cultural setting

If the Chinese were to judge what passes for Chinese cuisine in India, they would be scandalised. But Indians have embraced it with a gusto and made it into kitschy recipes that have no connection to its origins.

And that's a good thing. Given that one language English can be spoken with so many accents across the world.

So, think of it as a cuisine with...