taj mahal

★★★★ (4 stars)

taj mahal recently opened a location in independence, mo. we've been eyeing it from the outside for a couple months, and finally decided to give it a try when we had planned to meet my family for a movie in the area. this review is based on the independence location only, since i've not visited the kansas city one yet.  if i do, i will update this review.

i was... surprised. it's in a strip mall, but the inside certainly does not feel that way all. very clean, a great menu and service, and it definitely had fine dining appeal. and like any good indian restaurant worth it's curry, they started us off with some yummy papadums. i couldn't place the flavour, which killed me, but they were some of the best i've had. the only downturn came when i was trying to order something without ghee, cream or yogurt, which seemed to present a little bit of a problem. i'm guessing they don't have too many vegans coming through. after being told they couldn't make any of the first three dishes i wanted, i finally settled on baingan bharta (eggplant). to be fair, there were a number of other dishes that they suggested for me - mostly lentil and chickpea dishes. i guess i just get burnt out on lentils and chickpeas because i make them so much at home. the husband got something with paneer - i can't rightly remember because the paneer chunks were like the size of my head! it looked really good! we also got some roasted garlic naan (specified no butter) that was drool worthy as well.

all in all, a good indian restaurant. vegans will face a lot of the same dishes they can normally eat, so nothing above and beyond in that respect (at least at the independence location). however, the food was super delicious, service was good, they did have at least four or five vegan dishes and you'll be dreaming about the garlic naan for days. i'm not sure how friendly their buffet is (lunches), so this review is based on dinner only. not too shabby for the suburbs of the midwest heartland (which can often be a vegan wasteland).

no website

locations (2):

independence
19210 e 39th st
independence, mo
816.795.0001 

kansas city
7521 wornall rd
kc, mo 
816.361.1722 

swagat fine indian cuisine

★★★★★(5 stars)

i've been trying different indian restaurants in kansas city for the past couple of years, and i would say the swagat has been one of my favourite experiences yet. swagat is located up north of kansas city, in a shopping area called zona rosa. although the busy shopping area didn't appeal to me, i've heard good things about the restaurant and ventured up there.

the place was busy! by far the busiest indian restaurant i've been to - perhaps because of the prime location? it was nice and clean, and definitely had a "fine dining feel". we were seated and served with some (free) delicious crackers. we then ordered the vegan-friendly palak pakoras appetizer, which was a little scary looking, but so so good. it's basically deep-fried spinach, served with some dipping condiments (that i did not care for).



for dinner, i confirmed with my server what could be made vegan. the chana masala, dal makhni, bhindi masala, aloo gobhi, and aloo palak mutter are all cheese-free, but are usually made with cream. if specified, they will make it without, and so i ordered the aloo gobhi (cauliflower & potatoes). the husband ordered something with paneer, but i can't remember what and i can't tell from the photo! either way, we both loved our meals, and their naan was crispy and wonderful.



the portions were huge - i think i got three meals out of mine (although i did have an appetizer that night). the server was pretty knowledgeable about the vegan options - although he did have to check with the kitchen on one or two things. i certainly appreciate their willingness to customize so many different options. prices are pretty on par with other indian restaurants... or at least the ones i'm familiar with. i will definitely go back and would recommend it, for sure!

website:
swagat

location:
7407 nw 87th street
kansas city, mo 64153

india palace (lawrence, ks)

★★★★(4 stars)

the husband and i went to see a few bands in lawrence (about 1 hour from kansas city) for valentine's day. it was awesome, and so was all the food we had. we went to india palace the first night, and still had leftovers two days later when we got home.

most indian menus have a decent veg section, so i had a hard time picking out what i wanted. as a vegan in the midwest, it's really exciting to have more than one or two things to choose from when i go out to eat (one of the reasons i started this blog). to start with, they give you a basket of papadum (lentil crackers) that were so freakin' yum! i was thinking about the chickpeas and tomatoes (chana masala), but opted out because i eat a ton of chickpeas. i think i'll try that if i go back. however, i got a super yum dish of lentils (dal). i can't recall what the husband got, but he was just as pleased with his.

service was... just service. it wasn't over the top, but it wasn't bad either. and after several bad diy attempts, the server did finally take our picture for us. :)




*just an update based on a comment - i was assured my dhal was vegan and did not contain ghee. however, you can never assume this and should always ask.

website:
no website, but this site has their menu

location:
129 e 10th street
lawrence, ks 66044
785.331.4300