December 21, 2007
by Karen Persson of The Columbian

Chutneys' lunch platter includes tandoori chicken and a selection of curries. (STEVEN LANE/The Columbian)

Why: Authentic South Indian flavor settled into a strip mall on 164th Avenue. The décor at Chutneys may be trendy and American, but the food is all Indian - tender tandoori chicken, spicy curries and mango desserts.

Atmosphere: Hues of slate paint an uncomplicated dining room. Booths are done in two-tone upholstery and tables and chairs are dark wood with black and marble. Soft background music adds to the comfortable dining environment.

Two menus: Three platter choices - vegetarian, meat or Chutneys special - make it easy to decide on lunch, but if you're looking for an abundance of options, dinner is your best bet. The dinner menu offers 49 items.

What I tried: I chose the Chutneys special platter. This consists of six sides, each in a small bowl, placed around a larger one full of rice topped by a portion of tandoori chicken.

The platter is a carousel of flavors and textures. It includes soup, vegetables, vegetable curry, lentils with eggplant, chicken curry and a rice dessert.

My favorite dish was the lentil and eggplant mix - somewhat sweet, with barely firm lentils and soft but not mushy eggplant.

The lentil soup, however, was very brothy and acidic with just a few chunks of carrots.

The chicken, cooked traditionally in a tandoor oven, was tender and savory with a hint of heat from red pepper.
Naan came with the meal. Similar to pita bread in flavor and texture, it goes well with the curry vegetable blend.
Also served on the side was uthappam, a pancake of sorts with a marinated vegetable spread on one side that's cooked into the thin, spongy dough elevating it to gourmet status.

Other than soda and coffee: Chai at Chutney's is an authentic concoction of various warm spices that give it serious bite. The waitress brought me some sugar to add to it, but two teaspoons barely softened the edge. I also tried the mango lassi, a smooth mango and yogurt blend with a dash of cardamom on top. It was a notch above a smoothie and nice balance to spicy curries.

For dessert: At the suggestion of the waitress, I tried the mango pie. The flavor was true to its name and the consistency was creamy and slightly gelatinous, but the graham cracker crust was soggy.

Quick take: Friendly, attentive, courteous and knowledgeable service. Food arrives promptly. Tidy and clean, from bathrooms to window blinds. Authentic curry dishes. As the waitress mentioned to me, "Everything in India is spicy."

Cost: Lunch is $7.99 to $9.99. Dinner starters are $4.99 to $8.99, breads are $2 for simple whole wheat flat bread, to $3 for alu kulcha (hand-kneaded unleavened dough stuffed with potatoes and baked in the Tandoor). South Indian specials are $3.99 for idli (steamed rice cakes) to 7.99 for rava dosa (cream of rice crepes with potato filling). Other items cost $8.99 to $14.99.

Hours: 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday. 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Friday through Sunday.

Where: 3000 S.E. 164th Ave., Suite 100, Vancouver.

Contact: 360-254-7254, chutneysvancouver.com .