Mantra, Paramus – Review

by Alice Magdziak • May 1, 2011 • Bergen, Food, Taste of the East, Various and Sundry • Comments (0) • 2658

It’s not often that you remember your server’s name after you’ve left a restaurant. That’s just one of the things that made dining at Mantra so special.

Santosh told us at the beginning of the meal that he’d do everything he could to make our meal special. And, he actually delivered on that. OK, maybe it’s also because I work with a guy named Santosh. But, really… I think I would have remembered his name anyway.

He recommended we get the Tableside Chaat Service and explained what that was. We’d been to lots of Indian restaurants before but had never been offered this before. Since we were up for something new, we decided to go for it.

You can see what arrived at our table soon after we placed our order. A myriad of bowls holding crunchy things, spicy things, fresh veggies and nearly the kitchen sink. We didn’t even know what we were in for when we ordered this.

It turned out to be a really amazing taste experience. Why haven’t we seen this before?

Here’s the finished product. It was like a fresh and spicy salad with Rice Chex blended in. In the menu, it’s described as chickpeas, tomato, potatoes and crisp in a spicy sauce. I know that sounds a little crazy, but it was delicious! The only problem was that it filled us up so fast that later we didn’t have room for dessert.

I ordered the Dal Makhni. It was tender and flavorful. Just right, actually.

And, the Chicken Makhni was the same, tender and flavorful. We also tried the Tandoori Chicken which was a little too charred for my taste but the rest of the table enjoyed it so I’ll chalk that up to my own personal preference.

The ambiance is special here. Maybe a little too dark once the sun goes down, but it’s such a fun lounge-y feeling throughout the restaurant that the moody lighting just adds to the atmosphere.

If you’re in the mood for Indian and you want to try something a little more upscale, please go try Mantra in Paramus. You won’t be disappointed!

Mantra Restaurant

275 E, Rt 4 (Westbound)
Paramus, NJ 07652

Telephone : 201-342-8868

Website : www.mantranj.com

Dining Room Hours:

Lunch: Sunday – Saturday 11:30AM – 3:00PM

Dinner: Sunday – Wednesday 5:30PM – 10:00PM

Thursday – Saturday 5:30PM – 10:30PM

Nirvana Lounge: Sunday – Saturday 5:00PM – 1:00AM

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about the author: Alice Magdziak

Likes New Jersey slightly more than cats and coffee.