Namaste JALSA, Bar &Restaurant

I’ve walked by this place a hundred+ times over the years… I love Old Town and have spent many a day and night there.
I’ve always wondered about this place, but was hesitant to stop in for two reasons: 1. It’s an Indian restaurant and me being Pakistani, I’m not too fond of the style of curry the Indians prepare. 2. The biggest reason though is that typical of these Indian places along popular/busy thoroughfares, they “Americanize” the food too much.
Thus much of the authentic flavor, spice, and heat isn’t prevalent. Since I was in the area for work, I stopped in for a late lunch.
The lady working the dining room was very friendly and helpful.
Their menu is huge! But it’s all Indian food… as an example, Chicken Karahi wasn’t on it, but Kadai was. I started with their veggie pakora.
Pakora is a fritter where they dip veggies (or meats, but mostly veggie only) into a spiced, orange-colored batter then fry it.
They make them fresh, so the end result of the fried goodie has strings of the batter in its formation – YUMMM!!! But their pakora was a patty.
It appears they used a similar batter and minced the veggies and then patted them all into a patty and sautéed them.
The form factor was way off and the way they prepared this actually did affect the flavor… not for the positive. Next up was the entrée, Chicken Kadai in a medium heat.
The heat was respectable, definitely far from spicy.
The chicken in it was boneless, flavored quite nicely, and very tender.
The sauce was decent, but overdone and thick from the pre-preparing they must do… It appeared they pre-made the sauce and then add the protein when it’s ordered.
The bell peppers were added fresh and that was a nice touch! The rice that came with the entrée was decent. Finally, I asked for a side dish of palak or saag – I’m not sure which they actually serve.
Palak is simply spinach, saag is a mix of mustard greens typically with spinach… I prefer saag for the depth of flavor, but I do love both.
I have to say, they ground down/stewed down their greens perfectly! It had the perfect texture, which should NOT resemble steamed spinach! It should simply be a thick, green pasty texture.
The flavor was decent, though I felt it was missing some spices and the flavor wasn’t as rich as I prefer.
Heat was on the boring side, at least for me it was.
And lastly, I like sauces, so I asked for a bowl of their raita.
It had a slimy texture rather than the typical thick, rich yogurt texture.
It also was lacking the cucumber slivers that make it bright like a tzatziki.
I really didn’t like it at all.
Frankly, it didn’t seem fresh to me. I’m not a fan of using utensils to eat my curries, rather I prefer roti, it’s thinner and not as filling as naan, but should have a nice mix of wheat and regular flour.
It should almost resemble a tortilla, slightly thicker and usually these are made in a tawa, which is a much flatter style wok.
I absolutely love a properly made roti (I grew up calling them chapati) – Theirs was decent.
It wasn’t too thick.
The flavor was on the bland side, but the texture was spot-on.
It definitely worked fine to use as a way to eat my curry. Overall – I can see why this place is rated so high.
But what I’ve learned is that “Authentic” Pakistani (and other ethnic joints, like Szechuan) places are absolutely BEST when there overall rating is middle of the road (like 2 – 3 stars), as most “typical Americans” don’t know what to expect, so they rate these authentic places based on how they rate the local Outback, Texas Roadhouse, etc… This place deserves the 4 stars I’ll give them for their style and presentation.
But would I return? Probably not….
But have at it and enjoy!

Owner response

Got delivery via doordash.
The restaurant was 0.2 miles away and the delivery was quick and perfect.
Food was piping hot…unfortunately mostly inedible.
On a positive note the garlic naan was good! On a not so positive note the butter chicken was unfortunate…you could still smell the raw tomato purée that needed another hour or so to reduce, but they used a thinly sliced chicken breast for the protein.
It was cardboard…use chicken thighs.
They’re not only tastier in this dish but cheaper! The chicken momos had nothing to do with an actual momo.
Seemed manufactured similar to a frozen gyoza, overcooked and aside from one dimensional heat, no flavor.
Unfortunately had to trash the “momo” and the chicken and figure put other options for dinner…

Owner response

My daughter and I found this gem of an Indian restaurant while walking through Old Town Alexandria, and we are glad that we picked this spot for a late lunch.
Very attentive service, delicious food with a wide menu of choices, and appropriate ambiance.
The food is reasonably priced and the portions decent in quantity.

Owner response