photo: Christina Mitchell
Chef/owner Lachu Moorjani opened upscale Indian restaurant Ajanta twenty years ago on the top of Solano Avenue. Originally from Sind (a region now within Pakistani borders), he learned to cook dishes from other parts of India by traveling and tasting. A friend and I had great experience with the Chef’s Tasting Menu when we were guests of the restaurant last week. It was a good way to kind of take a virtual tour through India – and at a very reasonable price. The three course menu features housemade breads, seasonal vegetables and organic meat in various regional specialties. You can’t go wrong with any of the appetizer choices. There’s the refreshing Tandoori Chicken Chaat, the earthy Tandoori Portobello Mushrooms and the perfectly cooked Tandoori Scallops. Honestly, it was hard to choose a favorite. We were also lucky enough to taste the four main dishes available: Chicken Mulligatawney, Lamb Rib Chops, Green Fish Curry, Achari Baingan.The servers kept calling Lamb Chop the best dish on the menu, but while it was tender and flavorful, the Achari Baingan (Chinese eggplant sauteed then cooked in a sauce made with tomatoes, ginger, garlic, lime juice and Indian pickling spices including fenugreek and nigella) was the dish that kept my attention. It was smoky, creamy, crispy and completely delicious. We ended the meal with dessert – Kulfi (kind of like a dense ice cream with pistachios) and Gulab Jamun (warm, sweet dumplings), which was by far the lightest version of this dish I’ve ever tasted. There was a lot of care taken with each delicate dish and with friendly and attentive service, it was an enjoyable meal.
1888 Solano Ave, Berkeley
Every night, 5:30 – 9:30pm
$27 ($24 for vegetarian)
Christina Mitchell
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