A Sadly Disappointing Meal At The Samosa House East

The Samosa House is one of my favorite eateries to grab some delicious, inexpensive Indian Street Food. Unfortunately, my last visit was quite unpleasant, which began with the rude service I encountered while ordering the food and ended with the bland food I forced myself to finish.

The server did not seem to understand me and was even a bit confused when I told her I wanted only their Vegan selections. I was a little worried she would sneak in some dairy, thus I was completely unaware that she was putting my food in to-go containers, despite my request to dine-in. She also scimped on the portions, especially the lentil soup, with which she barely filled the already small container. In addition, I ordered the white rice, but was given the brown rice and charged an extra 50 cents. I would not have found this a big deal, but I found the brown rice lacking in flavor and a bit too hard.

I began with the lentil soup.

The soup was pretty good and filled with soft, chunky vegetables. It was very mildly spiced, but needed to be a bit saltier. There was such a small amount of it that it was gone in just a few slurps.

Next, I had the three entrees. I chose soy chicken, jackfruit and smoked cauliflower.

The jackfruit was the best and had such a great meaty texture and a very subtle sweet taste. It needed more spice, however, as the flavor was pretty dull. There was also too much chewy basil in the dish and not enough of the luscious jackfruit. The soy chicken was also decent and had a great barbeque flavor. The soy meat was a bit chewy and also needed more spice and seasonings. I did not enjoy the smoked cauliflower dish at all, as it was too salty and had an odd bitter taste. The texture of the cauliflower did not work at all, and it was way too soft.

Next, I had the accompanying bread. The vegan option was the roti bread.

The bread was soft and delicate in some areas and hard and crunchy in others. It was also overly dry and lacked much flavor. I dipped a bit of it into the curries, but it still was difficult to eat.

I really am hoping this was just an off day for the Samosa House East and that both their food and service will improve.  I am disappointed at the value of the food, as it is usually such a great deal for $8. This time, it cost me almost $10 and I did not feel the least bit satisfied. I am willing to give them another chance, nevertheless, although I will wait awhile before returning.