New Jersey’s Newest Indian Restaurant Is A Big Hit
Author Robyn Lane
August 2nd 9:36 AM
Somerdale, New Jersey recently welcomed a brand-new Indian restaurant. My friend Marilyn Johnson, a food writer, founder of the South Jersey Food Scene Facebook page, and head cheerleader of locally owned businesses clued me in on some of the details of Jalsa Indian Kitchen.
Jalsa offers a rich tapestry of Indian culture and a variety of regional Indian flavors in a welcoming atmosphere with vibrant colors and gorgeous lighting fixtures.
A 25-foot-wide video screen hangs on a wall displaying breathtaking images of Indian scenery, Indian culture and landmarks. The décor is spectacular and includes gold Indian drums, plants, elephants, and very comfortable seating on red and black dining chairs.
The restaurant was meticulously designed to make diners feel the spirit of Indian culture.
Aside from the main dining area, there are rooms created for private parties such as the Taj Mahal room. This room can be used for large parties or partitioned off for smaller gatherings.
There’s also a separate room without a partition that was designed for business gatherings, community celebrations and other private events. A music sound system completes the private party room to enhance any celebration. To kick it up a notch, the restaurant has other video screens aside from the 25-foot screen I mentioned earlier that can be programmed at the customer’s request.
What About The Food?
As for the food, the Chefs refers to the items on the menu as “A modern interpretation of Indian cuisine.”
They take Indian food to a new level by elevating classic Indian dishes. All the ingredients they use are fresh and hand selected by their chefs.
I always judge an Indian restaurant by 2 things, the naan, and the chicken tikka masala. If those 2 popular items don’t reach my expectations, I’m out of there.
I looked over the menu and watched a video of Mark Matthews, a Deptford resident, and creator of the 42 Freeway.com website check out the food.
Mark showcased the buttery garlic naan, a soft bread with an explosion of garlic and butter flavors. Jalsa also offers plain naan, as well as onion-sage naan, spicy bullet naan made in the tandoor oven and baked with basil, an herb seasoning blend, green chili, and coriander.
They also have other bread options such as roti and their elevated version of tandoori paratha, a bread stuffed with onions, spices, and herbs.
Mark also enjoyed Mughlai Lamb Chops, created with tender New Zealand lamb, seared in the Tandoor, and marinated in Indian yogurt, a special chili marinade and aromatic herbs.
Butter chicken is also a very popular dish and Mark described it as very tender with a nice kick.
Rice plays a very important role in Indian cuisine and the Chicken Biriyani is the perfect dish to highlight basmati rice with its delicate, nutty flavor and distinct aroma that complements the spices and flavors of the dish.
Now we focus on the chicken tikka masala, a dish with tender chunks of chicken breast marinated in yogurt and masala spices then steeped in a spicy tomato cream sauce with onions and peppers. There are nearly 50 versions of this popular Indian dish so not every one you try is going to be exactly the same while dining out.
Jalsa also offers a variety of seafood, goat, and vegetarian dishes as well as a beautiful dessert menu, soft drinks and of course a signature mango lassi, a creamy concoction of homemade yogurt, Spanish saffron, cardamom powder, & raw sugar.
This really isn’t too far from my home in Ocean County. Somerdale is about and hour and 15 minutes. We’ve gone to South Jersey many times for a good meal. If the food is great, it’s worth the trip.
Jalsa is located in the Cooper Towne Center at 711 Evesham Road, Suite # 12, Somerdale, New Jersey 08083. Call (856) 566-1212
Rockyn Robyn Lane is WRAT’s Music Director & Assistant Program Director. She also has worked as the on air goddess 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM, Monday Through Friday since 1996! Robyn loves to write articles and blogs mostly about food with an emphasis on local eateries. She says she loves shining the spotlight on local businesses, giving them the love they deserve. Not surprisingly, Robyn also loves to cook and bake herself. He recipes can be found on WRAT’s various social media pages. She also hosted a short series called “Rocker In The Kitchen” where she cooks with various rock artists.
