Water Lily East Indian Restaurant

90-166 Meadowood Dr
255-2973

Rating. 4/5
Price range. $1.99 – $15.99
Co-worker lunch. Yes
Social lunch. Yes
Reservations. Yes

Upon entering Water Lily, I was surrounded by a perfume of exotic spices — cardamom, coriander, ginger, chili and cumin. They enveloped me like a sari with the promise that this meal would be delicious.

Selecting from the scroll-shaped menu, I decided to open my meal with Vegetable and Beef Samosas ($1.99 and $2.99 respectively). Each samosa was hot and crisp and with every bite, I could taste each individual spice. The beef samosas were stuffed with chunks of meat, which came as a pleasant  change from the typical ground-beef filling that’s often used in meat samosas.

I then tried the Butter Chicken ($13.99) and the Tandoori Chicken ($9.99). While I found the tandoori a bit too dry, I did enjoy the butter chicken, which was tender, creamy and not too spicy.

To cool off, I finished my meal with a refreshing mango Lassi ($2.49).

The delicate balance of spices and heat at this restaurant is a hallmark of an exceptional cook. I will definitely come back again.