Haggarty's - Portland, Maine

In a past post, I lamented about the lack of quality Indian restaurants in Portland. The best Indian I have ever experienced was in London. Unlike the traditionally mushy texture of Indian food in the States, in London you find crisp vegetables, fresh fish, fragrant fresh herbs and an abundance of creativity.

At that time, one of my readers suggested I try Haggarty's for their Brit-Indi takeout. I'm sorry I waited so long to take her advice. Located at 849 Forest Avenue, Haggarty's is a bit out of my way, but on a recent Monday night, I finally took the plunge. I phoned in my order before leaving work and was told it would be ready in 25 minutes. I hit every single light on Forest Avenue, and still arrived in fewer than 15 minutes; my order was just being put together. Perfect timing and much faster than cooking.

As I waited the few minutes it took to ring up my order, I was surprised at how cute and clean the interior of the tiny space was. I would be tempted to return for lunch to dine at one of the two tables, just so I could try the cuisine fresh from the kitchen.

Our at-home Brit-Indi feast started with the "Mixed Platter," a sampling of each of the appetizers on the menu. The Vegetable Pakora was our favorite; onion, potato and spinach were combined together with Indian spices, then deep fried in a chick pea batter. The combination of flavors and spice was magnificent. The deep fried Mushroom Pakora did not hold up as well on the trek home; the grease had saturated through the batter making the mushrooms a bit mushy. The Chicken Chaat, char-grilled chicken wings marinated in spiced yogurt were rather ordinary, while the Chicken Pakor, chicken marinated in Punjabi spices, was moist and had a fantastic kick.

I wouldn't recommend ordering the Garlic Naan for take-out. Wrapped in brown paper, the grease seeped right through. The bread was barely warm when I arrived home, and it's just not the same without the variety of chutneys normally served with the bread.

Entrees come with a choice of chicken, beef, vegetables, lamb, shrimp, paneer (salty semi-hard cheese) or channa (spiced chickpeas). We ordered the Karahi Bhoona with vegetables, the Masala with chicken and the Patia with Shrimp. Each entree was enough to serve two people (we had lots of leftovers!) and came with a generous portion of aromatic basmati rice. The Masala, a blend of Indian herbs, spices, green peppers, onions and yogurt, was one of the best versions of the sauce that we've tried. The Karahi Bhoona was a blend of spices, ginger, basil, green peppers and onions. Creamy and well spiced, this was my favorite entree of the evening. The Patia with shrimp, pureed mango, tomatoes, lemon, ginger, garlic and peppers, was our least favorite of the three, but only because it wasn't as interestingly spiced as the other dishes.

Our order - three entrees, an appetizer and a side of naan - was $45 and enough for five or six people. When I order next, I'll skip the fried items and bread (which are really best when piping hot) and stick with the entrees. Haggerty's is a gem in Portland and one I'm glad I finally discovered for their exceptional Brit Indi cuisine.