Rating: 2.5/5 stars
I first noticed the restaurant while driving down South Main Street—a bright orange “Aha” in place of the familiar Red Chillies sign. It was both jarring and intriguing. Although Main Street is no stranger to restaurant businesses popping up, I decided to give Aha Indian Cuisine a try.
Walking in, I was greeted with dim, warm lights that accentuated the bright orange restaurant walls and balloons resting against a ceiling decorated with flashing neon LED lights. It wasn’t the typical ambiance of an Indian restaurant, but the classical music and metal-engraved portraits on the walls made for an overall welcoming atmosphere, which I appreciated.
One of the first aspects that caught my attention were the mini plastic water bottles that sat on each table instead of the usual cups, which I attributed to the business still being new. However, as the waiter passed out unstapled paper menus, paper plates, and plastic utensils to members of my party, I began doubting their professionalism, wondering if the restaurant specialized in making food for take-out and delivery. As a vegetarian, I appreciated that their menu was divided into vegetarian and non-vegetarian options and had a good amount of each. However, only a few marked items on the menu were actually available to order, which further diminished the restaurant’s professionalism.
We ordered cut mirchi ($8.99) as an appetizer and paneer tikka masala ($13.99), egg masala ($13.99), garlic naan ($2.50), and vegetable biryani for the entreé. The mirchi, a hot green pepper surrounded by a thick layer of flavored dough that was cut and fried, arrived pretty quickly. The dough was well-flavored and crispy with a soft interior, and the pepper itself was very spicy.
Although the rich mix of flavors in the appetizer made me hopeful the rest of the food would be similarly tasty, it fell short of my expectations. The best order was the garlic naan, which had a delightfully crispy texture and strong garlic flavor. Unfortunately, when it came to the paneer tikka masala, the paneer-to-gravy ratio was poor, with too much gravy, a few pieces of tough paneer, and more pieces of green and red bell peppers. The gravy was far too sweet and a bit too thin for my taste, and although the bell peppers were a nontraditional addition to the dish, they provided a welcome variation in the dish’s texture and flavor. The egg masala was a brand new dish to me, but it was bland and unpleasantly saturated with oil. The vegetable biryani never arrived, and the server said they hadn’t written it down, making it the last in a series of disappointments.
All the food was served in plastic to-go containers which took away from the restaurant dining experience. Although a few families came in during the time I was there to eat, the stacks of boxes in plastic bags near the back of the restaurant further indicated that the restaurant centered around takeout, which made me want to return to eat there even less.
Overall, the food and the dining experience were nothing special, and I would instead recommend sticking with your go-to local Indian restaurant if you’re looking for a hearty meal.