For the record, Indian food is something I haven’t been exposed to extensively.  I can actually count in one hand the number of times I’ve eaten Indian food.  Spicy food is not something I like all that much and my impression of Indian food is that it’s mostly spicy.

Hubby and I have actually been wanting to try Ganesh since it opened last year — to think it’s right down our apartment.  Ganesh is the first proper Indian Restaurant I’ve been to.

Ganesh in Phu My Hung is located in Sky Garden 1 along the Pham Van Nghi Bac St. in a 2 floor building.  The place is well-lighted and inviting — even if you are eating by yourself, you won’t feel alone alone.  There are also tables for big groups and tables with cushy seats.

On the wall is a mantra (in Sanskrit) prayed to the gods.

We ordered 4 dishes from the very extensive menu.  Sometimes, I wish restaurants would have this page in their menu like Indian food for dummies for newbies like me who are not all-familiar with the cuisine and suggest their bestsellers.

So I let hubby order because unlike me, he loves Indian food having lived in Malaysia for some time.  We started with the flavorful Chicken Samosa and…

the Cheese and Garlic Naan which is a whole wheat flatbread stuffed with spiced Paneer (Cottage Cheese) and topped with garlic.  My son loved this!

I tried the dips and I found that dipping the Naan in both is best for me!

Then on to our main dishes.  We ordered the Lamb Tikka Masala and a half Tandoori Chicken.  The Tandoori Chicken was seasoned in spices and yogurt and then baked in the tandoor oven.  It was excellent!   But I have to say, for me, it was the Lamb Tikka Masala that made my night.  The lamb imported from Austalia was charcoal-grilled and then was cooked in tomato, butter, green chilli, and onion sauce plus cream.  After eating all the lamb cubes, I wanted to take home the sauce that was left. 😛

I like the attentiveness of the waiters and the manager (or was it the owner?).  My son had an accident towards the end of our meal and the manager assured me that it’s something I shouldn’t get worried about.

The verdict?  Indian food is indeed spicy.  The normal flavor is already spicy according to my palate.  That’s really odd because my family hails from Bicol in the Philippines and Bicolanos love spicy food.  But I guess, I just have to differentiate between spicy and spice-y.  Indian food is laden with spices (which I can’t probably name all) and the very robust flavor of the dishes is something new to me.  Say for example, you’re used to eating something generally sweet or spicy, then sweet and spicy, Indian food has this 3-dimensional thing going for it.  It’s not just sweet and spicy, it’s more than that.

It’s much like watching 2D movies for the most part of your life and suddenly, here you are watching 3D.  I need to get used to it.

Here ends my delicious Indian Food 101.

You can also find Ganesh at 15B4 Le Thanh Ton St. in District 1 as well as in Mui Ne and Hoi An.

*PMH branch closed since November 2014.