Mauka

It’s a cool Thursday night in fall, so we drive down Route 35 into Eatontown for dinner at Mauka, the Indian restaurant where spent Diwali last year. The restaurant is more upscale than most Indian restaurants, with a modern setting but a lot of charm.

You won’t find strands of lights adorning this large, white room. The white ceiling offers only modern canned lighting. The dining room is sectioned off into areas with exposed wood pergolas and white side curtains tied back and adorned with hanging plants. Ash wood farmhouse plank flooring adds to the upscale feel, as do their wooden tables with gold round placemats. Bamboo roll-down blinds block out the passing traffic in a dining room that seats about 100.

Nadir Gillani brings to the table more than 20 years of experience in the restaurant business across New Jersey. He focuses on preparing slow-cooked Indian favorites and presenting them in a clean, comfortable setting easily accessible to all palates. To that end, the waitstaff let customers order to the level of spice they prefer.

We haven’t brought any spirits along with us, we don’t want a thick mango Lasso, and they are out of masala chai, so we take a chance and order masala soda. It comes out almost instantly—and we smell it coming. The strong sulfur smell and taste, along with the yellow pulp on top, is a dealbreaker for us, and we ask to switch it for just regular sodas. The waitress comes back in minutes with replacement drinks, and even takes the masalas off our check. I’m glad we tried it, but it just wasn’t for us.

Missing the Indian food we knew from living in the city, we start with spiced potato samosas, two per order for only $7. We also decided to try Palal Aam Patta Chat, crispy spinach with fresh mango, chopped onion and tomatoes, topped with Indian chutney and sweet yogurt.

The waiters taking our order are dressed in black pants and shirts with fun vests in fold with an Indian pattern and mandarin collars. It’s very festive. And they’re quick, too. The first course of food comes out in minutes.

The appetizer samosas arrived on the table with a light and flaky crust, accompanied by sides of tamarind chutney and mint chutney, perfect for dipping. The Palal Aam Patta Chat is like nothing we’ve ever had before. The crackling spinach fritters are served up with brunoised mango cubes and a sweet yogurt sauce.

It’s a nice mix of soft and crispy, with perfect mouthfeel. It’s such an unexpected fun thing to have in my mouth! I love it! We’re so glad we tried it! Next time, I will try the stuffed puffed Pani Poori—a favorite from parties in the city—and maybe one of their spicy bang-bang apps. There’s also several different kinds of patties that look interesting; we’ll put a pin in those for a future visit.

Had we realized how spinach-centric the appetizer was, we’d probably not have also ordered an alarmingly huge portion of Saag Paneer, spinach with cheese. We also get the sizzling Mixed Grill, and a side of garlic naan bread.

We’re looking forward to our festive collection of meats of the world, and we don’t have to wait long before it’s carried, very ceremoniously, to our table, sizzling hot on an aluminum-foil covered wooden platter. The runner also drops off giant bowls of basmati rice and the Saag Paneer, and new plates.

The Mixed Grill has all the meats, it’s steaming hot, and the tongs are quivering in anticipation, as J notes. There’s a mix of chicken tikka and malai tikka, chicken chops, lamb chops, shrimp, and salmon tikka. It’s time to dig in!

The red tikka masala is at just the right spice level, and the other chicken chops melts in your mouth. The shrimps are tender but we lose the salmon somewhere in the shuffle. Sadly, the lamb chop lollipops have been breaded. Why? A quick sear would be ideal in this Mixed Grill. The kitchen’s choice renders the lamb chops, which are usually our most favorite part of any meal, as our least favorite part of this dish. Maybe the chef can reconsider the clumsy breading and let these chops shine by simply grilling them.

Mauka offers all kinds of Tandoori Sizzler platters, from vegetarian options with veggies like cauliflower, peppers, and onions cooked in a clay oven, to multiple sizzling chicken platters and several that offer fish, including salmon, pomfret, branzino, lobster, or shrimp. I highly recommend these sizzling platters as a fresh, festive dining option.

Like most Indian restaurants, Mauka has a huge vegetarian selection. We ordered the Saag Paneer, spinach with big, fresh cubes of homemade paneer cheese. The bowl they brought us was so big, and so stuffed with paneer, that it quickly became a daunting endeavor. We could have fed Popeye and his whole family with this dish! In hindsight, we should have chosen a different vegetable side.

Vegetable choices include Dal Mahkni with stewed lentils, Kadhai Paneer with stewed onions and tomatoes, Corn Methi Mali with fenugreek, and Anda Tawa Masala with boiled eggs sliced into a rich gravy. They also have a variety of tofu masalas, jackfruit curry, chana masala, Dharosh Bhindhi with okra, Gobi Aloo with cauliflower and potatoes, Baigan Bhartha with stewed eggplant, and more. Indian food is ideal for vegetarian palates.

There’s also a bunch of different lamb and goat entrees, countless chicken choices, and a lot of fish, which befits any shore eatery. I’d recommend Mauka to anyone interested in affordable, well-cooked Indian to eat in or takeaway (they do a brisk takeout trade).

The check comes and it’s $95, prompting J to make one of her ‘lucky hundred’ jokes to me. Forget it; I’m not breaking my lucky bill. We paid up and agreed that we would come here again. But maybe we’d order a bit less grilled meat. We ended up having enough food for two more meals.

The waitstaff provided us with the perfect containers to hold our leftovers; they even gave us foil for our naan and a bag to tote it all away in. Mauka is conveniently located off Rt 35 with ample parking behind the restaurant. Add it to your list for the next time a curry craving overcomes you.

Mauka
78 NJ-35, Eatontown, NJ 07724
732-876-4765
maukaindiancuisine.com

Sunday-Thursday 12-9:30 p.m.
Friday-Saturday 12-10 p.m.
(closed between 3-5 p.m. daily)

Save a Few Clams

Get huge portions for half the price by grabbing lunch at Mauka. For $12-15, you can score a Chicken (or Veg) Lunch Take-Out Box, a Chicken Kabob Roll, a Paneer Tikka Roll, or Chole Batura. Also, grab some Kingfisher beer or a bottle of wine and BYOB alcohol to save.