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    Restaurant Review: Aab India in Bexley

    Bexley’s Aab India is the third Aab operation in Columbus. Aab entered the local dining market a few years ago in Grandview. Then it opened another spot on Sawmill, and now it’s joined the busy Bexley eating scene on Main Street.

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    Although new to the neighborhood, the place is already popular. In a smaller space, tables and diners are tightly packed, and a steady parade of carryout guests march down its thoroughfare, loaded with brown paper bags.

    The menu is extensive, but sufficiently well-organized so that it’s relatively simple to figure out the best strategy to approach a meal. Although some reviews have mentioned lengthy waits for food and service, it took only eleven minutes after ordering for the food to arrive at my table. That’s not McDonald’s timing, but Aab ain’t McDonald’s either. Eleven minutes is life-in-the-fast-lane for any sit-down joint.

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    For munchie types, there’s an array of fried choices. The traditional Vegetable Samosa ($3.99) is perfect. An order yields two giant pockets of crunchy pastry that hold a comforting mix of potatoes and a few little green peas. Aab also offers Keema Samosa ($3.99), its pockets are filled with loose ground beef and peas; the straight vegetable version is the better bet. There’s nothing intrinsically wrong with the beef version, it just feels stodgy and plain, compared to the starchier, decadent pleasure of potatoes in a fried shell.

    A server will deliver a chutney trio that pairs well with the fried pockets: most especially, the mint chutney (the green one). To enjoy the condiment, you’ll have to overcome its appearance: the set of ramekins arrived about half full, clotted with residue up the sides. Appearances suggest that they might have come from the buffet or another table. For whatever reason, while a ketchup bottle can travel from table to table, and buffets can be delicious, the evidence of a possible past life on the glass sides of the condiment ramekins seems a little unnerving.

    But not unnerving enough to deter lavish use of the mint chutney. It’s thick with a flavor that is at once herbal and savory.

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    About the Nan ($2.99): it glistens. It spills over the sides of the plate. Aab’s amorphous puffy bread is served warm, boasting the requisite toasty elements, poofs of air pockets, and a rolling landscape that also includes soft, pillowy, bready mouthfuls. The plain version is a fine foundation, those who seek more entertainment will like the accent on the Garlic Nan ($3.99). Guests can also choose from versions stuffed with chicken or cheese.

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    For more formal dining options (or, for that matter, food to team with nan), there is the requisite Chicken Tandoori ($12.99). Bone-in sections arrive on a sizzling plate with loads of onions. The chicken’s surface has the signature red-orange hue, and its briny meat is tender.

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    The house Saag Paneer is almost legendary. It’s a combination of spinach and house-made cheese cooked together to make a version of creamed spinach that puts all domestic renditions to shame. So, Aab’s Saag Mushroom ($12.49) variation is unshockingly good. It has a creamed spinach base as its foundation, with slices of mushrooms buried beneath the surface give it extra texture.

    A little investigation of the menu indicates that there are lots of other ways to enjoy the restaurant’s winning ways with spinach: with chicken, chickpeas or lamb.

    You can find it all at the new Aab at 2400 E. Main Street.

    For more information, visit www.aabindiarestaurants.com.

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    Miriam Bowers Abbott
    Miriam Bowers Abbotthttps://columbusunderground.com
    Miriam Bowers Abbott is a freelancer contributor to Columbus Underground who reviews restaurants, writes food-centric featurettes and occasionally pens other community journalism pieces.
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