Spice Affair fills a void with delightful Indian food
A Fox Chapel graduate is carrying on his family's traditional Indian cuisine at the Spice Affair in Aspinwall.
The owner, Harprett Pabla, 35, of Indiana Township fills a void where there are large Indian populations in the Fox Chapel School District and Hampton.
His family owns People's Indian Restaurant on Penn Avenue in Pittsburgh's Bloomfield neighborhood.
For Pabla, his venture is distinctive in a sea of gourmet American bistros. Indeed, the Indian restaurant adds much needed diversity to the culinary offerings at the gateway of Pittsburgh's North Hills.
“The other restaurants have more of a competition among each other,” he says. “For us, if people are sick of burgers and pasta, come here.”
In the heart of Aspinwall's business district, Spice Affair's Brilliant Avenue address, previously home to Franco's and Luma, offers one of best positioned porches for outdoor dining, which will no doubt be a summer destination when a mango lassi ($3), a bright and sweet yogurt elixir, will hit the spot.
Spice Affair offers an expansive menu with vegetarian and non-vegetarian entrees.
Of course, a great way to sample the variety of the richly spiced and fragrant cuisine is to dine during the restaurant's daily lunch buffet, running from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays.
But a leisurely dinner is also a good way to go we recently found. The more than 120 moderately priced menu items allow for extra side dishes.
The vegetable platter ($9) appetizer offered a variety of taste sensations, from the crispy fried samosa stuffed with a savory potato and pea filling to pakoras, fritters made with spiced potatoes or peppers or vegetables. The hearty choice requires you to assess your capacity to make it to the main entree.
The Tandoori breads are varied as well, from onion to garlic to paneer, a homemade cheese stuffing, as well as nut, meat and green chili stuffings.
The Tandoori chicken half ($11) is served with a generous portion of onion and green peppers with that familiar spicy and salty undercurrent bathed in that vibrant crimson color.
The mushroom mattar ($10), with long-grain basmati rice, features green peas and mushrooms cooked in a mild curry sauce. The entree was smooth and nicely balanced with the earthy mushroom flavor not overtaken by the spicy sauce.
The grated coconut sauce of the fish malabari ($14) nicely tamed the chunks of boneless salmon in a flavorful thick sauce, perfect over rice or with naan.
If you are aching for Indian food but can't get out, delivery is available within a 3-mile radius. Spice Affair does not have a bar, but BYOB is welcome.
Mary Ann Thomas is a Tribune-Review staff writer.
