Silver Spoon Restaurant

Date:
Saturday June 26, 2010

Restaurant:
Silver Spoon Restaurant
218 East Spring Valley Road
Richardson, TX 75081

Dish and Price:
Chicken Boti - $6.99+tax


If you are familiar with Indian or Middle Eastern food, then you are probably familiar with the classic chicken boti dish. Tender pieces of spicy, but not necessarily hot, dark meat chicken that have been slow cooked in a tandoori. At least that is the style most commonly found. Unfortunately, the Silver Spoon differs from this ideal.

Walking in the door of a very small and hard to notice restaurant, you are assaulted by a similarity to every low-rent Chinese food restaurant. The tables are the same white topped particle board, the chairs the same over-used fabric and metal relics of bygone years, and the menu is on a board behind the counter in someone's inelegant scrawl. A greasy spoon is the term we normally use, as your spoon is invariably left with a film of grease when you are done eating. Even though this food is not Chinese, it is definitely a greasy spoon.

I fear I am giving you the wrong idea. The food is adequate and is very affordable. The naan, or flat bread, is very good. This bread is light, fluffy, and extremely flavorful. If there was a single down-side to the naan, it was in the fact that I only received a single loaf.

The cucumber yogurt sauce was good. It had a sweet, fresh, and tangy taste to it. This sauce was a nice balance and would be great on a multitude of dishes. Be careful, though, as it is a bit thin.

All of this is nice to know, but the chicken is what is important. And that, my friends, is where we have a problem. First, boti is the leg and thigh meat of an animal. This can include lamb boti or chicken boti. So, imagine my surprise when I was served dry, white meat chicken. I was alarmed at how they would serve this food and dare to call it boti.

The spices of this dish were very good. I have to admit that much. I was sorely pressed to find a fault with the spice mixes that were used for this dish. The addition of cilantro, a combination I had never considered before, was unique and worked very well with the lime slice provided.

I have to say that, overall, my meal was very decent. The meat was dry and it was not boti, but the flavors worked very well. I visit this small diner very rarely. The food is a great gateway to some of the more exotic tastes and flavors, and a great way to be introduced to Indian food for very little money. Feel free to visit and enjoy a meal, just remember your Tums and have an open mind.