Farmington Hills, MI — On payday Fridays at work, I tend to allow myself the occasional splurge moment and will order out for dinner. About 90% of the time, I’ll treat myself to Hunan Town, which is just about five minutes up the road from my station, but on this particular Friday, I was feeling… spicy!

I like to change up the rotation occasionally, and it had been some time since I enjoyed some Indian cuisine. Luckily, plenty of great options are scattered around the Farmington Hills and Novi area. As I perused the nearby restaurants, a new name caught my eye. The establishment, Akshaya Patra, sent off several green flags when I noticed that it had a VERY high review count on Google reviews, a 4.8 out of 5 stars to be exact, out of 192 reviews. I base many new foodie endeavors on things like Google and Yelp reviews, and with numbers like that, my attention was quickly captivated.

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The Indian restaurant, located off of 12 Mile Road just east of Orchard Lake Road, is a newcomer and has only been open for about four months! I learned this after I placed my order and went to pick it up during my break. After I walked in and paid, I struck up a conversation with two polite and hospitable guys who were the owners/managers. I remarked that the aromatics were already selling me on the fact that my dinner selection was a good choice because the food aromas smelled incredible in there. Not only was I already very hungry, but the scents alone had me salivating as I contained my excitement when I was handed my to-go order.

Whenever I try a new restaurant, I try a few different menu items. So I ordered some Garlic Naan Bread (always a great indicator for a new Indian restaurant) and went with the Pepper Goat Curry and Chicken Masti for my main courses. I chose the mild spice for the main courses because I really wanted to enjoy the dishes and their natural flavors without being drowned out by heat. While I do enjoy spice, unfortunately, my body tends to react rather, well… not well. So, I decided to play it safe this round!

I chatted with the owners for a bit and was impressed by their hospitality and welcoming vibe. Even as I waited a couple of minutes for my food to be boxed and bagged, several others had walked in to be seated or pick up their orders, and the owners managed it all efficiently amid phone calls for more inquiries. The owners at Akshaya Patra are definitely on their A-game and aim to please when it comes to customer satisfaction. And I can happily say the food quality easily met the same quota!

I rushed back to my station and went to the conference room in order to enjoy some space and privacy while I ate. I also wanted some great lighting to take photos/videos for a few minutes before my usual dinner group of coworker friends arrived. I unboxed everything and immediately felt my stomach rumble in anticipation as the flavorful smells of chicken and goat wafted about the room.

I started with the Garlic Naan Bread, a familiar dish to my tastebuds, which was solid all around. The fresh minced garlic scattered across the top of the bread added the unmistakable garlicky punch right to your tastebuds, in addition to the airy/doughy but lightly toasted bread. It was decent enough and most definitely got the job done in terms of holding up as a reliable naan bread. It really shined when I easily ripped off sections of it to dip into the Pepper Goat Curry, really soaking up the flavors and spices of that curry. I’ve had naan bread from other establishments that were toasted too long or was served more solid (to the point of audible crunch factor) and was unable to be utilized in other ways like dipping into curry or grabbing bits of chicken and rice, so to have a nice soft bread with a comfortable amount of garlic and butter was very enjoyable.

Next up, I tackled the Chicken Masti. According to Akshaya Patra’s website and menu, this dish is a popular item from Hyderabad, the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana. These wonderful little nuggets of chicken are marinated in spices and battered, and then deep-fried until golden brown and sauteed in a spicy yogurt sauce. Even though I only got mild, there was still a fair bit of heat, but not overwhelming by any means, just enough to get that tingly feeling in your mouth. The eloquent spices brought some wonderful flavors along for the ride, while the yogurt sauce accentuated the heat factor.

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To top it all off, some chopped onions and peppers were added to the mix, and I’ll never say no to that lovely combo! The veggies were soft from soaking up some of the sauce as well, so grabbing a bite with some chicken, pepper, and onion altogether (I even went on to add some of my basmati rice to this) had me loving this dish! I was shocked this dish was just an appetizer; it could easily be an entrée. It is so delicious and a pretty sizeable serving for one!

Last up, the Pepper Goat Curry! The chefs at Akshaya Patra created something magnificent with the home-style pepper sauce; it was very savory, had a good level of spice (at the mild setting), and was a delectably infused curry. The goat meat was very tender and separated easily from the bone. The meat was also seasoned well, was very tasty, and was saturated in the sauce. Dunking the naan bread into this was a great combination to snag some meat and peppers up, making this a delightful dish all around. The peppers were zesty and added some great depth and taste to the overall profile. Sometimes, deciding to be bold and trying something new doesn’t always pan out, but this time it did! I would order this item again, but there are so many other unique options to try, so I’ll be circling back for the Pepper Goat Curry after trying a few more new dishes.

I enjoyed my first adventure to Akshaya Patra in Farmington Hills! Indian cuisine is something I love to treat myself to from time to time and next time I’m in the mood, I’ll definitely be heading back to Akshaya Patra to try their chicken biryani, my favorite Indian dish. But, if you’re feeling adventurous, check out their menu and consider some of the various regional items featured, like the Chicken Masti, which was a surprisingly great choice I made at random. Plus, the owners are really nice and friendly, and for only having been open for about four months, they seem well on their way to earning a loyal patronage in no time!

For more information on Akshaya Patra, or to view the full menu, click here.