Mela - South End

OK, first, this is a piece of potato they gave me when I sat down
here--apparently it's complimentary and also it has garnish. Complimentary slice of slightly fried potato? Check.

Tubers aside, Mela is a somewhat gaudy and somewhat formal Indian restaurant in the South End. It's small, well-staffed, mood lit, and decorated in a manner that does not coincide with my personal aesthetic preferences--which is fine, I guess. But the tables do look like glitter with glass plates put over them and the tables are really close together--so much that as I discussed certain explicit topics with my dining partner that the couples next to us were subject to the visual imaginings of my descriptions and my numerous, vague, sweeping stereotypes I make often and without shame. I'm not sure if that last one is a plus or minus for the restaurant.

What matters here, though, is the food. I'm not going to attempt to remember the names of the dishes we ordered because--simply put, I can't. Except for chicken tiki masala, but that's a given. Along with the rice and garlic naan there was a lamb, spinach, and cheese dish and an appetizer of amazing fried fish battered in mild spices with a salty kick. I have had various and many thick Indian sauce and curry type flavors, which I find pleasing, Mela is no exception and the quality is discernibly higher than other restaurants. The highlight was definitely those fried fish hoursderves: tender white flesh, crisply battered, light and airy with just enough seasoning.

The prices are somewhat high, but probably not enough to justify the level of quality. You'll be hard pressed to try and find something as well-prepared as those fried fish tenders at another Indian place though. Yes, I know it's a simple dish, but simple is often not done well. The staff is very friendly, soft spoken and do not rush--very attentive. Did I mention the yogurt sauce? It's great, ask for it and put it on everything edible in sight; you will not regret it.


578 Tremont St., Boston, MA 02116, 617 859 4805, www.melaboston.com