Real Taste of India

Real Taste of India is located near the corner of SW 5th and Stark in downtown Portland, Oregon. It is one of a handful of Indian food carts you can find within a several-block radius. It was the first of two Indian food carts I tried early last week.

An older woman, perhaps of Indian descent, operated this cart solo. Not much of an inviting demeanor from her on this visit. Could be language barrier, could be strong work ethic, could be other real-life matters.

Lunch specials for 4/23/12

Just about every day, this cart will have a lunch special from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., a five-course meal that's about $6. Usually rice, naan, and three entrees. There are separate meat and vegetarian lunch specials.

This time, I wanted something fairly simple and spicy, so I got the Chicken Vindaloo ($6). Requested it extra spicy, even though it would already start out with a kick. It's a garlic-based sauce, with a lovely dark orange-red color. Generous chunks of chicken and potato here. A bed of basmati rice on the bottom, then the chicken vindaloo over the top. Simple, but a heaping portion!

Chicken Vindaloo
(Real Taste of India)

The sauce just blew my mind. For me, it was the ideal balance of flavor and spicy heat. That garlic comes through, but doesn't get too overpowering. The potatoes were cooked perfectly, very soft. I initially had a concern with the chicken. It was juicy, although I swear it looked dangerously pink when I bit into several chunks. Not to worry, it was cooked! The rice was perfect, 'nuff said.

Overall, this was a great vindaloo that I would eat over and over again. There's even a lamb vindaloo option that sounds equally awesome.

The menu is huge. Easily over 50 options on the darned thing. But maybe I will opt for one of the lunch specials next time so I can try several more dishes and their naan. 8.5/10