Back to RestaurantReviews
Welcome India
70 Worcester Road
Framingham,MA
(508) 370-9977
http://www.welcomeindiacuisine.com/
Indian Restaraunt
Generally < $20
Reviews
In the years I've lived in Framingham, I must have driven down the Route 9 corridor east of Edgel road at least 1,732 times.
My first 1,600 times I was overwhelmed by the visual vomit of signage that spewed forth from both sides of the road. I guess I probably shouldn't be referring to "vomit" in a review of a restaurant, so I'll change that to "visual smorgasbord of signage". Around the 1,700 time, I started picking out certain places that may be helpful to me? "look hon, a Ski Market. And they sell bikes!", and so on.
On the 1,720 drive down route 9, I noted a seemingly undesigned building with large yellow wrap-around awnings. It said, "Welcome India". I thought that was an interesting name, not knowing if I should Welcome India (That is, "India's here, honey. Aren't you gonna welcome India?") Or were they just being economical with the lettering (Perhaps the tiny word "to" fell off.) These are, unfortunately, the things that cross my mind. odd syntax in signage always was a bothersome thing for me.
On Framcom, not too long ago, I noticed a few postings about Welcome India (was it shut down or not?). I love indian food. I may not know much about tandoori or masala, but I'm learning more with each dining experience. My favorite Indian food so far has got to be Vij's in Vancouver, BC. Also, Tamarind in NYC is pretty delish. But I can't just drive willy-nilly whenever I want. I gots to keep it local.
So, last night, chlorine water-sodden on our way home from the most humid swim practice ever, We happened down route 9. My stomach was wanting food. I said "why not Welcome India?" It was close. The parking space was basically part of Route 9. In fact, when you walk into Welcome India and sit down at a window booth, you're still about 19 inches from Route 9. Score 1 for convenience.
The quaint, smallish very quiet interior felt like our previous local Indian haunts in Denver and Kansas City. That is, it's all about the food. Ambiance is secondary. There's the obligatory serene black velvet paintings and other objects d'art that tell one coming off the street this is an Indian establishment. Our friendly hostess/server was busy with the other two tables of customers, and took a while to get to our table. In fact, at one point, the wait was uncomfortably long for the kids. Mason went out to lay down in the car (he was bushed from swimming). So we passed the time listening to a few guys at the next table talking about investment homes. It's pretty easy to eavesdrop, even if you don't want to. The booths are cozy.
We chose to go the route of a few appetizers first (the non-vegetarian platter and the shishkebobbed chicken). Pretty decent. I dove into the dumpling filled with ground lamb and spices. Like Highlander, there was only one. Too bad for me.
We also ordered the fried bread. So good, each piece was as large and similar in shape to a Nerf football, bubbly, semi-crisp and soft at the same time. It reminded me of a sopapilla. It went well with all our dishes. I wished I had a big tub of honey to pour over it.
Curry Lamb and tikka chicken were the other two meals we shared. I got the spicy hot lamb, which wasn't really that hot. My 10 year old daughter isn't too keen on spicy food, so we got the chicken masala with mild sauce. I like spice more than those guys from 'Dune', so I ordered the lamb hot. It wasn't really very hot, though. Dang, I like lamb, though. What is it about this meat that turns me into a caveman? I just attack it and don't even care that it's all stuck in my teeth (Until later, when I'm hunting down some floss).
I washed it all down with a Flying Horse Royal lager from india. It's one of three Indian beers on the menu. It offset the food nicely, all 20 generous ounces of it. I'd had Taj Majal and Kingfisher before, which are fair to middling. Flying horse was similar to both, but probably would come in third, despite it's "royal" designation. I've never been the biggest fan of Indian beer. It seems completely at odds with the gestalt of Indian food. I suspect its wateriness is a respite from the spiciness and richness of the food, and also a cool refresher in Delhi when it's 120?. That's understandable I suppose. But I wonder if a beer that's a bit more in the tradition of the food would be a better pairing? Like a crazy Ed's Cave Creek Chili beer. Spicy AND refreshing.
For dessert we had the rice pudding. Nice, creamy milky. Actually we took it to go and had it at home over a Netflix on our couch. Small portion. I inhaled it. it went well with the film"Boondock Saints". That flick rocks. And you'll recognize all the locations since it was filmed in Boston.
Overall, I'm glad we stopped by Welcome India. the ambiance felt like a road-side diner. Our tab came out to a very un-roadside diner-like $64.00. We had enough leftovers for dinner the next night, so I guess the damage wasn't bad.
If you happen to be driving East down Route 9, and you see the yellow awning, veer a bit to the right, ease your foot off the accelerator and you'll roll right into in a parking spot at Welcome India, just inches away from a pretty decent, but not great, Indian dining experience.
chuck matzker 11 Jul 2008
Welcome India is about a five minute walk from my home. After trying it a couple of times, I've never been back. If I want local Indian food, I'll cross Route 9 (easier said than done on foot!) and go to Rasoi. The food is notably better, the service is better, the atmosphere is better, and you don't have to watch the traffic on the highway. It really is worth another two minutes of walking...
Trolly Square 855 Worcester Rd
Framingham, MA 01701
(508) 872-4060
http://www.rasoi.net/index2.html
kevin willoughby July 11, 2008