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New Jersey Indian Restaurant Reviews
Guru Palace
North Brunswick, NJ
(Scroll down to read the review)
Address:
Guru Palace
2215 Rt. 1 South
North Brunswick, NJ 08902
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Guru Palace
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Reviewer's Summary: Even Monkeys Can Cook Better
Some torture chambers are secret.
They lie out of sight in the dungeon like Stalin's in the Lubyanka or in the far off Siberian Gulags.
But other torture holes like Jasbir Singh's Guru Palace lie in plain sight of everyone on RT-1 South in North Brunswick (NJ), their doors invitingly open to unsuspecting victims.
From the lukewarm Pakoras to the watery Sambar to the hard Idlis to cold Sag Paneer to the flavorless Chicken Do Piaza and to the incessant noise from some hidden corner of the restaurant (a vacuum cleaner?), Guru Palace is a dump. Its existence is a triumph of ambition over capabilities.
Horrible Idlis
Located adjacent to the Regal Commerce theater, which screens Bollywood movies, Guru Palace serves both vegetarian and non-vegetarian fare, and yes, both North Indian and South Indian cuisine.
Idli, a favorite of South Indians was not merely cold but rubbery hard in texture, not soft and fluffy as it ought to be.
And the accompanying Sambar was certainly not made for human palates. Very watery with no sign that any Toor Dal had ever come in contact with it and no evidence of any vegetables, slightly sour and Red Chilli powder floating on top, Guru Palace's Sambar was an abomination like few other abominations. Chutney, another accompaniment to the Idli, was cold, as it usually is at uncaring Indian restaurants, and a tasteless punishment.
Vegetable Hakka Noodles was oily and again tasteless. Worse, some portion of the noodles were hot and the others lukewarm suggesting it was not fresh and been sloppily reheated.
Saag Paneer was a green messy mass, utterly tasteless and unworthy of any dining room.
Ditto for the sweetish Paneer Makhani.
Disappointing Non-Vegetarian Dishes
Our misery didn't stop on the vegetarian side.
Chicken Dopiaza, a delicious Indian curry, was an utter disappointment and so flavorless that we wondered if any spices had even gone into it.
Chicken Tikka Masala, that eternal fixture of Indian restaurants in the U.S., was another unimpressive offering that had us shaking our head in dismay over the medium-thick but flavorless gravy.
Tandoori Chicken was nothing to write home about either. Poorly marinated, it was no better or no worse than at most Indian restaurants in New Jersey.
Speaking of items cooked in a Tandoor, Naan Bread was soft but not cooked evenly.
Desserts - A Mixed Bag
Gulab Jamun in a warm syrup was good but the Rice Pudding was so low on sugar that it was not worth even a second spoon.
Service - OK, Kinda
Our waiter refilled the water glass and removed the finished plates promptly.
But the relentless, loud noise of a machine near the dining room (a vacuum cleaner?) was extremely irritating and drove us nuts.
Also, the silverware is kept directly on the table, instead of on the napkins, suggesting a careless attitude or, worse, laziness.
Folks, given its mostly mediocre food, Guru Palace is a dark stain on the fair name of Indian cuisine.
Hey, even monkeys can cook better than the Guru Palace bozos. - © Rekha Inc.
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