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The Curry Leaves has been a staple of the Rocklin, CA dining scene, for "foodies" who want to take a trip to the Indian sub-continent without leaving western Placer County. The restaurant serves both North and South Indian cuisine, along with a fusion of Indo-Chinese offerings. Any way you look at it... the cuisine is both exotic and excellent! As with all restaurant reviews I publish, I have no affiliation with the restaurant reviewed, and there is no monetary gain on my part, as I am simply a person who likes to eat, and I love to write-up, and publish my dining experiences.
Photo: It's a little after 01:30 in the afternoon, Friday, December 01, 2023, and I've arrived at The Curry Leaves, located in Rocklin, CA, as I was in the mood to enjoy some amazing Indian cuisine. The Curry Leaves is located just a couple blocks from Rocklin's Blue Oaks Town Center, where I had just spent the last two and a half hours enduring the disappointing "blockbuster wannabee" movie "Napoleon." After sitting through the dismal performance of the movie, I was ready to enjoy some delicious Indian cuisine.
Photo: As I entered the restaurant, I was greeted by no less than three friendly staff members. Renu, in the extreme right of the photo, greeted and seated me in the spacious dining room.
Photo: As you enter the greeting station, there is a menu that lists the daily specials. Today was Friday, so there was nothing on the menu that tempted me, as I'm not a "kid."
Photo: The main dining room is clean spacious and very attractive. The furniture is a mixture of tables and booths. I was impressed with the layout of the dining room, as it seems to employ "wide open spaces."
Photo: The restaurant offers a full-service bar, but the bar seems to be lacking stools, and wasn't staffed on this early Friday afternoon. A television monitor was playing a college football game, but I didn't really pay it any attention. The room to the left is a semi-private dining room where events are held.
Photo: The menu is simply HUGE and offers all of your favorite Indian dishes. One of the selections I ordered for today's lunch was from the "Non-Veg" section of the "Appetizer" section of the menu... #23, a "Meat Samosa."
Photo: For lunch, The Curry Leaves serves a buffet, which they claim is the "Best Indian Buffet in Town." The buffet offers several stations, which offers everything you could ever hope for, including main dishes, salad, sides and dessert. The buffet is divided up into four separate serving stations, and it's a serve yourself, all-you-can eat buffet. What's really nice, if you don't want to enjoy the all-you-can-eat buffet, you can order off the menu, like I did. There aren't many Indian restaurants in Placer County that offer you that option.
Photo: My host has already set the plate of naan on my table, and now he's delivering the samosas, soup and tow small cups of dip for the naan. My meal arrived quickly, about 15 minutes after I placed my order.
Photo: I smile as I raise of glass of Taj Mahal Premium beer, a premier Indian lager beer, and celebrate my lunch at The Curry Leaves, located in Rocklin, CA.
Photo: My lunch today of "Meat Samosas," a bowl of "Lentil Soup," a basket of "Buttered Garlic Naan" bread, and a Taj Mahal Premium beer for dessert. A cup of mint chutney, along with a cup of honey-chili dipping were served on the side for my dipping pleasure. The "Meat Samosas" came from the "Appetizers" section of the menu, and, in typical Indian style were small, deep fried pastries, stuffed with savory, spiced, ground chicken, stuffed inside of a small pastry and deep fried. It's Indian "street food" to the finest! Each pastry is like a small meat pie, that you can enjoy in about three bites. The samosas were placed on a bed of shredded cabbage and carrots, which I guess was only to enhance the presentation, but I enjoyed the cabbage as my "salad!" As delicious as the samosas were, the "Lentil Soup," a vegetarian dish, stole the "show" for me. I've never met a lentil soup that I don't love and the lentil soup I enjoyed today at The Curry Leaves didn't disappoint in every way, as it was simply amazing! The broth was rich, and full of great flavor that comes when you simmer lentils for hours, slowly on the back burner. The lentils were tender, juicy, and enhanced by carrots, celery, spices, and curry. The bowl of "Lentil Soup" was simply delicious! How can you enjoy a great Indian lunch without a side of naan bread? You can't, and I didn't... as I ordered a full side of "Butter Garlic Naan" for my side. The bread was tandoori-toasted to a light, golden brown on the outside, lightly coated with butter, but it was soft, chewy on the inside, when I bit into it, and the taste added just a hint of garlic. Simply delicious! For dipping the samosas and the naan, there were a couple small cups of dips, to enhance my dining pleasure. There was a red, honey-chili dip - a common dip in south India, along with a pureed, green, mint chutney dip. Both dips made for an outstanding dip for the naan - I simply devoured the samosas, "cave man" style - and enhanced the delicious bread without overpowering the amazing aroma and flavor. But... hands down, the mint chutney dip reached to the stars! I LOVED the mint chutney dip! A 22-oz Taj Mahal beer, which is a popular Indian lager beer, rounded out the lunch and made for a perfect dessert. The food was simply delicious but, in the words of Julius Caesar, "caveat emptor," as you MUST bring your wallet, or your plastic with you. I'm simply going to list the itemized price of the lunch I enjoyed, and you can take it from there... * 22-oz Indian Taj Mahal Premium Indian-brewed imported beer... $10.99 I simply loved the food, as it was prepared perfectly, with an attractive presentation, and made for a delicious lunch. But I was a little surprised at the price of the meal, but I leave that up to the individual reader.
Photo: Two deep fried meat samosas, stuffed with chicken, resting on a bed of shredded cabbage and carrot, and seasoned with savory Indian spices. Simply delicious! Each samosa yielded about three bites of sheer goodness. No wonder why samosas are a popular dish to enjoy on the streets of Mumbai! But... at $9.99 for two small samosas?
Photo: My delicious bowl of "Lentil Soup," served in a rich, lentil brown, and garnished with fresh cilantro. The soup was one of the finest bowls I've enjoyed during my 25+ years as a Placer County resident, as it included perfectly cooked, tender lentils, in a savory, flavorful broth, with just a touch of garlic and Indian curry seasoning. Simply delicious! The bowl of this delicious soup - which was small, maybe 8-ounces or so - set me back $6.99. What do you think? On the other hand, I can truly say this bowl of "Lentil Soup" was the "star" of my lunch and amazingly delicious! A bowl of soup like this could make me a vegan.
Photo: The basket of "Garlic Buttered Naan" was simply delicious, and made for an outstanding side dish to my meal. I dipped it into the small cups of chili and mint chutney dips, and simply went to heaven when the amazing naan was combined with the mint chutney. The Indian-brewed lager beer, Taj Mahal, made for a perfect dessert. Alright... the basket of "Garlic Buttered Naan" was $3.99 and the Taj Mahal Premium lager beer was priced at $10.99. The authentic Indian and Indo-Chinese cuisine served at The Curry Leaves is simply delicious, and it's served in a clean and comfortable dining room. I LOVE when you dine at lunch, you can choose between the well-stocked buffet, or simply order off the menu. Enjoy great Indian and Indo-Chinese cuisine at The Curry Leaves, located in Rocklin, CA. The Curry Leaves Copyright(c) 2023 eRench Productions. All rights reserved. We've been on the web since December 22, 2002.
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