Bhojanic is a popular Atlanta area Indian restaurant which recently opened a second location (March 2013) in Buckhead at the Shops Around Lenox. I'm familiar with Bhojanic because I've been to the original location in Decatur and have attended events catered by the restaurant.
When it comes to Indian restaurants in Atlanta, Bhojanic is one of the nicer ones. The Buckhead location is new and shiny. The space is tastefully decorated from floor to ceiling. The interior is narrow, but the modern design makes it feel spacious. The polished concrete floors are decorated with Indian prints, colorful pillows line the bench seating against the wall, and various ornamented light fixtures hang from above. Inside, there's a bar, a semi-private section for group dining, and table seating. Outside, there are several small tables on the front patio.
Bhojanic serves authentic Indian food in both tapas (small, shareable plates) and entree form. The menu includes parathas (flatbread), chat (street food including different kinds of puri), kathi rolls (similar to small burritos), curry dishes, and salads. Thalis are also offered. Thalis are combination platters and I recommend them because you get to try a lot of different dishes.
Expect to spend about $7-9 each for most of the tapas-sized plates, parathas, chat, and kathi rolls. The full-sized entrees are upwards of $18 (e.g. goat curry). Thalis are about $12-15 each, depending on how many meats and vegetables you order. The thali meat and vegetable options change often. There's also a paneer (cheese) of the day, biryani (rice) of the day, and specials.
We visited on a Saturday afternoon no more than a month after the grand opening and most of the time, we were the only customers inside the restaurant. I tried the following on thali platters:
Saag Paneer - creamed spinach with Indian cheese
Chicken Curry - bone-in chicken in a ginger, garlic, onion, and yogurt-based curry
Alu Gobhi - potatoes and cauliflower with ginger and tomato
Chicken Tikka Masala - boneless tandoori chicken in a tomato cream sauce
Daal Makhini - black lentils tempered with asafetida
Bhindi Masala - sauteed okra with caramelized onions
I like the way Bhojanic serves its thalis. Each thali is served on a metal tray with six compartments, each compartment designed for one food item. It's neat and reminds me of the cafeteria trays from elementary school. Other restaurants typically serve thalis in several small metal bowls (similar to banchan).
The upper three compartments have your chosen meat/veggie items. The bottom three compartments have raita (cucumber yogurt sauce), rice pullao (rice with peas and carrots) and papadam (crispy lentil cracker), and a small side salad (lettuce, tomato, cucumber). The thali also comes with chapati (flat bread).
Generally, almost everything tasted good. A few of the items were a bit overseasoned (one tremendously). I loved how soft and fluffy the rice pullao was. I wouldn't mind ordering a bowl of this a la carte ($2.95). The chapati was freshly baked, so it was served still steaming and glistening from the oven. Along with the papadam, these were ideal accompaniments to the flavorful food.
I enjoyed all of the meat/veggie selections except for the Bhindi Masala. It was inedibly salty. I can tolerate salty foods, but it was too salty even for me. I tried mixing the bhindi with rice, chapati, and raita to drown out the saltiness, but it didn't help. I attempted to force myself to finish it, but couldn't. It was that bad -- a shame because I love okra. In addition, the Bhindi Masala was the only thali vegetable selection that day which incurred an additional charge of $1.50, leaving me that much more disappointed.
I like Indian creamed spinach, often called Palak Paneer or Saag Paneer (as it's called here). It was smooth and creamy, but also more salty than average. Not nearly as bad as the bhindi, though. Bhojanic's version has cubes of paneer cheese (Indian cheese) in it, which is common.
Both of the chicken dishes were delicious. I give a slight edge to the chicken curry. Both were flavorful. Note the Chicken Curry comes bone-in, so you'll have to work your away through bones if you want to enjoy it. The Chicken Tikka Masala is boneless. In both cases, the meat was tender and savory. The tomato flavor was evident when eating the Chicken Tikka Masala, moreso than I've experienced before.
The Alu Gobhi was my favorite veggie, perhaps even over the Saag Paneer. The potatoes and cauliflower were covered in a rich and pungent sauce. Watch out for the chunks of ginger, which can be quite strong. More cauliflower, please. The Daal Makhini is made with asafetida, which is a spice sometimes used as a garlic and onion substitute. The lentils were thick, hearty, and tasty.
Alexa was our server and she did a fantastic job. The entire staff was warm and welcoming.
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