The small-plates craze has hit the Indian market in Palo Alto. Mantra, which opened more than five years ago and was one of the best and most upscale restaurants on the Peninsula, recently "reintroduced" itself as being more modern and casual.

What that means is that the menu now concentrates on small plates to share. Many of the cocktails ($8.95/$22.95) are "sharable," too. Diners can order selections such as the Mumbai margarita or Monsoon mai tai singly or in a carafe, which is the equivalent of three drinks but costs much less per drink.

My recent visit shows that even with the advertised casualization, the restaurant has maintained its upscale splashy decor with contemporary glass light fixtures, rich-colored walls and a large bar. The most noticeable change has come in the food created by Indra Paudel. The extensive menu offers more than 40 selections, with the entrees and curries available in two sizes.

The spicing hasn't been altered for Western tastes, so some dishes kick back. The subtle heat builds in the meat kofta curry ($9.95/$15.95), with the dense beef and lamb meatballs bathed in a cashew and onion gravy. Achari paneer tikka ($8.95/$15.95), marinated Indian cheese and green and red bell peppers, seems tame at first, but curried mushrooms underneath carry significant heat. It's easy to cool down with cucumber raita ($3) and butter naan ($3), both of which are traditional and well prepared.

One of the best dishes to accompany the generally sweet cocktails is crispy greens ($5.95), spinach and arugula lightly coated in a batter, fried and served with a tamarind sauce.

The appetizer menu ranges from shrimp ($9.95), in a thick sauce rich with chiles, ginger and cilantro, to mild tandoori chicken drumsticks ($6.95). This section of the menu also includes skewered items such as minced chicken kebabs ($7.50) and lamb lollipops ($9.95), and a few cross-cultural dishes such as day boat scallops ($11.95) marinated in fennel and pink peppercorns, served on cauliflower puree with lobster sauce and dollops of caviar.

Desserts such as a trio of brulees ($2.95/$6.95) show a Western slant, although there's also a trio of kulfi ($2.49/$6.95), Indian ice cream. Even an Indian restaurant doesn't seem to escape from offering warm chocolate cake; here it's a dark chocolate caramel cake ($5.95), and it's a respectable version. The kitchen has even devised a Masala chocolate tiramisu ($6.95).

While the food and ambience are well thought out, service is weak. Our waiter's sense of timing was wrong from start to finish. When we needed assistance, we couldn't find anyone. Other times he came over to see how things were before we even took a bite. Pacing was also annoyingly uneven, so too many things arrived at once.

Surrounded by dirty dishes, we were ready for the check, but our waiter disappeared again. It partly dulled our enthusiasm for the food, but not so much that I wouldn't try it again.


632 Emerson St. (near Forest), Palo Alto, (650) 322-3500 or

Lunch 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Monday-Friday; dinner 5-10 p.m. Sunday-Wednesday, until 11 p.m. Thursday-Saturday. Full bar. Reservations and credit cards accepted. Street parking; paid lots nearby.

AtmosphereRating: THREE STARS
Noise RatingNoise Rating: THREE BELLS






