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• Pakistani Village

Behari Kabab from Village Restaurant, 4734 Century Plaza Rd. on the westside of Indy. (Tom Klubens for The Star)

Beef Seekh Kabab from Village Restaurant. (Tom Klubens for The Star)

A tradtional looking room in the banquet area of Village Restaurant. (Tom Klubens for The Star)

Authentic Pakistani dishes aren't exactly a mainstay on Indianpolis' cuisine scene.

All the more reason, then, to put a little effort into finding Village Restaurant. Tucked into an unassuming strip mall alongside an out-of-the-way access road between Georgetown Medical Plaza and the northern border of Lafayette Square Mall, Village doesn't exactly get the drive-by crowd. Nope, this is a place you have to seek out -- but if you love bold spices and fiery flavors, you'll be glad you did.

My husband and I set out on a rainy night, and, after a little backtracking and parking-lot surfing, we found our destination. The setting is simple: an oblong room with deep-blue walls, red velvet curtains draped along one side (separating public dining from an available banquet room) and tables dressed with black, red and white-patterned cloths.

It's immediately clear that this is a place where families and groups gather. Most of the tables are long and packed with chairs, ready to accommodate larger parties. Since it was a quiet night, we had our choice of empty spaces, so we settled at the end of a table and began studying the more-than-plentiful menu offerings. Fourteen appetizers, nearly a dozen different breads and more than 60 entrees made decision-making difficult. Fortunately, descriptions are fairly detailed (although, as we discovered later, not always completely accurate), and our server volunteered to answer questions.

All at once

After much studying, we came to our conclusions and placed our appetizer and entree orders simultaneously, which resulted in all of the food arriving at the same time. It didn't really affect our enjoyment of the meal, however, as this is the type of place where you happily spoon a little bit of every offering onto your plate anyway.

The aaloo kabab starter ($2.99) proved to be an accurate preview of the goodies to come. A pair of grilled patties formed from potatoes and green peas contained bits of chili peppers and a dash of coriander. The result: a beginning bite that started off gently but ended with a kick.

We also ordered garlic naan ($2.49), which I couldn't seem to stop nibbling. A buttery, garlicky take on the traditional unleavened white bread, it had been baked in a tandoor oven to perfection, with a crispy top layer and a soft inside. Since my entree came with a choice of breads, our table also contained an order of traditional naan ($1.49 if purchased separately), which Pete happily consumed.

Bony bits unwelcome

Ah, but the entrees also waited. I wanted to sample a poultry dish, and our server recommended chicken karahi ($9.99). It arrived in a covered copper pot, which released a heady scent of garlic, tomatoes and exotic spices when I lifted the lid. As I scooped out a serving with the oversize spoon provided, I noted that, although the menu described the offering as "boneless," the bite-size chicken pieces definitely included bony bits. That made eating a bit more difficult -- although at least it prevented me from inhaling too much of the uber-spicy dish too quickly. This is sinus-searing stuff (and I'm a spicy-food fanatic). I soon found myself dabbing surreptitiously at my nose and taking big sips of water poured from the silver pitcher provided.

Pete's entree also carried major kick. His Behari kabab ($9.99) arrived on a large white platter, half of which contained light, fluffy basmati rice. The other half featured slices (rather than the traditional round shapes often associated with kabobs) of tender beef, marinated in a garlic/ginger/papaya mixture and grilled over charcoal flames.

The meat was coated with a heavy mixture of herbs and what the menu identified as "certain spices." Pete loves to experiment with spice mixtures on the grill at home, and he said the results here were something he would have been happy to create. Onion and tomato slices accompanied the beef, pieces of which I kept sneaking onto my plate.

Spices can bite back

Beware of overindulgence, though. My lack of will power translated into heartburn later that evening -- those spices can bite back. But it's a pleasure to see ethnic dishes re-created without dumbing down for supposed American tastes. For those who are even more daring, the menu provides such authentic specialties as goat, paya (cow feet) and "brain masala," described as a "very delicate Pakistani dish cooked with ginger, green peppers and cilantro."

Whatever you do, though, don't go here and order a chicken or beef sandwich. This is a place to experiment with flavors, spices and heat. Our server invited us to return for the daily lunch buffet, which spotlights a variety of the restaurant's most popular dishes.

By Julie Cope-Saetre / INtake Correspondent