INDIAN CUISINE LORDS OF TUJUNGA.

Byline: Larry Lipson Restaurant Critic

I can't help wondering if the residents of Tujunga and surrounding areas realize how lucky they are to have Lords Cuisine of India in their midst.

Lords opened there recently, perhaps an unlikely place for a Punjabi-style Indian restaurant, but nevertheless, a treat and a culinary adventure for locals.

Not only is this a pretty good place to learn about and appreciate Indian food, it's a bargain as well.

Seems that the owners, realizing a price enticement could help them get off to a decent start, gives everyone who ventures in and eats there a 20 percent discount.

And the prices are certainly reasonable to begin with.

Most of the main-course dishes, served in oval platters, shareable by at least two, are ticketed at $10. Appetizers and soups average out around $3 each, and sides of bread and condiments are a mere $1 or two.

The kitchen turns out good versions of lentil and mulligatawny soups ($2.95) each, the latter a much more substantial recipe than found at other Indian restaurants.

Traditional samosas (pudgy vegetable turnovers), onion bhajis (Indian- style onion rings) and pakoras (chicken or vegetable-stuffed puffs), priced from $2.50 to $3, provide crunchy, tasty nibbles with refreshing coriander and tamarind chutneys.

Casserole-style curries and other Indian dishes - regular chicken curry ($7.99) or chicken tikka masala ($9.99) are recommended - can be had mild, medium or hot. The spicy-hot designation here does not mean intolerably fiery, especially for those who are used to strongly peppered Mexican fare.

But it's always a good idea to order a dish of raita ($2.50), the soothing yogurt and cucumber mixture, just in case your palate needs pampering along the way.

Tandoori items, including excellent breads (garlic naan, $2, is my preference) are handled very well here. A beginner might try the mixed tandoori platter ($12.99), which has two types of chicken and two lamb renditions, one a sort of sausage, along with creamed spicy lentils (daal makhani) and mixed vegetables. This also comes with a vegetable samosa, basmati rice, naan bread, raita, a green salad and a dessert (usually gulab jaman sweet cheese balls in syrup or kulfi Indian ice cream).

Lamb gets special attention at Lords. One of the tastier versions is kadai gosht ($9.99), with pieces roasted in an iron kadai pot to fall-apart tenderness and served in a seasoned sauce.

Shrimp fanciers with a yen for spicy heat will like the vindaloo shrimp ($9.99). The sauce, a disarmingly tomatoey mixture with a sprinkling of potato, possesses worthwhile kick, and the kitchen smartly leaves the shrimp crunchy and moist.

If you order spicy-hot fare here, think about a tall glass of Punjabi lassi, the Indian yogurt drink, as a refreshing salve.

Frankly, I prefer it to the very sweet desserts of India.

But Tujungans might disagree and go for those already mentioned or such sugary goodies as gajar halwa ($2.50), a sweet cheese and shredded carrot concoction with nuts and raisins; ras malai ($2.95), India's answer to our familiar cheesecake, this with pistachios and a very sweet liquid; or kheer ($2.50), a cold, sweet rice pudding.

But whatever you choose, the bonus is that, right now, Lords is charging a fifth less than the listed menu price.

Nothing too lordly about this restaurant.

The facts

--The restaurant: Lords Cuisine of India.

--Where: 7254 Foothill Blvd., Tujunga.

--When: Open for lunch (buffet or regular) from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily except Sunday, for Sunday brunch from noon to 3 p.m., for dinner from 5 to 10 p.m. nightly.

bbox! Recommended items: Soups, pakoras, samosas, onion bhaji, tandoori chicken or lamb, tandoori breads, chicken curry or tikka masala, kadai gosht lamb, saag paneer, shrimp vindaloo, Punjabi lassi.

--Children's menu: Tandoori chicken (two pieces) on rice and gulab jaman dessert ($6.99).

--How much: Starters from $3.50 to $4, entrees from $6 to $14, desserts $2.50 and $2.95. Beer and wine. AE, MC, V.

--Wine list: Small, very limited selection. Several Indian beers.

--Reservations: Taken. Call [phone].

--Our rating: Three stars for food; Two and one half stars for service; One star for wine.

CAPTION(S):

photo

Photo:

Lords Cuisine of India - a recent newcomer to Tujunga's list of eateries - features authentic dishes such as tandoori chicken.

Phil McCarten/Staff Photographer