germuska wrote:Actually, some kind of Devon-o-thon

Hmmm . . . Devon-o-thon rhymes in a really quaint way that wouldn't if Chicagoans pronounced "Devon" like the rest of the world. Cool.

As you can tell from reading this thread, the opinions on Hema's are mixed. Me, I'm in the "eh, it's OK but there are other places I prefer on Devon" camp. This weekend though, friends visiting from Costa Rica who loved Hema's when they lived here only wanted to go there, and so to Hema's we went, to their new location on Devon.

I thought I'd share a few observations:

The new space is bigger and swankier

The prices appear to have gone up to match the swank - entrees were generally over $10 - around $11-$12 if I remember correctly. I think at the old place on Oakley they were more like $7-8.

I think they turned the heat up on the dishes a bit. It's been over a year since my last visit (I only go when the Costa Ricans are in town for their annual visit) so I can't completely trust my memory, but I think they upped the heat a bit.

But even with a bit more heat, I still have the same complaint about the dishes - there's not a lot of depth or complexity in the spicing beyond the heat and a lot of the dishes taste the same. We had ordered both a chicken tikka masala and a chicken vindaloo and I could hardly distinguish between them - except for the vindaloo being a bit more spicy.

It appears that they now have a tandoor as there is a more extensive menu of breads available, including naan (which they did not offer on Oakley).

So, given that the dishes are still kind of flat, and that I can get the same dishes for a few dollars less at several other places on Devon, I imagine my next visit to Hema's will come when the Costa Ricans do.

Hema's Kitchen (new location)
2439 W. Devon

Hellodali wrote:So, given that the dishes are still kind of flat, and that I can get the same dishes for a few dollars less at several other places on Devon, I imagine my next visit to Hema's will come when the Costa Ricans

HD,

I feel the same way as you about Hema's, maybe even a little more ~shrug~, though luckily I don't know any Costa Ricans.

Enjoy,
Gary

Used to be a huge fan of Hema's. Hema and her sister and son have always been nothing but gracious and friendly towards me, and anyone I've gone with. Hema's will always have a special place in my ticker since it was the first place I went to and REALLY enjoyed Indian / Pakistani food. I've since moved on to bigger/better/cheaper, BUT, I will never "blame" them for getting schnazzy, and charging more. They deserve to be successful for all of the hard work they've put in, and if they can fill the tables at higher prices, then I'm happy for them.

~I'll be over at Khan's if you need me.

Thanks to Seebee for reminding me but I should add that the service and overall atmosphere in the new digs was very warm and gracious and everyone on staff was as friendly as always.

I've been wanting to try authentic Indian food on Devon for a while now and finally had the perfect opportunity today when I met up with a friend for lunch. I should note that she's of Indian heritage - it sort of matters because I was incredibly overwhelmed by the menu so pretty much followed her lead.

We didn't have a specific restaurant in mind when we got to Devon so we just parked and walked around until we found a restaurant with people in it. That restaurant happened to be Hema's Kitchen. I did check LTH extensively but most of the reviews were contradictory.

As I said before, to someone who's unfamiliar with Indian food the menu was very overwhelming with 100 food options. We started with an appetizer of kheema samosa (pastry shell stuffed with minced lamb, onions, green peas and cilantro). It was excellent - a light and crispy pastry shell with a savory and barely spicy filling. It was served with two dipping sauces - a sweet red sauce and a hot green sauce (sorry, I don't know the names).

After that we ordered the ghosh rogan josh entree (lamb with cardamom, cloves, onion, ginger, garlic cream, almond and sesame oil), rice, garlic naan, and the tandoori chicken appetizer (baked chicken marinated in yogurt, lemon juice, chili pepper, ginger, garlic and other spices). We actually tried to order the chicken as a main course but they said they were out of it so we'd have to order the appetizer. I still don't quite understand that.

Anyways, the tandoori chicken was good, although my favorite thing about it would have to be the presentation: the color was this deep, dark red and it was topped with a few lemon wedges, cilantro leaves and white onions. I was expecting it to be really spicy and dry (it looked dry) but the meat was actually very moist and flavorful and only a little spicy. It is served in small pieces on the bone.

The ghosh rogan josh was my favorite part of the meal. It was a brownish curry swimming in oil (yes, there was way too much oil) but the flavors were really clean. The cubed lamb was tender and really delicious.

After the meal I asked my friend how the food compares to the food she's had in India. She said it was very similar just more greasy (specifically the rogan josh and garlic naan) but we both agreed Hema's is worth going back to.

I love Hema's, and I've been going for years. I agree about the oil thing, though. It's inconsistent that way. The food is always delicious, but sometimes it's swimming in way too much oil. Sometimes it isn't. I can recommend the gobi gosht (lamb with cauliflower.)

I don't have a lot to add to the overall "eh"-- "good" continuum of response, but I went for the first time last Sat., and I also want to try uploading some pics, also for the first time. (So I'm a trog., so sue me.)

The room was pleasant but unexceptional. Two-tone walls; maroon on the bottom and off-white going up to the ceiling. Quasi-Tiffany chandeliers ran down the center. It's a very long room. Also quiet, a bit dim (in a calming way), and peaceful compared to some of the aggressive bustle that charecterizes other places on the strip.

I was welcomed very warmly. It was pretty much prime lunch-time (at least by western standards) but there were only about 3 other tables filled.

I was dining alone and headed to a performance, so I didn't sample much of a spectrum.

Started with pappadam massala and followed with gosh rogan josh.

The menu described the pappadam as "spicy" salad on pappadam. It was pleasant enough---diced tomato, onion, cilantro---but I didn't experience any heat at all. It was served with a tamarind and a green condiment. I can't imagine putting the sweet, almost jam-like sauce on this, but I happily slathered the green.



The lamb rogan josh was a bit on the oily side, though not distressingly so. Very nice flavor and very tender pieces of lamb. I will say that the lamb tasted like lamb, not generic meat in sauce.



Like several others, I liked what I had well enough but not enough to seek it out over many other places on Devon. If it were the only Indian restaurant around, I would certainly go there semi-regularly. But at $11-12 for the main dish, and over $20 for lunch altogether (no bev. or dessert), it seemed a bit pricy. Especially for the paper on top of linen set up and not even any saucers under the food plates so that one inevitably ended up with a not too attractively blotched table.

Again, the human element was very nice. Warm welcome, good service. But I want a bit more for that price.

[And apparently I have failed to insert my images correctly. FWIW, I uploaded them to imageshack per the FAQ, and then pasted the link between the brackets produced by hitting "Img" button above. Not sure where I went wrong. Image shack offers 2 links, one labelled "direct" and one called simply "link." I tried both, to no avail.]

We went to Hema's tonight on the recommendation of the owner of the now-closed Bhabi's Kitchen. The reviews here are mixed, but we very much enjoyed it.

The keema samosas were among the best we've had: crust flaky and chewy, filling savory and fine-ground, not too oily. The chutneys served with it were also excellent, with some spice to the tamarind and good fresh cilantro flavor to the green one.

I had Lamb with Okra -- don't sneer at okra, it's a wonderful veg when not stewed. Sweet and crisp, and a good complement to the lamb. Good spice level.

MrsF had Shahi Paneer. Rich and smooth, very tasty, although I like some browning on my paneer dishes. Their paneer was rich and crumbly -- keeping it together in the sauce has to be a good trick, especially without having seared the cheese.

Onion Kulcha made a nice accompaniment: it had a nice bit of heat from fresh chiles and scallions.

Service was not the best: we didn't get plates when the samosas were served, and the entrees came while we were still picking apart the samosas over the serving dish. Getting attention to get water and wrap up leftovers was also a bit tough. The house is also extremely noisy -- my ears are ringing (more than usual).

But the flavors are good, and spices are a strong suit. Is it earth-shattering subtlety? Maybe not, but it's a solid place to enjoy a meal.