Restaurant Review: Torch of India in Vacaville, California

What I love the most about living in Northern California is that my taste buds get to explore everything this side of a hamburger and steak. I love to try different meals of different ethnicities. The Torch of India in Vacaville is the latest in my exploration of foods from around the world. The Torch of India, located on 348 Merchant Street in the downtown Vacaville area, recently came under new ownership. The restaurant itself has been in town for a number of years but it was fairly new to us. My family of four decided to give it a shot.

Upon entering Torch of India we noticed that this is a restaurant full of calming ambiance. The lighting is low and is combined with beautiful, sheer scarves that adorn the ceiling from the door to the back of the restaurant. There are many two-seated tables and a few longer ones on the side. The Torch of India is definitely a restaurant ready for a date or two.

Yet despite the "couples" ambiance, service and dining style appealed to other diners as well: lunchtime on-the-go customers, families and large dinner parties. We were promptly seated by a very friendly staff that made it a point to speak to our kids, something that rarely happens in a restaurant for us. They asked if we wanted to order the kids a mango and whip cream shake to share.

The menu was full of the usual Indian food suspects -all things curry and tandori- but it also offered several varieties of naan. My wife ordered the Tandori Chicken while I had the lamb Jalfrezi- a mix of red and yellow peppers, red onions, garlic and ginger blended into a sauce over lamb pieces. We ordered the kids some fish pankora- breaded fish sticks- off of the appetizer menu. Although there is no kids menu at Torch of India but the appetizers are usually more than enough.

While we waited for the food our server explained that they came under new ownership only three months ago, yet kept all of the same quality elements that Torch of India had been known for. I agreed because my son and I had been here once before for lunch a year ago and we had a good experience. We just never had a chance to come back with the whole family until now.

When our food arrived, the smells of my lamb Jalfrezi instantly perked up my senses. I couldn't believe the richness of the sauce. It complemented the tender lamb perfectly. The Tandori chicken was also a mouthful of taste, equally tender and just as enjoyable as the lamb. The kids didn't take well to the fish because it was unexpectedly spicy to them. I gave it a few bites and enjoyed the cutting taste of the breading and spices. My wife traded the much milder chicken for their fish.

Once dinner was over I hijacked the rest of my kids' shake. The mango-whip cream concoction was a perfect finish to my lamb plate. It was very smooth and cleared my palate of any leftover garlic spice. What a perfect ending to a meal!

We completely enjoyed our visit to Torch of India. We even signed the beautiful guest book on the way out. Although you can't tell from the outside of the restaurant because of its historic downtown location, Torch of India has an entire exotic world hiding behind the Merchant Street door.