Indian Cuisine: There's a new class of curry in downtown San Diego: Royal India, a spacious Indian restaurant cloaked by a bright golden awning, which has set an unprecedented standard in Southern California for truly authentic Indian cuisine combined with an invitingly elegant environment.

The owners of Royal India, brothers Sam and Jag Kambo, composed the restaurant's menu solely from their favorite recipes. As Sam insists, "We did not go to school for this. We learned it all from our mom and have eaten all of this food, all of our life."

What a life of exquisite dining, one has to think, after pouring over Royal India's enticing menu of clay oven baked breads, tandoori specialties, seducing curries with lobster, lamb and smoked tomatoes, and saffron-flavored Indian rice pudding.

What's more, the Royal India presents its culinary classics in an unpretentious yet markedly rich space. I love the glittering chandeliers and oak wood bar juxtaposed to original Indian paintings and small sculptures, a showcase of the Kambo brothers' eye for dining design with cultural emphasis.

Others have noted the Royal India experience as well-for being a little over a two years old, the restaurant has raked in Best Indian Restaurant awards from a number of Southern California media outlets. At Royal India, curry is really king.

Katherine Sutton
Freelance Writer
JustLuxe Contributor