Restaurant review: Kokila Indian Cuisine in Denton

New Indian restaurant in Denton is an offshoot of Lewisville spot.

Photo by Melissa Boughton

Kokila Indian restaurant has two locations, one in Denton and the other in Lewisville. The restaurant specializes in authentic south and north Indian food.

DENTON — The shopping center on the corner of Interstate Highway 35’s access road and Avenue C is a potholed mass of crammed parking spaces and dingy buildings.

Though certainly not picturesque, the center does house some tasty restaurants, and Kokila Indian Cuisine is no exception.

The décor is sparse and the seating is plentiful and comfortable, but the first thing we noticed upon walking into this Indian restaurant was how utterly cold it was.

We didn’t know whether the heat was turned off or perhaps broken, but either way, it did not make for a good first impression.

Waters were brought to our table, but no drink or food suggestions were made by the lone server/host/cashier. Still, a look over the massive selection of entrees (also available online at www.kokilausa.com) kept our hopes up.

Photo by Melissa Boughton

The goat biryani is a goat dish cooked in basmati rice with special herbs and spices. The dish is served a la carte with raita and curry sauce for $10.95.

We started with the chicken pakora appetizer: boneless bits of chicken coated in a light, fluffy batter and deep-fried. The wonderful texture gave way to steaming hot meat — a testament to its freshness and the promptness of its delivery to our table — and a surprisingly spicy kick at the end, thankfully assuaging the cold of the room.

Kicking off what would become a fabulous meal were a couple of orders of roti, an Indian flat bread resembling a pita but crispier and lighter, and sides of sweet tamarind and refreshing mint sauces.

Jeph followed up with an order of goat biryani: huge hunks of bone-in goat meat served in a single bowl with heaping mounds of seasoned basmati rice and freshly diced onions.

A side of sauce, salty and robust, complemented the dish fantastically, but the goat seemed a bit overcooked and tough. And although it is typically a fatty meat, Jeph had a hard time finding any bit he could actually get through entirely.

Melissa had the garlic chicken curry, a hefty bowl of steaming hot, golden-brown chicken in a rich creamy curry sauce. The garlic was far from overpowering and went well with the server-recommended garlic naan bread: another Indian flatbread, but a bit thicker than roti.

Photo by Melissa Boughton

Pictured is the Chicken 65, boneless chicken curry sauteed with yogurt and spices for $7.95.

For the masochist’s pallet, treat yourself to an order of chicken 65.

What the 65 stands for is yet unclear, but the menu describes it simply as “boneless chicken sautéed in yogurt and spices.”

What it doesn’t tell you is that these spices are nuclear — it was one of the spiciest foods we’d ever tasted, but it tasted so good that we couldn’t stop eating it.

Flavors of peanut and jalapeño and the smoking of our own tongues as they caught fire filled our mouths and left us wanting more.

We made it through about half or less than half of each dish, with each order averaging around $8 per entrée, and we increasingly felt it was money well spent.

There is a lot to try on this menu, and everything was good if not great.

It’s an affordable spot that would be good for a night when pizza and burgers have just lost that magic they once had, or if you’re looking for an inexpensive but distinctive meal.

Just bring your coat if you go any time soon.

Kokila in Denton is one of two locations -- the other is in Lewisville.