RESTAURANT REVIEW:

For most of my life, Indian food was a mystery to me. I didn’t eat it until I was in my mid-30s, and even then I went the safe route, ordering the popular, if not culinarily benign, tandoori chicken.

Curry was as foreign to me as the land that made it, and though I liked the smell, I never got the nerve to try it.

I have evolved from those days and my tastes are far more daring. Now I have learned to embrace Indian food.

One of my favorites is Mother India. The small restaurant is in a shopping mall and has been family-owned for 15 years.

This is a great place to visit for a newbie to the cuisine. The staff is friendly; eating here is like eating at a friend’s house.

The best introduction is the lunch buffet. It’s not very extensive, but has enough items to satisfy most appetites, and at $7.95 it is priced right.

The good thing is the buffet is constantly changing its entrees. Two dishes are always there, tandoori chicken and curry chicken, but the chef will change up other items.

On my most recent visit I had the opportunity to add a dish I had not had before. I ordered lamb saag, which is cuts of lamb in a creamed spinach with spices such as ginger, garlic, cumin and red pepper.

The lamb was very tender and the bite-sized chunks almost melted in my mouth. The spinach was smooth and not bitter at all, and with the spices, made me think I wasn’t even eating a vegetable I usually abhor.

On the buffet this day was chicken makhani (Indian butter chicken), which is a great dish. The boneless chicken is marinated with fresh herbs and spices and then mixed with a creamy yellow curry. It is served mild for the buffet crowd, but if ordered separately can be prepared medium or hot.

The vegetable samosas are a treat as well. The mashed potato and green peas-filled pastry is light and flaky on the outside. The lamb samosas are even tastier with fresh bits of lamb and herbs inside.

One experience I have not tried yet, but shall as soon as I can convince five people to go with me, is the khurzi lamb. It is a whole leg of lamb that is marinated overnight and then roasted with spices, chopped onions, ginger, garlic and homemade tomato paste.

I have had the restaurant’s other specialty, Kashmiri chicken, and my companion and I agreed it was a unique dish we would definitely order again.

Inside of a whole chicken is minced lamb and herbs, and the whole thing is then cooked in a secret sauce. It shouldn’t be missed.

There are also several vegetarian dishes available and many are meatless versions of the main menu.

The channa masala is one I really enjoy. It is cooked garbanzo beans with ginger and a cream-based sauce.

The saag paneer, which is cheese squares and spices with spinach, is also very good.

Recently the dining room was remodeled and is much brighter. The room was painted and colorful Indian murals have been hung on the walls.

There are more than 100 menu items at Mother India, and I haven’t tried them all, but it is certainly a goal — a worthy goal, indeed.

Address: 688 Baker St., Costa Mesa

Phone: (714) 668-9661

Cuisine: Indian

Specialty dish: Khurzi Lamb

Alcohol served: wine and beer

Dress: casual

Family friendly: Not unless they like curry and spicy food

Credit cards accepted: MasterCard, Visa, American Express

Rating: ***

JOHN REGER is the Pilot’s restaurant critic. His reviews run Thursdays.