It's only fair that each community in southeastern Connecticut has a reliable Indian restaurant. After all, each town has 26 reliable pizza/grinder restaurants, so at least one nearby Indian joint isn't too much to ask.

New London has the very fine Northern India. Groton boasts Mirch Masala. There's A Taste of India in Mystic and ... and ... Well, maybe there plenty of area towns that don't have their own Indian outlet.

But Norwich is no longer one of them. The perhaps oddly named India Grill & Mild Curry, a shoebox spot tucked into a Main Street strip mall next to Dairy Queen, offers some trustworthy and solid options.

White table cloths and a standing pitcher of ice water are nice touches, and our smiling server presented two poppadoms and a triumvirate of welcome condiments: a mint chutney, a tamarind chutney, and a tomato/onion relish. All were fun, but the relish had a delightful sneaky heat, and the mint chutney was some of the best I've had, with a velvety after-finish that lingered pleasingly.

For her appetizer, my wife, Eileen, ordered vegetable samosas ($3.95) and received two medium-sized triangles of dough filled with tiny cubes of carrots, potatoes, peas and corn. She'd anticipated a crispier crust and otherwise found the dish bland.

I tried a bowl of Mullgatawny soup ($3.95), and the tumerac-happy offering - the color of Pittsburgh Steeler pants - wasn't the thick-broth variety I'm used to. As well, the breast meat chicken was shredded instead of cubed. But its flavor was tangible, along with a nice variety of similarly minced vegetables, and the overall flavor was gradually seductive. By the end of the bowl, the spoon was motoring to my mouth as though powered by the hydraulic motor on an oil derrick.

For entrees, the menu offers vegetarian, chicken, lamb and seafood "specialties," tandoori, kebobs, and traditional rice-based biryani dishes.

On our first visit, E chose a dish she'd never tried before, Vegetables Biryani ($9.95). Toothsome, long grained rice was topped with an amalgam of carrots, peas, green pepper, onion, green beans, zucchini and potatoes - all sauteed in a buttery sauce sporting hints of turmeric, cumin, coriander, cardamom and cinnamon. On top? Crunchy slivers of cashews and almonds. It was a fine introduction to a new dish, though she warns that, after heating up a leftover portion on day two, the heat quotient increases significantly.

The menu description of Chicken Paatia ($10.95) snared me at once: "Mild spiced chicken cooked in tomatoes and herb spices with touches of mango and lemon juice." As with all India Grill entrees, the dish comes with a heaping bowl of fragrant jasmine rice. (Note to wannabe restaurant reviewers: "fragrant" is by law the only adjective allowed before "jasmine rice.")

There were plenty of hunks of tender and seasoned chicken swimming in a dark and aromatic gravy with bits of surface mango. It was a perfectly pleasant meal, but I didn't detect any lemon presence and I would have liked more mango.

We also split an order of wonderful nan, hot and glistening with a light touch of oil, which was a perfect contextual component to our dining experience.

Lunch specials at India Grill are a bargain. I explored Shrimp Tandoori Masala ($7.95) and was rewarded with plenty of large crustaceans in a mellow tomato sauce thickened by cream. There was a nice spice presence without too much actual heat. Very nice.

Eileen tried an old favorite, Saag Paneer ($6.95), and was impressed - both by the flavor as well as a slightly different take than she's used to. The India Grill version has a sauce that's a bit thinner and provides a greater saturation of the rice. The cheese cubes were perfect in their piquant chewiness, and the overall presence of garam masala and cumin sparkled happily.

Folks in Norwich have a compelling new restaurant option.

India Grill & Mild Curry

276 West Main St., Norwich

(860) 887-5555

Cuisine: Representative Indian

Atmosphere: Quiet, mellow, narrow place with two rows of tables, dark khaki walls and framed posters of, yes, images such as the Taj Mahal and also a tiger

Service: Not many customers on two visits, and our server was quick, polite and efficient

Hours: Mon.-Thurs. 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Fri. and Sat. 11 a.m.-10:30 p.m., Sun. 11 a.m.-9:30 p.m.

Prices: Appetizers, salads and soups $3.50-$9.95; lunch specials $6.95-$7.95; specials and entrees $8.95-$16.95; breads, sides and desserts $1.50-$8.95

Handicap access: Curb from parking lot. Once inside, diners have to go all the way down a narrow corridor and then turn back into the dining room proper.

Credit cards: All majors