By Charly SHELTON

A 40-year institution in Montrose has recently changed management and is enjoying a resurgence in popularity. India’s Flavor, 3303 N. Verdugo Road in Sparr Heights, has been serving up classic tastes from across India for more than four decades with in-house specialties and classic dishes alike.

CV Weekly was invited to try out many of the dishes offered at India’s Flavor and see for ourselves what everyone is talking about. Many locals know the restaurant from its lunch buffet, offered Monday to Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. But I sat down and was guided through the best-ofs by proprietor Romeo Rahman. He has taken over as the manager of the family-owned business and is adding his own touches to the long-standing favorites.

One of the newer items was a clear favorite of mine – the Bengal Chicken, aka RFC, Romeo’s Fried Chicken. This is one of the best iterations of fried chicken I’ve had in a long time. Asian fried chicken is having a moment right now and this is among top entries in the LA food scene, in my humble opinion. This combines classic East Indian flavors in a chicken cutlet, like Japanese katsu – breaded and crispy on the outside and deliciously juicy on the inside. The breading itself is delicately spiced with a blend of warming spices and when paired with the house-made Moja dipping sauce, it’s out-of-this-world good.

Among the many traditional dishes offered, the best seller is the chicken masala – and we can see why. The creamy spiced tomato-fenugreek sauce is incredible, subtle on heat but heartily spiced and complex. But as good as that is, the jalfrazi was my favorite dish of all. It’s straight comfort food. The blend of peppers, onions and potatoes in a deep green sauce of spices and herbs touches the soul in a warm embrace.

There are certain dishes in each culture that just taste like a warm hug from a kindly grandma – fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies, biscuits and gravy, chicken noodle soup, cheese arepas, red beans and rice, and so on – and that is what this dish was. The flavors were great, but it surpassed just the taste. It brings a warm fuzzy feeling that is hard to quantify and makes this something special.

Honorable mention goes to the Bengal Samosas, which are baked in-house rather than fried, and stuffed with minced chicken and a blend of Indian spices and herbs. They’re lighter than one might expect, yet still bring that satisfying, doughy texture beneath the crispy shell. And they are served with a dipping sauce flight including the aforementioned Moja sauce, alongside a tamarind sauce and a mint chutney.

India’s Flavor is open for lunch Monday-Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., which features its popular lunch buffet (kids eat for free), then for dinner from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Call (818) 957-5500 for more information.