Preet's in Redmond is an Indian vegetarian treat

Mention Punjab Sweets, and you'll have hordes of foodies salivating. When the Indian bakery and snack shop opened in 2001 in Kent, the joint quickly earned a cult following. Even after it expanded with a lunch and dinner menu, its fans longed for more.

Well, they got their wish. One of the Punjab Sweets family members has opened a full-scale restaurant, Preet's, on the Eastside.

The menu: Don't expect lunch buffets. Preet's in Redmond serves northern-style Indian vegetarian food featuring entrees with curried chick pea flour, garbanzo beans and cauliflower. But it's not light fare. Plenty of deep-fried and pan-fried starches, such as potato, are served in buttermilk-based and other rich sauces. There also are lots of grain and dairy products, as is tradition with Punjabi cuisine.

What to write home about: Kadhi, curried chick peas soaked in a milky sauce, had a subtle spiciness that nicely rounded out the rich dish. The crispy flatbread stuffed with daikon radish, mooli parotha, was one of the best I've tasted in this area. Mulai Kofta, vegetable balls drenched in curry sauce and served with white rice, also was excellent and remains one of the most popular entrees.

What to skip: The appetizers. Most snacks on the "Sampler" dish — potato patty (aloo tikki), breaded cheese square (paneer pakoray) and fried vegetable fritters (vegetable pakoray) — were too salty. Papdi chaat — Indian-style nachos with deep-fried wafers, tamarind sauce and garbanzo beans — arrived greasy and soggy.

The setting: Loud, well-lit and jovial, Preet's is a popular hangout with the Indian work force from Microsoft. The décor is modern, with '90s rock blaring from the speakers.

Summing up: The bill for two appetizers; a large, stuffed flatbread; two curry entrees (which included rotis and yogurts); and a mango lassi came to $37.25 before tax — enough food for three people. Preet's isn't as good as Punjab Sweets, but it's still one of the better Indian vegetarian comfort-food restaurants on the Eastside.

Tan Vinh: 206-515-5656 or tvinh@seattletimes.com