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It was almost exactly 25 years ago that India Kitchen first opened its doors.

Owners Ajay and Rajul Gupta - an engineer and a psychologist, respectively - brought their ideas on fresh, authentic cuisine to Albuquerque in April 1982.

The small restaurant at Louisiana and Montgomery boulevards Northeast has seen thousands of hungry Albuquerqueans in those two-and-a-half decades. Not much in the way of food or philosophy has changed over the years.

We'd be hard-pressed to find a more respected or treasured restaurant in town. That much we knew.

But we thought this would be the perfect time to revisit "the longest-established Indian restaurant in New Mexico," as the Kitchen refers to itself.

Upon first entering the space, which seats, maybe, no more than 50 - some of whom sit on bed pillows on a wall bench - we were greeted by a silver banner: Happy 25th Anniversary, it said. (Another one hung above our table.)

Brightly colored fliers were stacked on the tables, offering a bit of India Kitchen history. (You'll be pleased to learn, for example, that the three Gupta sons, who at various times worked at the restaurant, are doing well.)

I tucked a flier into my purse. I was ready, at the time, to be distracted by the menu.

We began with an appetizer half combination platter ($3.95). Not only is this extremely inexpensive for the quantity (and quality), but it's a great way to introduce novices to Indian fare.

A large and lovely silver tray was soon before us, full of papadum wafers (which also accompany entrees), samosa, pakora, mathri and namkeem (which is sort of like a spicy trail mix).

I could have made a meal of the the samosa (a palm-sized veggie-stuffed pastry with chutney), but my craving for lamb won out. (My picky husband, for the record, preferred the namkeem - raisins and all.)

While we waited to place our orders, our eyes wandered around the room. Clearly, some decor is also celebrating its 25th anniversary. Other adornments, though, are classy, timeless and comfortable. (Some of the linens are also available for purchase.)

India Kitchen's lamb has proven to be some of the most succulent and savory in town. So when it came time, I ordered - and was not disappointed by - lamb saga, my Indian food vice.

The dish ($11.95) is made with marinated lamb, loads of spinach and slivers of onions. The entrees all come with a delicious and generous portion of rice, papadum and a bowl of yogurt and tamarind chutney.

My husband ordered chicken tikka masala ($9.95), a 3 on India Kitchen's 1-10 spiciness scale. (The lamb saga scored a 4.)

His dish, marinated chicken in a creamy tomato sauce, was safe and satisfying - probably the two most appealing words in my husband's gastronomic lexicon.

Several breads are on the menu, but we stuck with two orders of naan, one plain ($1.50) and one topped with cheese ($1.95).

While we normally scoop everything up with our naan, this time it sat on the side for most of our meal - the dishes being far too flavorful on their own to be toyed with. (Don't worry. No naan was wasted in the making of this review. It was wonderful the next day.)

On our way out, our bellies full and our meals only half-devoured, we tucked into the little nook of a marketplace near the front door, full of spices and wares.

We wondered whether we should attempt to replicate such culinary satisfaction at home.

Why bother? we decided. India Kitchen will be around for years to come.