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But the most original and inventive of the appetizers was an Indian street side snack elevated to a culinary level: vegetable Samosas served mango chatney, raisins and onions. The reinvention of this dish made it our definite favorite. The ambiance of the restaurant in uncomplicated, simple but attentive to details that make a dining experience not just dining. Silk saris serve as décor for the ceilings as yellow, thick tablecloths are held by heavy silverware. Cut banana leaves and folded heavy napkins decorated the side dishes and Indian music sets the tone.
The restaurant building was originally designed as a home and Ooloonthoo has worked with the existing space to create a home like feel and offering a bit more privacy in the smaller rooms.
Paul and Soden James, Oolonthoo's owners are conscious of community sensibilities and decided to stay closed on Saturday, a church day observed by many people in their West End neighborhood.Since opening their doors, over the last three months, the owners spent time fine tuning their menu and décor. Chef Paul James, a graduate of Canada's Stratford Chef School, changes the menu to match the local seasons of fruits and vegetables. The recipes are all original, compiled over time by Chef Paul during his three year sojourn in India. Rogan Josh, the crown jewel of the restaurant's menu and the "hottest dish in India," is not for the faint hearted. The super spicy leg of lamb's taste just builds and builds till you sweat. Courtesy of made from scratch curries.
The rescue can come in the form of room temperature served; white rice or naan- home, daily baked Indian bread. For the Indian food novices, Soden is there to explain the intricacies of every dish and steer them clear from spice overload.
Pork Vindaloo, a dish with Portuguese roots had a more subtle, still lively sweet taste. Eggplant with tomato, onion and garlic accompanied the main courses.
Indian dessert is especially difficult to prepare and can be overwhelmingly sweet to most pallets. Kheer- rum pudding and ice cream were too much for our indulging. We settled for a la carte - chai masala.
The cost to product ratio is great. Including tax and service our feast cost a reasonable Lps. 1,351, or $72. It is an authentic Indian food. Ooloonthoo offers a real Indian cuisine experience elevated by imagination and attention to detail.

To start things off, a bowl of complementary appetizers "with a punch" of fresh carrots, cauliflower and water chestnuts could be snacked on with a toothpick. A good tool to use, as the acidic spice can prove scorching hot.
Shrimp, grouper, pork, chicken or vegetarian can be the filling for acras, egg rolls, spring rolls and wantans that form the core of the menu. The result: transparent, super fresh spring rolls are crunchy; the shrimp acras were fried just right, retaining the elasticity of the meat. Three drops of the spicy sauce are like the "blood from the Alien movie," burning through metal and flesh. Handle with caution. Sweet and sour sauce is a better answer for most mortals.
With all thedelights, one can have trouble committing to just one. The answer to the dilemma is to order a Combo Platter and with a bit of everything. (Lps. 200-245)
For the main courses, we decided to try Mixao- a sensory delight (Lps. 190), and one of the menu's jewels. It's chicken and shrimp are served in a spicy ginger sauce, perched on top of a nest of deep fried noodles.
If you are into a more hands-on cooking experience, Blau Blau, or flaming hot pot of filet beef (Lps. 300 for two), should be your choice. The dish can be prepared for one person as well. The strips of beef, zucchini, shallots, orange pepper and Chinese mushrooms are presented and cooked to your satisfaction in a pot surrounded with flames of rubbing alcohol.
The presentation of the dishes was simple, but tasteful. Plates, silverware, even napkins are not exuberant, but certainly not skimpy. The setting isn't too fancy. The restaurant is nestled in between a dive shop and a souvenir store and the dining experience is reminiscent of an outdoor market: casual and funky. Batik tablecloths, space lit by candlelight and metal frame cloth clad lamps.
If we could add anything to the experience, it would be a bigger wine menu, or even a couple Vietnamese fruit shake drinks. We were told the espresso machine is on its way.
Desserts are not on the menu, but should not be missed. Flan, crème caramel and pineapple slice flambé were the evening's deserts. Even though we found the sliver of flan a bit bubbly, the pineapple stole the show: super sweet and rummy.
Most amazing of all… our bill was under 800 Lps., that's including two drinks and coffee. "Danh t? s? nhi?u, Mr. Richard." Or, should we just say "Merci?".

The coleslaw alone could feed a small German family and was mouthwatering good. Potato salad… with the creamy sauce, well heavenly I can tell how I like a roasted chicken by how ready I am to eat the skin. And the rainbow of browns made for an appetizing site. The chicken had great flavor, with the skin effortlessly peeling off. If the sauce is not enough one can always add it from a generous Cajun Seasoning bottle sitting at every table.
The flimsy plastic knife and fork are no help and your fingers will probably end up doing the work. It is in places like this I realize that I am a real carnivore. Within minutes a casual dinner at Rotisserie Chicken become a scene from M*A*S*H operating room. There was only a single wish after the meal: more napkins please.
A glance into the kitchen would qualm any sanitary concerns: everything is spotless clean.
Another good thing, you can always get a late night meal here as the restaurant stays open till 3am on weekends.
The place is relaxed, casual. But not a restaurant where you want to go on a first date. Unless you are both broke. Eating at the restaurant you are surrounded by real West End mix: Hawaiian shirts, bare feet, dive watches and dreadlocks. Lively dive instructors talking about relationships. The music comes courtesy of the lively Sun 107.
50 meters further under another almond tree you can cap off yor evening with an iced coffee. "Frozen Iguana" (sign pending) looks like yet another wooden shack with four wooden benches. With 30 Lps. to spare this was a perfect way to cap off the evening of juicy Germanic roast with a delicious iced coffee.
Bay Islands VOICE magazine awaits your suggestions how to most creatively and wisely spend your last 100 lempiras on a great meal and desert. Send us your ideas.

The made-from-scratch tempura batter was accompanied by honey to create a salty-sweet tasting combination. It was main course time and we saw duck. The last time we had seen this migratory bird on the Bay Islands was when it was flying over us, a very long time ago. The View could very well have the only duck featured on a restaurant menu in the Bay Islands. Chef Carl gets his duck meat from the US to create a selection of "flying" appetizers and entrées. Our Roasted ½ Duckling with Orange Tarragon Sauce (Lps. 270) came accompanied by piped mashed potatoes and a zesty salad.The smell of cinnamon surrounded the table as Cinnamon Beef Tacos (Lps. 110) arrived at the table. The tacos were a more affordable entrée choice offering just as much attention in presentation and taste. The white flower tortilla was fresh and fluffy and the cabbage topping gave the tacos a nice crunch.
Offering a nice touch of originality in tableware, a stone yaba-ding-ding served as the napkin weight on our table. Still, an upgrade in napkins would more accurately match the quality and originality of the food.
All deserts were affordably priced at Lps. 40. Our Banana Rum Cake with roasted peanuts was smooth and sweet. Two of them would make you fail the Roatan police breathalyzer test. The Island Lime Pie arrived decorated with honey and a slice of lime. It was sweet and almost a bit tart, but coffee mellowed the taste. The price for our feast for two came to a reasonable Lps. 750, not including service.
Chef Carl never quite got used to the wisecracks made by some cruise ship tourists about the restaurant's name. "The 'Even better View' restaurant could pop-out anytime," said Carl. Still, even the stunning view of Crawfish Rock and North Shore below can't distract the visitor from the originality and quality of the restaurant's cuisine.
A popular spot with a varied clientele, the restaurant can be packed on a weekday lunch and filled to the brim on a Friday night after-work. It is a varied, imaginative cuisine at an affordable price.