We decided to meet some vegan friends who live in Warren at India’s East Bay incarnation because that would solve location and food issues, but it left me with other dilemmas. How do you catch up with old friends and still pay attention to all the visual and olfactory stimulation from just sitting in this restaurant’s comfortably upholstered booths? And how do you concentrate on the many possibilities for dinner?

First, a look around: brightly colored wall-sized paintings of Indian people in urban settings, and near our table, a country tableau in subdued greens and browns. The more subtle earth tones are picked up in the booth and banquette fabrics, the long curtains that create a room divider and the polished wood tables. Near the entryway is a small waterfall sculpture that adds to the soothing yet lush atmosphere.

Like the décor, the food is layered with sensory experiences just as comforting as they are exciting. Perusing the appetizers, we realized we hadn’t had papri chat ($4) in a while, so that was our first choice, followed by aloo tikki ($3.50). Our friend Chris had the spinach and lentil soup ($3.50) and the vegetable samosas ($3), spicy turnovers with potatoes and green peas tucked inside. She enjoyed both.

Papri chat is a Bombay street food, consisting of crisp chickpea flour chips liberally dolloped with yogurt, tamarind chutney, chickpeas, and plenty of cilantro. It was as good as I remembered, though the portion seemed smaller (perhaps that was just my ravenous appetite). The aloo tikki was less successful, since the flavors surrounding this grilled potato patty, also tamarind chutney and chickpeas, with some green onions, did not overcome the potato’s blandness.

Other appetizers at India include spicy steamed mussels (enjoyed by neighboring diners), and chicken, lamb, or shrimp kabobs. The thought of those kabobs made Bill find the grilled specialties on the menu, which include the aforementioned kabobs on dinner platters, plus a swordfish option and veggie options, either grilled portobello, eggplant, or a combo of portobellos, cauliflower, broccoli, green peppers, red onions, and fresh tomatoes.

The grilled masala lamb chop kabobs ($14) caught Bill’s eye. These turned out to be four small chops that had been marinated and then grilled, and they definitely suited his fancy. But before he even got to them, he was exclaiming about the smokiness of the accompanying basmati (did it stand too close to the grill table?) and the grilled green pepper halves. Give Bill a whiff of smokiness in anything he eats, and he’s true to it for life.

I was deeply disappointed that the ravioli masala I’d been longing for are no longer on the menu,. So I began to skim the list, of curries, from mild to hot: saag (spinach-based); mango (a sweet and sour sauce that’s been a favorite in the past); masala (tomato- and cream-based with cardamom, fenugreek, and fresh cilantro); jalfrezi (chunky vegetables in a tomato-and-cumin sauce); and the taste-me-if-you-dare vindaloo (hot, hot, hot!).

Since I’d been dreaming about the masala sauce on the mushroom-filled ravioli, I chose that one, which came with the requested tofu chunks (chicken, lamb, shrimp, swordfish, scallops, or soy milk paneer are other add-ins). Attractively served on a ring of saffron rice, with green peas forming a colorful border, the tofu masala pressed enough herb and spice buttons to calm my distress over the missing ravioli.

Chris and her husband Barry also chose tofu-curries, he the saag, with no cream, and she the jalfrezi. Since India is one of a handful of places where they can eat out and actually order vegan foods, they were very pleased with their meals.

Bill and I had indulged in both garlic naan and honey/ginger naan with our dinners. These are like oven-baked pitas with various toppings, but neither of them seemed as strongly spiced as I remembered. Have some things at India been damped down to customers’ taste buds?

Certainly, the two desserts we tried, the rice pudding with almonds and cashews and the gulab jamon (milk dumplings soaked in a sugar syrup), also seemed sweeter than some versions I’ve had. But India is rightly famous for their mango ice cream with mango sauce. And also for their mango lassi, a drink that is a mix of yogurt and mango sauce, but which fills me up like a milk shake.

India does have a full liquor license for those who prefer wine or beer to accompany their meal. We were surprised to see that smoking is still allowed at the horseshoe bar, which is not physically separated from the rest of the dining area. Presumably, that will change on March 1, when new non-smoking legislation takes effect in Rhode Island. Until then, grab a booth seat and enjoy that jalfrezi.