Hoboken doesn't really need more hip restaurants - don't you wish they'd just plunk a Wendy's on Washington Street? - but the Karma Kafe exudes a cool, instant karma. Maybe too cool this time of year. Stay clear of the tables nearest the door, or you'll get a wintry blast every time someone walks in.  

The décor and style at this Indian restaurant is New Delhi meets SoHo - glass-topped tables set over colorful replicas of Rajasthan window frames, five-seat bar, tables set claustrophobically close. Waiters are far from New York snobby, and can, in fact, be quite friendly. But on both our visits they asked for our orders before we had time to skim, much less read, the menu.  Order a Taj Mahal beer, a mango lassi (a fruit and yogurt frappe), nimbu pani (lemonade) or one of the colorful cocktails, and try not to eavesdrop on the conversation of the couple at the adjacent table. (Good luck.)  

A vegetable samosa - stuffed crispy triangular pastry ($4) - boasted a flaky shell, but the filling of potatoes and peas produced a "kind of bland" result, according to Katie, a colleague. But the sauces served with the complimentary basket of pappadam (a crispy, wafer-thin bread), especially the mint-infused green sauce, will have you dipping.

There was an odd moment when the waiter brought a dish he identified as chicken curry. When we countered that we ordered chicken Madras (chicken in spicy sauce, $11), he corrected himself and said it indeed was chicken Madras. Not entirely convinced, we nevertheless kept the dish.  

The kabob sampler (chicken tikka, chicken ginger and lamb, $8) is a good entry-level course in Indian food. Likewise the Karma Kafe tandoor medley (chicken, lamb, seafood and vegetables with rice, $19), marinated in yogurt and spices and big enough for two. But the lamb tikki ($6) and veggie tikki ($4) - lightly breaded cutlets seasoned with herbs and spices - were dried out. A more pungent mango chutney would have helped matters.  

A head-spinning spiced tomato-garlic sauce enlivened the kofta makhani (mixed vegetable dumplings, $9). Another good, more subtle vegetable dish: chana palak (chickpeas with spinach, coriander and mint, $9).  

If not quite a haven for the rich and famous, Hoboken is not exactly Cheap-Eats Central, which is why Karma Kafe's moderate prices are a welcome surprise. The tandoori chicken (four big chunks of chicken, with rice, $11) is one good value.  

Other entrees include chicken kali mirch (a tamarind and black pepper sauce, $11); achari lamb (a mustard seed and chili oil sauce, $13); Malabar vegetables (medley of assorted vegetables in a coconut sauce, $9), and crawfish vindaloo ($13).

One of the great pleasures of Indian food is one of the simplest - naan, the fluffy white-flour bread, here sublimely tender and puffy. Karma Kafe's varieties include plain naan ($2), garlic naan ($3), chicken tikka naan ($3.50) and the outstanding Peshawari naan, with raisins and nuts, ($3.50).  

Other appetizers and salads include bhel poori (crispy puffed rice, chickpea noodles, diced potatoes, onions and crisp crackers tossed in tamarind and mint chutneys, $4); wings haryali (chicken wings in a spicy yogurt marinade baked in the tandoor and served with a tangy mustard sauce, $6) and chicken tikka Caesar salad (chicken tikka strips, garlic croutons and Romaine lettuce, $6).  

The masala chai (aromatic spiced tea) fell short in the aroma and spice categories, but the mango sorbet ($4) is fruity-smooth and refreshing. Other desserts include shrikhand (saffron-flavored yogurt garnished with almonds and pistachios, $4), kulfi (pistachio ice cream, $4), and kheer (rice pudding, $4).