The sometimes perplexing decision about where to go out to eat is made easier by the following simple criteria. Is the food good? Is the dining environment — food, ambiance and service — worth the trip? With these in mind, let’s turn our attention to The Mynt, an Indian restaurant in Sunnyvale.

Is the food tasty? Yes.

Is the dining environment, taken in sum, worth the trip? No.

Don’t get me wrong, the food here is pretty good. The veggie samosas (sorry carnivores, only vegetarian samosa available) are worth ordering, especially as they come with multiple pieces and can be easily shared with the table. For those seeking a sampler platter, the Tandoori Hors D’oeuvres gets the job done, consisting of chicken, prawns and kebob.

The menu is long, listing tandoori sizzlers, chicken ‘n egg “classics,” lamb and seafood. While the restaurant doesn’t give you free naan, it does provide a wide list of hot bread and rice selections from which to choose.

The Signature Special section of the menu lists pre-plated (read: in a warming tray) that are ready shortly after one orders. Options here include lamb, chicken, veggies and lobster.

An interesting feature of the restaurant is that its color scheme matches symbols in its menu. Particularly, according to the menu, the symbols correspond to items which were “analyzed and adjusted” by San Jose State University’s Nutrition Department to conform to guidelines for South Asian heart health.

Moving from the food on to the dining environment, The Mynt’s ledger is mixed at best. While the wait staff is nice and responsive, my dining experience, at least, was marred by a couple of service errors. First, I was served the wrong dish. We had ordered samosas and received chaat. The staff was nice enough to correct this, but it shouldn’t have happened at a place that charges $12 to 16 per entrée. The second error was that I was served a dirty plate as I awaited my entrée. Again the staff was responsive, but this just shouldn’t happen.

The mixed experience was compounded by the noise-level in the restaurant. Parts of the eatery are so loud that the racket all but inhibits conversation (read: understanding) between the waiter and the table. Conversation between you and your dining partner can also be greatly hampered by these noise factors. To beat this, go towards the section of the eatery with lower ceilings, as it seems to be quieter (or less notably noisy).

There are a good number of Indian eateries within a much closer proximity than The Mynt and with comparable food. But if you happen to be in or around Sunnyvale and have a hankering for Indian food, The Mynt is not bad. It’s just not worth the half-hour trip from the Stanford campus.

The Mynt is located at 5210 Prospect Road in San Jose and is open for lunch and dinner.