A Peachy's Pick Since 2012, Tamarind Spring 2018 Our Coverage Sponsored by Fresh Origins @microgreens
Divanshu Malhotra GM and Executive Chef, Santokh Dhenjan who started at Tamarind in 2013. Even when Avtar is not there, they are at their best!
Chicken Biryani, Peachy's favorite Indian food, adorned with microgreens!
Jumbo Prawn Special the night we visited-Bhagrey Ghinga
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Manhattan is the land of excellence for every discipline. Everyone who wants to be the best in their field comes here and makes it, or not. Nine years into doing Whom You Know, we are grateful for our readers! Have we made it?! For restaurant owners, Manhattan is the land of picky eaters, ridiculous expectations of uneducated diners who may post something not nice online, and even more ridiculous rising rents. Manhattan is different, and it is true, if you can make it here, you can make it anywhere.
Few places achieve the level of service and quality cuisine that Tamarind by Avtar Walia achieves, and we experienced it again early this year. We really missed owner Avtar Walia, but have every confidence we will see him again soon. Here he is with Peachy at his last review in 2015:
Tamarind has been a Peachy's Pick Since 2012:
Note if a review is published and we do not indicate the restaurant is a Peachy's Pick, it is because we have not worked with them long enough to be convinced of their level of excellence.
It is undoubtedly better to be a Peachy's Pick. We want to see a high level of consistency over time and we do not think a lot of the one-hit wonders.
One of Peachy's pet peeves is when a restaurant does not bring water with lemon vertically sliced in quarters. No problem, Tamarind knows exactly what to do-see the lemon water above, and since we did not work with Avtar this time, every member of his staff rose to the occasion. This does not happen at every restaurant! We were entertained by Steve Cuozzo's Pet Peeves recently published, and here are Peachy's from last summer, and the earlier ones.
We have zero complaints about the service at Tamarind ever. We particularly like the hot towel and think more restaurants should do that. It is not a lot of effort for the restaurant and the diner enjoys it and finds it memorable.
Avtar wins for best Facebook profile picture among all restaurant owners:
Also, you should know that Tamarind has the best wine list we have seen at an Indian restaurant in New York. You know our pal Ashok Bajaj has amazing wine lists down south (Washington DC!) at Rasika and The Bombay Club. If you are serving food, you need a smashing wine list!
We began with some lovely specials, suggested by Tamarind. Meet the Bhagrey Ghinga shrimp: jumbo prawns tempered with curry leaves and mustard seeds, finished in a light creamy tomato sauce. Smooth and delicious, it set a wonderful precedent for the level of excellence to come. Below, meet Crispy Cauliflower. It luxuriates in a tangy garlic tomato sauce and its proper name is "Lasuni Gobi" meaning Garlic Cauliflower in Indian. It is perfectly crisp and battered every day.
The appetizer Peachy Deegan chose was the Tamarind Scallops:
They are gorgeous, dahling, and we never edit the pictures. You are as great as Avtar, or you are not.
Scallops in particular are difficult to order out because we find that lesser venues up and down the East Coast can serve slimy older scallops. We don't write on them but FYI Peachy did have food poisoning for a week earlier this year. The Scallops at Tamarind are FRESH and FABULOUS. We can taste the level of freshness even if you spice them up, the spice will not hide old seafood tastes. These were sourced from the great Commonwealth of Massachusetts and are pan-seared with tumeric, garam masala, poppy seeds and lemon juice. These boast a pronounced elevated flavor especially with the lemon zest factor. Tamarind changes 20% of their menu seasonally as they are smart and competitive.
Chicken Biryani are the magic words if you want a good review from Peachy. It is her favorite Indian food.
It is served dry, and Peachy ate it dry for a long time because she is super American. She only has eaten Indian at all for a few years and never put any gorgeous spread on her rice before. However, if you also open your mind and tastebuds to the way the natives eat this, you too will be delighted by the wonderful creamy spread of Cucumber Raita made fresh every day. Note that this is the only Chicken Biryani that we have seen sport microgreens so we hope to see more of this by everyone!
Thought goes into presentation at Tamarind.
That's Dover Sole in there!
Tamarind's Seafood selection is strong, and the Dover Sole is baked in a clay pot and layered with whole spices and pasanda sauce. Spices are ground three times a week and the filet is enhanced by tomato, cashew, and a creamy sauce with a hint of saffron. The Dover Sole is sourced from the Port of Dover in England. Does everyone remember the India Hicks interview? Her grandparents were the last Viceroys of India which is how she got her name. We look forward to seeing her on tv at Harry's upcoming wedding we presume, as she was in the wedding party of Diana and Charles.
There is a bright richness to this dish.
The is the Jalpari salad. Basil shrimp, bean and radish sprouts, pea shoots, microgreens and honey and ginger dressing compose this bastion of freshness. Some Indian restaurants are lazy about their salad section of the menu, but not sophisticated Tamarind!
Under "Treasures from the Tandoor" you will discover Punjabi Tikhe Kabab.
Chicken can be boring. Not this chicken!
This chicken is super moist; chicken at Tamarind is typically marinated from six to eight hours. Maybe other places do not marinate long enough! The boneless chicken superbly soaks in yogurt, roasted whole spices, jalapenos, ginger and garlic to culminate in a superb flavor. The boneless white meat is hormone free.
A newer dish is the Tamarind Chili Murgh. Cornish hen is further enhanced by tamarind, chili, royal cumin, curry leaf, tomatoes, and onions. If you are a pheasant enthusiast your tastebuds will soar to new heights, like a Boston College eagle.
If you really know Peachy, you know she is a carbohydrate lover. The Garlic Naan, above, and the Wild Mushroom and Truffle Oil Naan, below are respectively total winners.
This one's for the vegetarians! Note there is a HUGE section of vegetarian entrees. This is Kalaikkose Pirattal: Brussel sprouts, curry leaves, dessicated coconut, and tamilian spices. The chef suggested this and also the following dish as they are new additions.
Farsvi Bhaji is also a new vegetarian specialty. Beans, dessicated coconut, caramelized onions, ginger and chili are finely chopped. As Peachy is a big fan of green beans, we liked this one even better. Vegetables are always a great idea even if you are not a vegetarian. Peachy is not a vegan, she is a DEEGAN.
Meet more of the fabulously moist chicken. After we visited venues after Tamarind we had to bite our tongue and not say to them "Your chicken is dried out compared to Avtar Walia's!" This dish was also suggested by the chef and it's called Tenakay Murgh. Boneless chicken, roasted coconut, madras spices and ginger give this the right amount of flavor without bowling you over in too much spiciness.
Do you recognize Chilean Sea Bass?! Hasiru Samudra proves that Tamarind is truly an elevated Indian restaurant. Chilean Sea Bass flavored with green chili, mint, coriander, and tomato kokum sauce is an exquisite rendition of sea bass celebrating a spectrum of flavor.
Note the evolution of how pretty your soup is at Tamarind in pictures:
Peachy's favorite is crab because she is wicked crabby. This is the best crab soup we have ever had! She crab meat, curry leaves, root vegetables and coconut rum will impress you immensely. The satin smoothness of the fabulous lump crab meat is perfection and you know that today is not really April 18th, it is January 96th because our Manhattan weather is still winter. You need this crab soup.
Black Forest Cake is the right answer for dessert.
Tamarind continues to be Highly Recommended.
