Second Bite Review, December, 2011

More Tandoor

The Marriott Northeast has changed their Indian restaurant’s name from Tamarind to Tadka, after a type of cooking technique. This was a smart move, since many confused the Marriott’s eatery with Tamarind Beijing, an independent restaurant in Shangdu SOHO. Despite the name change, the same standards of high quality food and service remain.

The interior is still the same, with lavish, bright colors and comfy, rounded booths. The open kitchen is the main attraction, lined with huge, oval-shaped tandoor ovens showcasing the authentic cooking methods. We were happy to see our long-time favorite—the murgh malai kebab (¥88)—still on the menu. This chicken kebab is simple, with clean and bold flavors, lightly infused with cream cheese, finely chopped chilies and cardamom. The lasooni jhinga (¥168) is a delicate seafood starter of giant king prawns marinated in a hot yellow curry flavored with fried garlic.

The butter chicken (¥98) here is juicy and delicious, tandoor cooked in a creamy tomato gravy with dried fenugreek leaves. The spice is not too overbearing, and the slight piquant flavor builds on your tongue with each bite. For vegetarians, we recommend the palak paneer (¥58), a savory spinach puree with cottage cheese cubes that’s perfect for dipping the savory naan breads. The lamb dum biryani (¥108) looks like a huge bread cake, but once you break through the top layer of dough, you reach a bed of basmati rice mixed with lamb and accompanied with a yogurt sauce. We also highly recommend having the aam ki lassi (¥38) with your meal. These homemade churned yogurt smoothies are perfect for refreshing your palate from all the different spices.

Sarah Ting-Ting Hou