Tamarind Bay

Last week we were in the mood for some Indian food, so we did some research and put together a list of possible restaurants to try. Posters on Chowhound recommended a few places in Cambridge, particularly Tamarind Bay, so we decided to give it a shot. Tamarind Bay is located right in the heart of Harvard Square on the corner of JFK and Winthrop Street. I had never heard of this place but apparently, Zagat awarded Tamarind Bay the highest rating for food among Indian restaurants in the US this past year. The Boston Globe and Boston Phoenix also recognized Tamarind Bay as one of the best new restaurants of 2004.

Eric and Meat joined me for the lunch buffet, which Tamarind Bay offers everyday. The buffet includes about five or six main courses, various sauces and condiments, and as much nan bread as you can eat. It’s a decent spread of food, although I was expecting there to be a few more dishes for some reason. For only $8.95, I guess you really can’t complain.

Of all the dishes, the tandoori murgh was my favorite. Chicken pieces were first marinated in yogurt, paprika, and nutmeg and then baked in a clay oven. The chicken really picked up the flavors of the seasoning and tasted a bit smoky. The only thing I did not particularly like was having to detach the meat from the various bones, which got a little messy.

Some of the other dishes included basmati rice, achari murgh, aloo mutter curry, bhindi masala, and dal tadka. The achari murgh was another chicken dish I believe, although this time the meat was a little on the tougher side and the flavoring was different. It was cooked in Indian Pickle spices and finished in a dark red sauce. It was quite spicy I might add as well. The aloo mutter curry was much more mild and agreeable to my palate – potatoes, onions, and green peas were stewed together in a yellowish, curry sauce. The bhindi masala was an okra dish, and the dal tadka, which is a Northern Indian specialty, was soft lentils fried in some onion, coriander and cumin.

We finished the meal with the dessert soup shown above. The main ingredients were likely coconut milk and sugar. It was slightly sweet and reminded us of the tapioca soups served at the end of meals at Chinese restaurants. The soup was served luke-warm, though it probably would have been more refreshing if it had been chilled.

I really love buffets in general, and I always take the opportunity to get my money’s worth and eat to my heart’s content. I do not eat Indian food that often, but for what it’s worth, I thought the quality of the food was quite good.