Review of King of Tandoor: Thumbs up!

Charles and I got take out from King of Tandoor, the new Indian restaurant on Flatbush today and are pleased to report that it takes like actual Indian food. Hurray! Taking advantage of the 50% discount, we ordered 3 entrees - mushroom shaag, vegetable jalfrezi, and reshmi kebab - as well as some chapati and papadum. (We would have ordered naan but the oven for baking it hadn't arrived yet.) 

The papadum was perfect. The mushroom shaag tasted like mushroom shaag, which is to say, it was good (a little less cream than Charles was used to but a stronger spinach flavor; possibly could have used a touch more salt). The chicken in the kebabs was a bit dry but the flavor of the marinade was good. The jalfrezi was a mix of pepper, potato, carrot, broccoli, cauliflower and zucchini. The vegetables still had some snap and the sauce was good with some heat. Regarding the heat of the dishes, Charles didn't find it very spicy, but he likes it spicy. Their default is a bit hotter than most Indian restaurants in New York. If you like it mild, I'd make sure to say so.

As for the atmosphere, King of Tandoor isn't much to look at. The decor was plain, cheap and inoffensive but displayed by lights so bright, it was as if we'd walked into a drug store. The place wouldn't look so bad if they dimmed the lights. 

It took a long time to get our order but I'd chalk that up entirely to opening day. Between the first day crowds and the 1/2 price meals, the kitchen and staff were overwhelmed. (Charles is pretty sure he saw a guy leave without paying because it was ambiguous as to whether he was being comped because of a very long wait - and there was nobody to take his money anyway.) A commenter on our earlier post mentioned that the discount was for dine-in only but that wasn't the case for us. Maybe mention the discount up front?

As the pace slows down, the front and back of the house should work out the kinks. We'll be back after the crowds calm down and give a follow up review. We're happy to say that the signs are good that we have a solid new restaurant in the neighborhood. 

Comments

[Jeanne]

We ate here tonight. Or rather attempted to eat at the restaurant. After one hour waiting for our food I had to take the baby home and my husband stayed behind to get the meal takeout. Excellent food. We got the chicken kurma, samosas, chicken tikka masala, chana shaag, and something else I can't remember. The lights actually are on a dimmer! We witnessed it. Half way through our wait they cranked the lights way up for some reason. I told my husband I felt like I was in a hospital waiting room. Despite the floodlights we'll certainly be frequent customers here. Great addition to the neighborhood.

[widget]

I ordered delivery last night, and it was ridiculously slow... we placed our order at 6:20, and had to call 3 more times to follow up before the food finally arrived at 9:30. They were apologetic though, and gave us food for free, which we appreciated. Everything was quite tasty when it finally did arrive. We especially liked the chicken rogan josh and aloo "motor" gobi.

I will definitely give them the benefit of the doubt that it was a opening night glitch, and give it another try!

[Big Scott]

I ordered there for Lunch and didn't have any of the problems you're all mentioning. They're probably overwhelmed by the positive response. I was a little sad they because they didn't have any Naan ready but I thought the food was good and well priced.

[Gary]

We ordered this evening and the food arrived in 10 minutes!!!

In brief very good, some dishes (Alu Moto Gobi, Chicken Tika Masala) needed more oomph and flavor, some (Lamb Dansik, Polak Ponir) were real good, Somosa was well cooked but again could use a bit of spice, all portions were large (except the nan - which also could have baked a bit more) and they all arrived hot. We will be ordering again, no doubt.

[Matt]

We just went and were very happy with the place. Attentive service (I'd guess there were at least 5 people covering our table), very friendly, and the food was great. We had Muttar Paneer and Mushroom Saag, both good. They needed more spice, but that can be easily fixed. It was a good sign that both the peas and mushrooms were fresh, not canned or frozen. Just ask for spicy several times and the message will get through. The bollywood movies were a nice bit of color in the background, and the BYOB was a great thing in my opinion. Why spend $30 for a $15 bottle of wine when you can carry it from home? This place is a really welcome addition to the neighborhood, and is just as good as any of the places on curry row in the East Village. I'm going to be eating at this place every week.

[Michael]

My girlfriend and I got takeout twice already. Once on opening day - a mess, but the food was fine and we gave them the benefit of the doubt. A second time on Tuesday, the food was much better and quicker (20 minutes) (mushroom shaag and vegetable jalfrezi) I asked them to make the jalfrezi spicy and if they did, I couldn't tell. Otherwise, its a welcome addition to the neighborhood - nothing amazing but a good option to have.

[brn442]

Ate there when they just opened, the food was up to par. After all - it's hard to screw up a curry although Ali's Roti Shop does so on a regular basis. The service was decent albeit rather distant. The beverage selection was unforgivingly basic. Hopefully, they'll get their liqour license soon, assuming they applied for one. Those mood killing lights weren't there when I ate but I did see it walking by - awful indeed.

[Charles Star]

Our more recent foray wasn't as positive. We ate in and found the Chicken Tikka Masala cloyingly sweet and the daal almost flavorless (not to mention that they brought us the wrong daal).

On the other hand, the chana saag was excellent, the naan oven is open for business, the lighting was turned down to a comfortable level and the service was very friendly, particularly to our toddler (who made a bit of a mess).

As for the lack of a liquor license, brn, you should consider that a blessing in disguise and run across the street and pick up some cold beer at a bodega for 1/3 of the typical restaurant price.

[Rene]

I ordered take out at King of Tandoor after reading your great review. I ordered lamb curry, naan, veg. samosas and rice. I told them to make the lamb curry mild. Overall it was good. I didn't like the rice it had a sweet taste to it and didn't taste fully cooked. The samosas were good but very, very spicy. The naan was delicious and just right.
I agree the decor is boring but its nice to have a sit down restaurant in the neighborhood and a different type of restaurant. Now all we need is a good thai spot and I'm good.

[Aaron]

I just ordered take-out and got the baingan barta and garlic naan. It wasn't quite ready when I walked in so they hooked me up with some mango lassi which was awesome of them since it's so hot.

Maybe it's just me, but the barta tasted slightly milder than average, so I'll have to ask for it with more kick next time. But it was wonderfully rich and delicate without being overly greasy, so definitely thumbs up. The naan was quite large, fluffy and crispy all at once, and they definitely mean business with the garlic.

I'm sorry I waited this long to give the King a shot and it'll definitely be high on my list of take-out options.

[Tim]

Outstanding take out. Dishes seem prepared with thought and care. Lemon zest in the masala is outstanding. Sauces are brilliant, particularly the cilantro chutney.