Curry on at Cardamom

Ok, so I saw the awning change on the old Famous Hamburgers spot in the Courtyard Shopping Center on Plymouth road, and thought "oh great, another restaurant doomed to failure, I can't wait to be constantly disappointed by it or think it's just meh (like Saica and Lucky Kitchen, the latter of which I order often because of price/consistancy)."  Then I saw it was called Cardamom: Fresh Indian.  Great, another mediocre-to-good Indian restaurant in an area where it's doomed to fail.  It hadn't opened yet, and on Sunday, my fellow diner and I decided to check it out.

I was feeling Chinese, but something classier than take-out.  He was like "let's get Indian at this new place, come on dude..."  I was kicking and screaming against it all the way to the door, and I was the one driving.  We get out and walk in the door to happen upon the most fragrant scent I've ever experienced at a restaurant.  Gone are the white and red booths and extremely bright diner lights, and in with a new sleek upholstery on the booths and real, honest to Hoyle tables and chairs.  The lighting was on a dimmer switch, and this place felt like they kicked up the class.  I felt underdressed in my hockey jersey and jeans, but would go back in such attire because of how open the servers made me feel.

We ask for a table for 2, at 8:00 on a Sunday night.  We waited 15 minutes for a table, and every single seat in this 20 table restaurant was filled.  There were 4-5 parties behind us, pushing out the door.  The striking part of our experience was then the menu.  For such a small place, they had an extensive classic and original Indian menu.  We each got a unique curry, and got it spicy, and witnessed what the tables next to us (almost in our laps... it is a little cramped in there.  They have a patio, but it was raining that day pretty hard) had taken to them.  I also ordered an unsweetened iced tea.

The tea took a half an hour to get to me, but trust me when I say the wait is worth it.  They use Sri Lanken black tea for their iced tea, and it was better than most hot tea I've had in this town.  My friend tried it, and we both agreed it was hands-down the best iced tea we've had in Ann Arbor.  About a half an hour later and observations of the other tables' food being brought one at a time, and we had our food.

I am harsh about service, and service is one of my main criteria when I'm dining at a restaurant I've never eaten at before.  That being said, when I say that the service time was forgiven, I do not say that lightly.  I worked through the Mani soft open, and the ONLY leeway I give to a restaurant on service times from the kitchen is when a place is just opening for their first couple weeks.  We counted (because the kitchen is open like a burger place/diner) the tickets, and there were 9 ahead of us.  Our waiter informed us later in the meal that it was their third day open.

We ordered two curries to share, and the Chicken Momos.  They were out of the Momos because they only prepped for 3 restaurant turnovers.  We were apparently part of a harsh fourth turn, which is INSANE considering the location and size of this place, as well as the lack of advertising.  The curries we ordered were the Lamb Saag and the Karahi Goat.  They were served with basmati rice, and bread portions are an extra charge.  The Lamb Saag was made with fresh spinich and tomatoes, curry spices, and a touch of yogurt (which added to the flavor but didn't ruin the texture like most yogurt in curry does).  The Karahi Goat was described as the "dish that made my father-in-law love goat."  It was unique for sure for someone who had never had goat, and it was made with cardamom, curry spices, fresh tomatoes, onions, mint, cloves and ginger.

We waited almost an hour total for our food, and upon seeing other dishes like the Tikka Masala and a rice dish native to Andhra Pradesh called Biryani, as well as tasting our food, we decided that not only was the wait worth it, but it changed our perspective on Indian food.  Once before I've had food that has ruined all other food of the same type for me, and that's the Calimari at Mani, and there's even a secret pizza named after me.  This curry was so delightfully spicy and perfectly cooked that it blew away everything I've had in Ann Arbor before.  The spice was outstanding on how hot it was without making you lurch for the water.  The vegetables and meat, goat and lamb, were fresher than anything that I've had almost anywhere in the state of Michigan.  I felt insulted by every other Indian restaurant that served me "Indian food" before coming to Cardamom.  Every bite was a treat, and we almost licked the serving plates clean.

Then the waiter came by and dropped the check.  They don't serve alcohol (yet? maybe ever, knowing how hard it is to get a license in this town), and he struck my iced tea off the bill because of how long it took to get us our food.  It was $15/person plus tip, a steal for food of this quality.  I can not recommend this restaurant enough.  I believe that the quote was "if all the other Indian restaurants in this town were to disappear tomorrow, nothing of value would have been lost."  And I like Raja Rani and Shalimar.  Then, upon researching the owner, he used to be the chef at Shalimar, named Binod Dhakal.

This is where I say drop everything.  Go, go now.  It's on north campus and sucks to get to if you don't have a car, but it's worth the trip.  I told my friend "I'm glad you twisted my arm into coming here."  Support them, because a long non-student season is coming up for the next four months, and they're in their infancy.  The menu is extensive, and I'll be back to sample everything on it because my new apartment is walking distance from it.  I don't say that lightly, but this place was great.

Quality: 6/5
Value: 6/5

Seriously, it's that good, and it will change you on Indian food, even if you don't care for it as a genre.

-C

Cardamom: Fresh Indian
1739 Plymouth Road
Courtyard Shops
Ann Arbor, MI