Review: Spice Up Mealtime at The Curry Club

Zagat-rated restaurant The Curry Club in Setauket is a promising find for those looking for authentic Indian food. The restaurant serves up both traditional Indian selections as well as Southern Indian fare.

Upon being seated papad was placed on the table in a basket. Papad is a thin, cripsy flatbread that resembles the texture of the thin cracker. Server Ravi explained that papad is a traditional Indian flatbread made from yellow lentil dough and must be made by hand and then baked under the sun. The papad served in the restaurant is cooked at homes in India and then sent to the restaurant in America.

To start off this meal was an appetizer of vegetable samosas, with a thick, crusty shell shaped like an oversized dumpling that was very tasty. The filling was very dense and creamy and made with highly spiced potatoes and peas. The spice of the samosas was not in any way overbearing, and complemented the natural sweetness of the peas perfectly.

For an entree, try the chicken tikka masala, which can be ordered with the diner's choice of chicken, lamp, goat, beef or shrimp. The tikka masala is cubed chicken simmered in a creamy tomato sauce with fenugreek (an Indian herb). The sauce was extremely creamy and fragrant with just a hint of spiciness, and the chicken was tender and simply melted in your mouth.

The naan bread, a traditional leavened bread, was light, flaky, and extremely soft; dip the naan into the tikka masala's tomato sauce for an extra treat. The light, buttery flavor of the naan was far less complex than the rest of the meal, but quite enjoyable just the same. The lemon and herb rice was bursting with the flavor of lemon and was highly seasoned with Indian spices. The rice was also filled with yellow lentils, poppy seeds, and small pieces of black licorice.

The mysore masala dosa, a Southern Indian dish, was an enormous rolled, flat crepe made of rice and lentils. The crepe was filled with potatoes in a highly spiced masala. The first bite into the crepe proved it was as delicious as it appeared, with a light and crispy texture and an almost buttery taste. The potato filling, however, was not for the faint of heart and was highly spiced to the extreme both with peppers and various spices.

The mango lassi was a welcome addition at this point. A mango lassi is a traditional Indian smoothie made with mangoes and served in a tall glass with ice. The coolness of the lassi coated the palate and stripped away the spiciness of the mysore masala.

For the perfect ending to the meal, try the Indian rice pudding (Kheer) garnished with pistachios, which was cold, creamy, and extremely fragrant.

For those who have not tried Indian food, don't shy away. The servers at The Curry Club are all extremely informative and knowledgeable, and will explain each and every dish in detail.

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