08/27/09

Don't Waste Your Money - Bad Food and Worse Service

by Tizzo

We went to Amma thinking it would be a jewel we can visit on a regular basis. We ordered some okra and chicken tikka masala with naan and basmati rice. The okra came in the style of shoe string fries and tasted like grass. Most Indian restaurants have chicken tikka masala as their signature dish, however, Amma's tasted like the chicken was raw and had a foul smell to it.

We spoke to the Manager who stared at us and made absolutely no attempt to bring an alternate dish or apologize for the food.

We strongly advise to stay away from this unpleasant restaurant with no concept of customer service. There are many many good Indian restaurants in the city to don't waste your money at Amma. They're also quite pricey and not at all worth it!

• Pros: None
• Cons: Bad Food Quality with No Taste and Worse Service to Indians

04/01/09

Indians not welcome

by kutchi

I've never been to amma, as a matter of fact, I live in Minneapolis and am tempted to visit it on my next visit to NYC, but from my observations and what looks like a trend in all of the reviews I've read, it looks as if though indians are not the target market; hence indians are treated rudely, and other bad experiences. I notice this every time I see an indian sounding name, email address, or even a clear statement that reads that "I'm an indian." (Reverse racism maybe?)

If this is the case then "fusion indian" amma is trying its level best to attract non-indian patrons and get them to accept their types of "indian foods."

After all whoever heard of the crazy dishes in authentic indian foods that use exotic fruits in in an entree without the heat.

How many indian homes make a "Kachumber" (salad) utilizing apples and pears? We even like our salads hot as hell!

Anyway, you indians know what I'm talking about, unfortunately for the non-indians you are being deceived to believe that us indians concoct such dishes in our homes or restaurants in India and call them " authentic indian food." There is no such thing. Either it is indian or it is not.

At best, this amma seems to portray itself as an upscale european/american restaurant with a flair by adding indian spices. I wouldn't call that very "authentic Indian." Would you agree?

• Pros: Non-Indians think this is authentic
• Cons: Indians not treated very well

02/07/09

Blown Away by the Food and Service!

by hubriis

We made a reservation at Amma during Restaurant Week. That said, we knew going into it not to have high expectations....boy, were we blown away by not only the food but the stellar, attentive service!

We started with the Tomato Rasam and Mughlai Chicken Shorba soups. The tomato soup had a wonderful afterburn and a terrific layering of flavors. The chicken soup was good, but lacked any real flavor other than chicken.

We chose the Cochin Crab Cakes (chef spices and ginger infused golden crusted patties) and Kesari Malai Tikka (chicken breast in saffron yogurt marination) appetizers and both were just wonderful. The crab cakes were light and packed with crab flavor and the malai chicken had a nice delicate flavor.

For our main course, we chose Stuffed Chicken Breast (garam masala, paneer onion tomato sauce) and Tandoori Lamb Chops (ginger garlic yogurt marination); both were served with naan, raita, Manchurian cauliflower and jackfruit biryani. The raita was fantastic! I really enjoyed the subtle spicing of the chicken and while I did not prefer the lamb (I just don't really like the flavor of some of the gamier meats) my beau declared it delicious. The other standout was the Manchurian cauliflower...we are always trying to come up with new and interesting preparations for cauliflower and this one was amazing!

We finished our meal with a trio of Kulfi and the mango cheesecake. I am a self-declared cheesecake connoisseur and the mango cheesecake was divine. The Kulfis were good as well, there was a trio of original (pistachio) flavor, strawberry and mango. While the fruit flavors were nice, I really loved the pistachio best.

We paired our meal with the optional wine flight which included a white, a red and a dessert wine. The staff was unfailingly gracious and attentive, and we truly felt as though we were their top priority. I would highly recommend Amma for great upscale Indian food.