CLOSED: Amu's Madras Cafe

I'm going to avoid comparing this place to Nalapak (the previous business in its location) because there's no comparison at all and it deserves to be viewed uniquely.

I was greeted cordially when I came in and because I was ravenous and waiting for a friend who got held up I ordered the Vegetable Manchurian as a starter. My waiter was an unobtrusive fellow who also had a handle on just how much to show up at the table. He had it just right and was an entertaining character, too.

The large platter of Veg Manchurians melted in my mouth, one by one, as I waited for my friend, and were accompanied by endless, attentive, water refills. Seems like the staff maybe had been coached on making sure there's always enough water to quell heat, though the VMs were not hot at all. Their outer texture was almost crunchy, but more chewy, followed by the creamy, veggie delight in the middle. And oh...the perfect coating of caramely, tangy "barbecue" glaze they were bathed in. Little slivers of cucumber, tomato and lettuce garnished the plate and were a great balance for the heavy dumplings.
When my friend arrived we ordered some Dosai and a Potato Curry to share, the latter we asked to be made very spicy-hot. We made sure the waiter understood that we knew what we were asking and that we could handle the heat. I was hoping they'd believe us as my friend is indian and my creamy white skin usually doesn't help that wish get honored.

The dosai was crisp, perfectly fermented and tart-ish. The potato curry was disappointing, neither pumped with interesting flavor, nor spicy-hot in the slightest, though there were some sauteed red chilis stacked on the side for our use.

Overall I really like this place. It seemed clean, orderly, relaxed and the employees appeared genuinely friendly. I wish there would have been more ambience, though, like some folksy music from their country. I also think there's room for some special touches, like the delivery of a single bite of something sweet at the end of the meal, on the house. The decor could use a tiny bit of sprucing, too, but really the bare bones aspect works just fine if the other elements were enhanced a bit, this place could be really special.

I'll go back first chance I get.

We are not familiar with Indian Food. The staff was very helpful. We tried a variety of dishes that were interesting, flavorful, and filling, even for our teen-agers. We will definitely eat here again. We plan on bringing friends.

Update on November 8. We brought family and Amu's was a big hit. My 70+ mom, who rarely tries unusual food, really enjoyed the restaurant and is now recommending it to other people. She found the food tasty, filling and a good value. Believe me! There is no bigger or better accomplishment than to impress her!

Try Amu's!
Updated from previous review on Friday October 22, 2010