Tarka: Restaurant review

It isn't very often, or likely, that we get an Indian restaurant in south Austin, so I was stoked when MrM informed me about Tarka. I think of it as in Indian Pei-Wei. Quick order, mix and match choices (pick curry style, then meat), and a decent splattering across the spectrum of Indian restaurant fare. It is in the cookie-cutter mughlai-punjabi genre of Indian food, but the food is rather yummy, is 5 minutes from home, and it is easy enough to take a toddler there. Nice patio seating, ideal for fall weather.

The best feature is their configurable spice levels: Mild, Medium, Hot. We get medium for everything. Rumor has it that hot is really hot. They also have an "extra hot" which they don't advertise and from talking to someone in the kitchen it appears they press that button if you are Indian looking and ask for Hot. I guess they figure you must mean Extra Hot.

So far I've tried their samosas, lamb saag, chicken tikka masala, mattar paneer and lamb biryani. Everything was delicious. On the so-so end was their ground lamb & chicken "shish" kabob. I guess I should have steered clear of any ground chicken stuff. I like my kabobs thick and juicy. This one was a thin, sad patty. The chicken pakodas from the kids menu are mild and tender. Good work! Chicken korma was tasty and not to forget, the lamb vindaloo was pretty good too. So, in all I give this restaurant lots of points for being delicious and close by. The food is all pretty creamy and heavy, so don't go here on a dieting day.

Inside seating area

Bar seating - I use it to wait for my to-go orders
Kitchen
Ro enjoying left overs
Mmm... biryani!