Restaurant Review: Tamarind Bay

Pete and I watched the men's hockey finals with some friends on Sunday afternoon at Cambridge Common. Somehow, we had managed to pick the same drinking establishment as was patronized by the Harvard Canadian Club. We almost came to fisticuffs over the event, which for us Americans, ended in Olympic heartbreak. After the battle was over, we headed down Mass Ave to Tamarind Bay to meet my parents for dinner.

Tamarind Bay is neither Canadian, nor American -- nor vaguely reminiscent of the Olympics in anyway. In short, Tamarind Bay was a great relief.

We ordered drinks, some rosemary naan and the Karavali shrimp to start. The bread and fish were out in a jiffy and the shrimp (cooked with whole cashews in a garlic sauce) was tender with some significant heat. When our waitress came out to clear the starter plates and take our order for the mains, I remembered what I had so enjoyed about the staff at Tamarind Bay during my first visit some two years prior. The servers (1) let you breathe in between courses, (2) make reasonable, thoughtful suggestions for accompaniments, and (3) smile encouragingly as you butcher the names of their delicious dishes. (Our waitress also chased me out the door as we were leaving to hand me a bag I had left behind my seat; extra points for that.) We ordered some more naan and lemon rice with our entrees:

• ADI MACCHI HIRYAN NAAL. Chunks of swordfish delicately marinated and finished in Tandoor.
• MAHI FIRDOUS. Fillet of salmon marinated with mint, yogurt and spices.
• RAAHRA GOSHT. Lamb simmered in a wok over a period of time until it turns crisp brown & garnished with fresh coriander.
• SHAAHI BAIGAN. Eggplant cooked in rich cream & cashew gravy.

We all oohed and mmmed as we made our way to the bottoms of the deceptively tiny-looking silver vessels. As Pete stated aptly, while there are many Indian restaurants in and around Cambridge, most of them seem to serve up the same dishes of mush over and over. Tamarind Bay sets itself apart with a healthy variety of cooking techniques and unique flavor combinations. I wanted to drink the cream sauce that covered the eggplant, but I opted instead to mop up every last drip with bits of naan (if only because Pete looked aghast when I declared my original intentions).

There are apparently two Tamarind Bays in the in Boston area, one in Brookline (Tamarind Bay Coastal Indian Kitchen)and the location I've been to in Cambridge (Tamarind Bay Bistro and Bar). As of this post, the Brookline location takes reservations through OpenTable; the Cambridge location does not.