But a movie review is not the point of my post. It is a review of a different kind! After battling our way through Costco, we required sustenance! I had read a very positive review of the Indian restaurant, Tumeric. We decided we would give it a go. I am so glad we did. Great service! We were seated immediately, and somehow—I have yet to figure out how, the waiter knew to bring my husband water without ice and me water with ice. Perhaps his accent was a give away, since most Europeans don’t like ice. Whatever the reason, he was very observant and gets mega points for that. He also handled the entire dining room by himself, doing it with such grace and skill that no one was neglected. Absolutely impeccable!
I immediately new I wanted to try their Masala tea with spices and heavy cream while Dutch opted for plain, black tea. Both were a bit disappointing—the masala lacked the spice I had hoped for. Ton’s black tea was great by my standards, strong and oily. By his standards it was too strong. He likes the tea leaves to lift their skirts and run through the water. Meh.
We both opted to forgo an appetizer, but I was very tempted to try the vada, a mildly spiced and fried lentil donuts served with sambar and chutney, but I opted not to eat that many carbs in this meal! I was saving up for naan. I adore naan. And at Tumeric it did not disappoint. But more on that in a minute.
For our main courses, Dutch opted for Paneer tikki masala, while I went with chicken tikka masala. A safe choice, I’ll admit, but hey, I wanted comfort food! It was delicious. Gorgeously spiced, not too hot, but with great flavor. The chicken was meltingly tender and the naan…oh, it was warm, somehow crisp and chewy at that same time. It soaked up the tikki masala sauce so lusciously that I would have been content with nothing else. In fact, I ate the sauce with a spoon and would have licked the bowl but there were lots of people (and I could hear the shame in my mother’s voice). Ton’s Paneer was deliciously crisp on the outside and perfectly soft in the center. I’ll definitely try their Saag Paneer next time.
Other than the questionable masala tea, the only other thing I question is the ambience. Tumeric is located in a strip mall, but has a very nice entrance. Once inside, you’re greeted with sagging leather chairs and the cash register. The wall art consists of some nice leaded glass windows that look very elegant but have those rather poorly painted roll-up reed scrolls. In this case, each window was flanked by matching scrolls, in one case it was tigers, another one had elephants, and a third had an Indian dancer. Cheesy green vinyl diner-quality booths are spaced very close together for a definite lack of privacy. The tables were covered in a curry & white checked vinyl tablecloth topped with glass. On the tables were "flameless" plastic candles. Real tablecloths and candles would have helped a bit. But the china was good quality, as was the flatware.
While we were dining, we were surrounded by quite an eclectic mix of people, including a family with several small children. If you’re looking for a romantic getaway, this probably isn’t the place. If you’re looking for good, solid Indian food, it definitely fits the bill. And for that, I can forgive the ambience. Dutch and I will definitely go back.
Tumeric (located in Healy Plaza)
3088 Healy Drive
Winston Salem, NC 27103
(336) 794-8280
(336) 794-8282
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