Tamarind Bay-Coastal Indian Kitchen

Geeze...I am behind on my restaurant reviews, so the next few posts are going to be reviews. I have done some baking but I won't be posting that until I get these reviews done. We've been to some great restaurants over the past few weeks. One of the restaurants was Tamarind Bay-Coastal Indian Kitchen. I have never had Indian food so I was really excited about this outing. I didn't know what to expect. All I had ever heard is that you smell after eating Indian food. My good friend Lauren explained that if you do smell it's because you use your hands to scoop up the delicious sauces used in Indian cooking.

Our meal started with some crispy crackers. (I don't know the name of this so if you do, please let me know.) The crackers were so light and airy. I have never had something that tasted so light. It was literally like taking a bite out of crispy air. This was served with two sauces, the red one was sweet and spicy and the green one was very herby (it reminded me of chimichurri minus the tang).
We ordered the Crispy Cheese Tikki Paties as an appetizer. These are potato patties stuffed with cheese and fried until golden. The crust was crispy and the inside was smooth and creamy. The flavors of the potatoes and cheese blended together perfectly.
I ordered the Goan Mirchi Shrimp. The shrimp is described as "shrimp marinated and cooked in dry coconut, kokum, and onion." I was expecting dry shrimp and not shrimp in a sauce so I was a little surprised when my dish was brought out. I think this was a blessing because I probably wouldn't have ordered the dish if it was described as "shrimp in a sauce" and I would have been disappointed if I missed out on this dish. The sauce was fantastic! It tasted like coconut cream with a bit of spicy heat. The shrimp was succulent and tasted great with the sauce.
Alex played it safe and ordered the Tandori Chicken. This dish was fabulous. They were not stingy with the chicken and there was enough chicken to feed a family. The chicken had a nice smoky flavor and I loved how unique the chicken tasted. It was easy to pick up on the spices used but all the flavors merged to create a delicious chicken. The best part? It smelled like cardamom.
We also ordered Naan. Alex has had Naan before and is a huge fan and wanted me to try it. The restaurant has several Naan options and we went with the buttered Naan. I thought the Naan was great and Alex thought it was ok. All the other times he had Naan it was crispy, this Naan was like a chewy flatbread. I thought it was perfect for dipping in my coconut sauce.
We didn't get to dessert because of how pleasantly stuffed we were. This restaurant was a great introduction to Indian food and I look forward to trying other Indian restaurants. Tamarind Bay-Coastal Indian Kitchen is located in Washington Square in Brookline. The service was great and the prices were better. The restaurant itself is gorgeous because it is well lit and filled with the warm blues and browns.