Last week I had the pleasure of going to lunch with a good girlfriend and our kiddos. We always have the best time when we meet up but, our favorite part of getting together is trying new places. She’s a foodie and Indian food connoisseur that recently moved to Charlotte from NYC and is looking to get more familiar with our booming Southern metropolis while I am just looking for any reason to leave the house and have some adult social interaction. Since Hannah (her name by the way) is pregnant and always craving Indian food, we chose to try out the new Tandur Indian Kitchen location at Rea Farms. If you haven’t heard of Tandur, you can check out their website and menu here.

I, as always, have to be 100% honest here; I was really not wanting to go. I’ll have the occasional dish of chicken curry now and again when it’s served and I need to be polite, but, for the most part, would always tell people “I don’t like Indian food” when approached about going out for it. I don’t know why I have been so resistant. I haven’t ever really given it a fair chance other than those occasional plates of Curry. For some reason, this time was different. I felt this urge to just give it a shot and get out of my comfort zone and boy am I glad I did.

Our lunch date was nothing short of amazing. Because neither of us had been there before, we sampled each of their 6 sauces to find our favorite. After lots of tasting, we narrowed it down to three then placed our order.

For Starters

If you’re going to Tandur Indian Kitchen, you have to, and I mean HAVE to get the spiced okra fries. They are so light and crisp and are bursting with incredible flavor. After you try these, you’ll know there is no other way to eat okra. In addition to the spiced okra fries, we also tried the Samosa Chaat and it was very good. It has a chickpea base and is loaded with all the goodies. Both dishes are great for sharing but the chaat just didn’t compare to how much we both loved the okra fries.

the Main Event

For our main dishes, we each chose a saucy entree with our favorite sauce and ordered a third to split with the sauce we mutually agreed on. This was such a great way to experience all the flavors and options Tandur has to offer. Each saucy dish is completely customizable. You choose your sauce (one of 6), protein (chicken, shrimp or lamb), rice preference (brown or white) and naan preference (garlic or plain). I ordered the Kerala coconut curry chicken with brown rice and plain naan. Hannah ordered the korma lamb with white rice and garlic naan. We split the Kadai shrimp with white rice and extra garlic naan.

Take a Sip

As Tandur is a casual dining experience, I was really surprised at how many drink options they had. I was expecting the average soda fountain with basic options. At any time, they offer a seasonal lemonade, mint ginger lemonade, mango lassi, sodas, tea, water, 6 local beers on tap and a variety of Indian bottled beers. We each had the seasonal lemonade which, right now is watermelon and is so refreshing, mango lassi and water to wash down some of our slightly spicier food choices.

Next Time

Where do I even begin? With so many ways to customize the saucy entrees and other great menu items, I am really at a loss as to what I’ll try next time I visit Tandur Indian Kitchen. I definitely want to try my three favorite sauces with different proteins; I’d swap the chicken for shrimp in the curry and try the chicken with the vindaloo. I’m also really looking forward to trying their baked wings. They look like they are so meaty and full of flavor. If you are a wing lover like I am, you should def try those with your okra fries. When I can bring dairy back into my diet, I really want to try their naanchos with chicken and a bottle of Indian beer. I really wanted to try one to share with y’all but there was just not enough room after all the things I ate.

Wes and I are always so hesitant to try new places because more often than not, we leave completely disappointed and always have the worst experiences. Tandur Indian Kitchen has restored my faith and willingness to try new places. The place was so clean, kid-friendly, fast, delicious and the staff was so nice and accommodating. My only complaint is that there isn’t one a little closer to home. Speaking of locations, you can fill your belly at either of their two Charlotte locations: Rea Farms and Southpark.

Good Food in CLT is a new series created to highlight local restaurants and businesses in the Charlotte area. Check out other Good Food in CLT posts here.