The men behind the food (from left): Rakesh Bhatt, Mapan Pundir and Dil Bahadur.

In your quest to find authentic Indian cuisine, there's no need to travel across oceans. Just take a trip to Tamarind Indian cuisine restaurant in Orchid Village along Barbican Road in St Andrew, and it will be like you landed in Bangalore.

About three weeks ago, Pooja Chatani opened the doors of her first restaurant to her friends and family for their feedback on her India-Chinese fusion cuisine from Northern India. The reviews were, of course, very good, and the word is spreading as customers keep returning.

After the birth of her two children who are now four and eight years old, she was itching for something new and exciting to do. With her family's history in the food industry back home in India (her father owns and operates a restaurant in Bangalore), and her husband's love and craving for authentic Indian food, the decision seemed obvious.

Cuisine

There's no doubt that Jamaicans love Indian food and at Tamarind, you can get it any way you like. Customers have a choice of how spicy they want their meal - mild or hot.

Tamarind boasts chefs who are professionally trained in specialty areas. There are two chefs who specialise in Indian cuisine, one who specialises in Chinese and one who specialises in kabobs. This ensures the smooth running of the kitchen, where no one person is overworked, and the taste remains consistent, with each chef only working on his own specialty. The authenticity is further enhanced by using only authentic spices straight out of the motherland, no substitute.

Decor

With a capacity to seat 36 diners at a time, Tamarind is small and cosy with a simple, yet sophisticated contemporary decor.

"If you have service, quality and cleanliness, your business will last forever," noted her father Mani Mahtani, who came over from India to offer his daughter his expertise in the field. Pooja personally sees to it that her customers are satisfied.

"Each table that comes here I see that they are satisfied," she noted, highlighting the fact that the requisite long hours and being away from her children are the most challenging part of being in the food industry. "Never knew it was so much hard work, but I love it."

Tamarind Restaurant is located at Shop #28, Orchid Village, 18 Barbican Road; tel: 977-0695.

From left front: Butter chicken and dal makhani (black lentils) served with roti and nan. - photos by Ian Allen/Photographer

Asian bean salad is a great start to a meal at Tamarind.

A great appetiser is crispy-fried baby corn with sweet chili sauce.

Pooja Chatani, operator of Tamarind Restaurant in Orchid Village Plaza, with her 'right-hand' and biggest fan, husband, Vivek.