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Restaurant Review: Cilantro Indian Cuisine

While my experience with Indian Food has been limited over the years, there are times when I find true gems in other-world cultures and I have to share. One such gem right here in Tampa is Cilantro Indian Cuisine (11009 N 56th St, Tampa, FL 33617, (813) 983-8220).

Tucked away in along 56th street in Temple Terrace, this restaurant has all of the appeals you’d expect in high end Indian Cuisine. The smells of curry and garlic and turmeric fill the air both inside and out. The restaurant is elegant, featuring comfortable seating, spacious tables and friendly serving staff. Kara and I went with friends of ours from the Miata club, Mark and Pam. As they make fantastic dinner company, we wanted to dine in some place a bit nicer than the usual bar food we typically share.

I’ll freely admit that I don’t know enough about Indian culture to remember the names of the individual dishes, though I’ll do my best to describe them.

The first course included a set of three sauces and a dry, thin bread. This bread had a sesame taste to it and a bit of sweetness. It was quite tasty.

The sauces included a green sauce which was also a bit sweet, a vinegar and onion middle sauce and a dark thin sauce that tastes a bit salt and with a hint of curry. Each of the three were quite good and complimented the bread in a different way.

Mark ordered an appetizer of fried cheese in a smokey pepper sauce. Just spicy enough to open up your airways without being hot, the cheese had a wonderful texture. This was a surprising step into Indian Cuisine, as even Kara liked it. She typically shies away from both spicy foods and things she hasn’t tried before, but she agreed that this was quite good.

The main courses consisted of two dishes of a spinach sauce, one with chicken and one with lamb. I have always admired what India has done with lamb, so it was no surprise how tasty this was. The texture was creamy and mixed well with the starch of the rice, giving it a texture that was easily consumed by the heaping spoonful.

Kara elected for a chicken tikka masala. The chunks were soft and tender and the sauce was a nice compliment, not too spicy or rich. It was served with this fluffy and aromatic bread which had a slight crunch while still being warm and pliable.

Mark received a grilled chicken with separate dipping sauce. The chicken looked succulent and had a nice sear, obviously prepared by someone who could skillfully work a grill.

To finish our meal, we were all given complimentary rice pudding. It was too sweet for my tastes, obviously filled with honey and sugar. After a few bites, I had to put it down because it was simply too much to end a very filling meal with.

The four of us ate for just under $100, including gratuity. It also opened up both my mind and Kara’s mind to other Indian dishes, so we’ll be branching off into other local establishments to try more in the coming months.