In these cold winter months, many a Milwaukeean seeks out comforting food to warm their bones. Luckily enough for you, these foodies have found just exactly what your soul might be craving.
On the corner of East State St and Van Buren lies Turmeric Indian Cafe & Bar. As the name suggests, a colorful bar greets you as you walk in, along with a dining area with seating tables. We were immediately greeted by the kindest man you have ever met, Akshay. He seated us at a lovely corner table, and allowed us time to peruse the expansive menu, while Enzo had a quick stop in the loo. His bathroom experience was very delightful and would describe it in three words: “pleasant, luscious, and understocked.” Amelia noticed the beautiful florals all around which gave some bonus points for the atmospheric rating. After some consideration, Amelia ordered the Chana Masala, Enzo ordered the Chicken 65, and Pearl ordered the (classic) Butter Chicken. For the table we got Vegetable Samosas and two orders of garlic naan.
First to come out were the drinks! Amelia loved her water, and crunched on dat ice! Pearl loved her Mango Fruity, which Enzo quipped that, “your Man go Fruity” for him. He loved his Starry, too. The Vegetable Samosas came out quickly, warm and crisp and so delightful. With three large samosas and two complimentary sauces on the side, this dish is amazing value and so yummy. Each samosa was very large, freshly fried, and filled with mouth watering potato and peas spiced to perfection. One sauce was a mint chutney that reminded us of green salsa, which had a fresh taste that contrasted beautifully with the samosas. The other sauce was a deep red tomato based sweet sauce that perfectly matched the savory samosas. We rated them an 8.67/10.
Next, the garlic naan came out fresh off the grill, super flakey and puffy and smothered with garlic butter. We like our naan puffy, bruh, so this dish scored a 9/10.
On to the main dishes, that came out in no time at all (but trust me, we finished those appetizers before we moved on to the main course). Enzo’s Chicken 65 was omnipotent yet comforting, like a warm blanket. It was spicy but enjoyable, flavorful but not overpowering, crispy but not dry. It came with a side of white basmati rice which complimented it well and provided a bed for the chicken to lay. He rated his dish a 9/10.
Amelia’s Chana Masala was the most flavorful yet soothing yet bouncy in her mouth as she crunched down on those chickpea balls. As she has a low spice tolerance, it was a little too spicy for her liking but still enjoyed how warm it made her tummy feel. She liked combining the white basmati rice with it and thought the dish was very pleasant. She would rate it a 8.5/10.
Pearl’s Butter Chicken with shredded tandoori chicken and smooth buttery tomato sauce was an amazing execution of the classic dish. This butter chicken was a sweeter version, but it was still well spiced. The chicken was tender and went perfectly with the naan and basmati rice. Pearl devoured her plate and rated the meal a 9/10.
It is rare for us to come across a restaurant that has service that really pops our top, but Turmeric Indian Cafe & Bar is that place. Akshay truly made us feel at home, taken care of, and loved. He made sure our experience was top-notch and gave us explanations of dishes and drinks we were curious about. As City Girls would say: “You my dawg and I love you.”
Overall, the food and service made up for the mid atmosphere, and these three foodies really enjoyed their night at this lovely restaurant. They gave it a final rating of 8.5/10! Signing off, this is Enzo “boo thang” Litz, opposite of lugubrious Amelia, and “Mango Fruity” Pearl. Spread Peace and Love!