Amma

Amma Restaurant Review:

This Midtown Indian restaurant, the name of which means “mother” in many languages, hopes to nurture diners with its comforting subcontinental fare. You may well begin with idly upma (rice and bean cakes, sautéed curry leaves and mustard seeds) or crispy fried spinach chaat with a sprouted mung bean salad. Of the vegetarian items, try the Bombay bhel puri (rice puffs and chickpea flour noodles with cilantro, red onions, tamarind chutneys and potatoes); the light, flaky pea-stuffed samosa; and cheese-and-chile-stuffed mushrooms. Among the non-vegetarian dishes, we recommend the Sri Lankan-style tandoori-roasted shrimp with a yogurt marinade and Parsi halibut with mint chutney and aromatic lemon-scented rice. From the meat dishes, Achaari chicken tikka is a crowd-pleaser, as are several classic lamb dishes. Everything tastes freshly made, from the Indian ice cream called kulfi, set in a citrus soup, to a brilliantly colored mango cheesecake. Amma's wine list is considerably in the vanguard, with a good selection of Australian and New Zealand bottlings that go well with the food.