Gurcaran Singh and Anju Saini, both natives of India, were running an Indian restaurant in Manhattan when terrorists hit the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001.
Located in Times Square, the Clay Oven was almost entirely dependent on tourists, Saini said. And when tourism in New York faltered after the attacks, their business fell off so much they had to close.
So the husband and wife and their two sons, ages 13 and 18, searched for a new place to make their living selling the samosas, curries, chutneys and kabobs of their homeland.
In July 2003, they opened the Curry Cafe, on the White Horse Pike in Stratford, in a space vacated by another Indian restaurant. Singh cooks in the kitchen while Saini manages the front of the house, and both boys help in the restaurant.
There is a significant Indian population in that area, as evidenced by the Patel Market, in the adjacent strip mall. Yet the cafe enjoys a mix of patrons, of Indian as well as other backgrounds.
With a number of well-executed meat dishes from the clay tandoor oven, as well as traditional curries and prices that top out at $14, it is easy to understand why.
The design of the dining room, which seats 120, isn't anything special. Just a large, boxy room at the end of a strip of stores, filled with simple tables covered with embroidered Indian tablecloths. The artwork on the walls depicts Indian men and women, wearing traditional flowing garb and bejeweled to catch the light.
The service is friendly and attentive, although it is sometimes limited by the language barrier, especially for those unfamiliar with the cuisine. But the food was consistently well-prepared and well-presented.
We started with the vegetable samosas, crispy fried turnovers filled with a spicy blend of potatoes and peas, served with a choice of sweet tamarind and cool mint chutneys. Both were lovely accents to the heat of the ground cumin seeds spicing the samosas.
The vegetable pakora was another winning appetizer. Cauliflower, potatoes, spinach, onions and green beans were chopped and mixed into a batter with flour, coriander, tamarind and chili powder, and shaped into small balls before being deep-fried into fritters with a kick.
The dahi wada, or lentil doughnuts, made of white lentils, ground, fried and soaked in yogurt, were not my cup of tea; I found them to be mushy and largely tasteless.
But I loved the coconut soup, a sweet and soothing milk-based broth, made of fresh, shaved coconut, a little butter and sugar, with raisins and cashews to spoon for in the bottom of the bowl.
The tandoori chicken made an eye-catching presentation as it emerged from the kitchen, the electric-orange pieces of meat still smoking and sizzling from the heat of the 400-degree clay oven, served on a bed of onions, along with wedges of lemon.
The chicken is marinated overnight in yogurt, and cumin, red chili and coriander powders, then quick-roasted in the tandoor, leaving the skin crispy and the meat tender and juicy, with a respectable jolt from Indian seasonings.
The Malai kabob made a similar entrance, the sound and aroma of the sizzling meat turning heads in the dining room. This deliciously seasoned chicken was marinated in ginger, black pepper, yogurt and vinegar before it was baked in the tandoor.
Two other memorable dishes were the coconut shrimp curry, reminiscent of a spicy Thai curry, and the lamb shahi korma, tender chunks of lamb cooked in a creamy, mild almond sauce, with chopped cashews, coconut and a touch of curry and garlic.
All the entrees were served with a terrific dish of spicy cooked lentils, and some of the best basmati rice I have ever had, cooked with whole cloves and green peas and just a hint of cumin.
We loved the deep-fried, whole wheat poori bread and the naan, crisped on the wall of the tandoor.
As for desserts, my recommendation is the runny rice pudding, made with basmati rice, flavored with crushed cardamom and garnished with chopped pistachios.
The milkshakes are also fun; just don't expect them to be made of ice cream. The mango shake is just whipped fruit and whole milk, a nice creamy finish to a spicy meal.
