The Tamarind Tree

The Tamarind Tree is the vegetarian restaurant in the Yatri Niwas complex. It is housed in an attractive building, with the restaurant downstairs and a banquet hall on the first floor. This is a rather small place, neat and tidy, able to seat only 64 people at a time. But it has room for another 150 outside, on an open terrace, under the sky, shaded by lovely trees, fringed by palms and potted plants. Daunting though this may sound in the peak of the Deccani summer, we saw several tables occupied by the lunch crowd. In the evenings, it is difficult to get a place. One often has to wait for dinner. As soon as you walk into the restaurant, you should ask for Zubair. Of course, you might actually find that he opens the door for you. He is a fine young man, well spoken, helpful and ever so polite. Ask him to seat you at a table near the left wall. You will then get a nice picture of this cozy café. It is absolutely unpretentious, but it serves a variety of good, wholesome food. The menu has everything from snacks and soups to fruit juices and beverages. The Tamarind Tree has acquired a name for its dosas, idlis, vadas and pessarettus. But there are a whole lot of other things to choose from. The restaurant prides itself for the quality of its Indian, Chinese and Tandoori fare. Most items are available throughout the day. But some can only be ordered between 11.00am and 3.00pm, and again for a couple of hours during the evening. Ordering the usual snacks is never a problem in a place like this. But if you are being adventurous, or are on a splurge, do try some of the soups, the starters, the North and South Indian curries and daals, rotis and naans. You will also find a sizeable list of Chinese fare to sample, some surprisingly good, equal to the food you can buy in Singapore and Bangkok, but all strictly vegetarian! The best value for money in The Tamarind Tree is the thali. It's always a meal in itself, but here it is a work of art, a carefully thought out and lovingly presented selection of dishes that go with each other, accompanied by chutneys, puris and rice. The Tamarind Tree is a place where families come and eat and have fun. The prices are reasonable, some items marked slightly lesser than in Aangan next door. Credit cards are accepted. There is plenty of place to park vehicles in the compound.