Last night was my monthly dinner club. It was Jason and my turn to choose the restaurant and we picked Cardamom Hill, a newish Indian restaurant. Honestly, I was kind of frustrated when I first tried to make plans to go here. They aren’t on open table, but have a reservation button on their website which sends you to a reservation email. That’s fine, I guess, except that they didn’t email me back. Being that this was a new restaurant and there were six of us (one couple couldn’t make it) on a Friday night, I really wanted to make sure we could be accommodated. I called them two days after I emailed them and no one picked up so I left a message. Two days later, I still hadn’t heard and was about to switch restaurants when I called them one more time and someone picked up and confirmed our reservation.
Other than that, however, Cardamom Hill proved to be a solid choice. Even though most of my dinner group knows about my blog, I just don’t feel comfortable taking pictures of my food when I’m in a large group. When I’m with just Jason, it’s fine, but it’s too awkward when I’m in a group. So no pics. But I’ll try to paint a picture in your head. I mean, not that you really care if you don’t live in Atlanta, but whatever.
The restaurant is in a little strip mall. You might think that’s weird, but it’s actually kind of commonplace around here for some reason. It’s small and sophisticated looking, with a nice bar as soon as you walk in. When Jason and I got there, one of the other couples was sitting at the bar waiting, so we had a drink with them there before getting our table.
The food at Cardamom Hill comes from the Kerala region of South India and focuses on Coconut, Seafood and Meat. It’s definitely different than the chicken tikka masala, pork vindaloo and naan that you’d typically associate with Indian food. I got the veggie plate which, according to the menu, was avial (potatoes, carrots, green beans, and green plantains in a grated coconut sauce) and Sambhar (lentils with okra, eggplant, tomato) served over vegetable pilau. Honestly, I couldn’t really identify what I was eating, but I could identify that it was good!
Everyone seemed pleased with the food and this month’s dinner club was a hit! Afterward, it was still pretty early, so Jason and I decided to go to Holeman & Finch to have another drink. It was super crowded though.
-Sambhar (lentils with okra, eggplant, tomato) served over vegetable pilau.
Love Indian food!
I have friends in Atlanta! It sounds like this is a great restaurant and all they now need to do to improve things is to have someone answer the phone and reply to the emails. It does seem crowded but I love a restaurant that’s buzzing – nothing worse than being in a deathly quiet room with no one else around you. Happy Easter!
Yum! That sounds delish! And feta on top of hummus? YUMMMM!
That sounds wonderful! I love Indian food, and I’ve been wanting to try some of the different regions cuisines aside from what you typically get at most restaurants.
I love the idea of a dinner club too.
A group of us from work were reeled into Cardamom Hill last week for lunch by one of the owners (I think) as we were walking through the parking lot to eat at Little Azio. None of us knew what to expect, but turns out it was delicious! At lunch they only have three options, which change daily. Everyone was impressed with their meal though. I’d definitely go back although it was a little pricier for a mid-week lunch.