Carolyn Fath
Veggie samosas are dusted with spices (left). Less typical offerings like the Chocolate Secret come from the bakery.
Thulasi Kitchen has a big menu full of big flavors. It’s on the far west side in a small shopping strip, in the space formerly occupied by the Indian restaurant Minerva. It’s bright and casual but elegant, with seating for about 40 people.
If you’re not sure where to start, the Tuesday-through-Thursday lunch buffet is a good value at $11 and a chance to try a taste (or more) of many different dishes. There are vegetarian and non-vegetarian appetizers and curries, rice and desserts. Notably, the buffet often includes what the owner calls “modern Indian fusion” dishes, including pastas, pizza and even tacos — all prepared with an Indian twist.
The Friday-through-Sunday lunch buffet costs $2 extra and includes more specials, including Indian street foods like samosa chaat. But then you also might find a brownie for dessert.
Most of the selections on the buffet are labeled, and some indicate the level of spiciness. (Be aware that the label writer’s opinion of what is “spicy” may differ from yours.) My tolerance for spice tops out fairly low. I tentatively tasted the tandoori chicken, a dish I usually like but which here was labeled “med spicy.” It was delicious, deep red in color with a wonderful grilled flavor — and I didn’t think it was too spicy. Then I took a forkful of penne arrabbiata, a pasta with red sauce and chopped vegetables (and no spice level warning), and was surprised by how spicy it was. Though it is not a typically Indian dish, it is a spicy Italian sauce, so maybe labeling it as such would have been redundant for those in the know. But I would have appreciated it.
I liked the spinach with potatoes, with a very flavorful dark green sauce. The chicken tikka masala in its creamy sauce was medium spicy, and chicken dum biryani, a combination of rice and tender chicken pieces, had a slow burn.
The butter naan was crispy and great. Onion uthappam was new to me. It’s a savory rice and lentil pancake, light brown on one side and bubbled on the other with a little pile of onions on top. It had a slightly sour flavor, offset by the sweet onions.
Philip Ashby
Tandoori chicken gets the traditional treatment.
Ordering off the menu, vegetable lovers have a lot to choose from. Fantastic vegetable samosas were dusted with spices on the outside and filled with tender potatoes and peas. The dough was not too thick or chewy. These were easily the best samosas I’ve had. Vegetable mulligatawny soup was a beautiful golden color. And Manchurian cauliflower was a dish of big breaded and fried cauliflower pieces covered in red sauce. It was a little sweet, a little spicy (even ordered mild) and very good.
Butter chicken, also ordered from the menu, was described as boneless but had bone pieces in it. If bones are a deal-breaker for you, perhaps ask when you order whether the chicken is boneless or not.
There are also dosa, kati rolls, poori, vada and chaat on the regular menu. Most items on the menu are available for take-out, and delivery is also available for a fee. The dishes I picked up one evening arrived home still hot after a 15-minute drive.
Thulasi Kitchen also has a bakery side to its business that offers European desserts, as well as Indian ones such as puffs and laddoo. There is no pastry case in the restaurant (bakery orders must be placed 24 hours ahead), but the buffet desserts were good. Fluffy chocolate mousse was topped with chocolate cake crumbs and a maraschino cherry. The simple fruit and berries plate had excellent sliced mango, green grapes, strawberries, cherries, kiwi and blackberries. With a scoop of mango ice cream, it was a cool end to a hot lunch.
Besides the restaurant and bakery, Thulasi Kitchen offers catering for groups of up to 600 people (or more!) and even has a mobile tandoor. Best bet? Try the buffet and note your favorite dishes to order later, either to enjoy by yourself or with 599 friends.
Thulasi Kitchen
515 Junction Road; 608-203-9671; thulasikitchenmadison.com
11:30 am-2:30 pm and 4:30 pm-10 pm Tues.-Sat.
11:30 am- 2:30 pm and 4:30 pm- 9 pm Sun.; $2-$21
