By Todd Barron @ FoodieCuisine.com
Lamb Vindaloo
A few months ago I purchased a Groupon for $20 worth of Indian food for $10 from Amruth Authentic Indian Cuisine in Little Rock. It is set to expire on June 28th so I go ahead and order some takeout today. It’s not within my diet but the coupon is about to expire, what choice do I have? I call at 11:30 am, and order Chicken Tikka Masala ($11.99) and Lamb Vindaloo ($11.99) to go. They tell me 30 minutes.
I pick up the food which does not overtly smell like Indian food while in my car. Typically, when I get takeout from the other Indian place in Little Rock, you can really smell the spices as it permeates my car for a day or two. Although the smell is mild in intensity, it does smell good.
Both dishes come in plastic containers with a lot of sauce. They also provide me a large portion of rice, although it is a bit on the dry side. The first thing I notice is how I have to dig around the vindaloo to find any lamb. It has 4-5 large pieces of potato in it, but only 2-3 tiny pieces of lamb. The rest is sauce. At $11.99 a shot, it is not a very good price for a container of mostly sauce.
Chicken Tikka Masala
The Lamb Vindaloo is tender and the sauce gives me the sniffles. I really like spicy food so this is a good thing. I just wish it were spicier. I realize they have to adjust for the “American” palette, but I do wish somewhere in town would offer a lot of spice in their dishes, even as an option. The vindaloo sauce is too watery for my tastes and lacks the consistency I have come to expect from such sauces. It is mildly spicy, but the depth is just not there.
I switch to the Chicken Tikka Masala, which has a thicker sauce, but am struck by an immense amount of sweetness. It is almost as if someone dumped a cup of sugar in my sauce container. I realize the vinegar from the Vindaloo is still fresh on my tongue, but the sugar in the masala sauce is overwhelming. The chicken is tender, the sauce is super sweet and mild, and overall I am not impressed. It tastes okay but is not memorable.
When I picked up my food I did notice a rather decent looking buffet. If you are into buffets it probably is worth checking out. I just will not be back for takeout, especially not with Star of India right down the road, which has much better entrees (I do not care for their buffet btw.)
Overall, not memorable and not something I will revisit in the future.
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I had lamb vindallo at Amruth many times. I always get 8/9 pices of lamb and 3 pieces of potatoes. I throughly enjoyed Lamb vindaloo.
Amruth has the best authentic Indian food in Little Rock–period. I respect your opinion but would challenge anyone reading this to try them. They didn’t get the highest ratings in UrbanSpoon of any other Indian restaurant in Little Rock by serving bad food! They are simply fantastic.
I actually used to like them much better. In fact, they were my favorite Indian place in town when they first opened. I went in one day and everything tasted different. I asked what changed and the lady told me “We had to make it less spicy due to complaints.” I had not been back, until this review, and unfortunately, it is still “dumbed” down for my preference of Indian food. I know many people who like it; it’s just not my thing. Taste is subjective after all! 🙂
While I appreciate the reviews on your site I must disagree with your analysis of Amruth. I often drive to Little Rock from Conway just to eat here. I’ve had Star of India and find it to be vastly inferior. The lamb vindaloo is my favorite dish and if you ask them to bring the heat they will leave you drenched in sweat. Also, they prepare their goat dishes far better than any other Indian restaurant I have tried, including those in major metros. Furthermore, their naan is is beyond flavorful. I encourage you to take an evening to dine in at Amruth.
I agree with you, the sauces are too watery and the quality is never the same
I had tandoori chicken and my hands turned red from the food color
I would go to star of india.
I am a fan of Amruth. I never got disoppinted. Their curries are wonderfull flaver and tasty.