KARMA KAFE

505 Washington St

(Between 5th and 6th Streets)

Hoboken, NJ 07030

www.karmakafe.com

Open every day from noon to 3p.m.

Also open Sunday to Thursday from 5p.m. to 10:30 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 5p.m. to 11:30p.m. Take out and delivery available. Reservations accepted. Wheelchair accessible.

            Tina and Mehernosh Daroowalla opened this wonderful new Indian restaurant in November. They’re the same pair that owns India on the Hudson farther uptown. Though prices are similar - plan on spending about $25 per person for an appetizer, dinner and drinks - the entree selection differs and Karma’s ambiance is much more hip and modern. A few brass and wood decorations are artfully laid out across the walls and ceiling, creating a very spare and elegant look.

            It gets quite busy here and there are only about 40 table seats. I arrived with a friend at 8p.m. on a cold Friday and had to wait about 10 minute for a table. Making a reservation may be a good idea if you plan on going with a large group on a weekend night.

            The restaurant includes a small, but well stocked, bar, where you can wait for your table. Bass and Amstel Light are available ($4 each) along with a large selection of wine and liqueur.

            Karma Kafe’s starter menu is large and includes a selection of fish, chicken and lamb selections along with various salads and soup options. A huge selection of tandoori breads is also available. Tandoori bread is named for the clay ovens – called tandoors – in which they are baked. My friend and I had garlic naan ($3). It’s a delicious puffy white bread imbedded with finely diced garlic. Because she is a vegetarian, my friend couldn’t partake in the incredibly delicious tandoori shrimp ($8) we were also served. These jumbo shrimp came red with spices and yogurt marinade and were served with a mustard seed sauce. We also tried a mix of large potato chunks, puffed rice, onion, crackers and chickpeas called Bhel poori ($4). This appetizer, served cold, is an odd mix of soft and crunchy textures. It wasn’t particularly spicy, but the onion taste was strong.

            Some of the dinner items can be QUITE spicy, and if your waiter or waitress warns you that an item might be hot, believe them. I had a large, fire-red serving of crawfish vindaloo ($13). I’m a big fan of spicy food, but this bordered on the ridiculous. If it were any hotter, the Marines could use it to torture new recruits. It proved to be quite delicious once mellowed a bit with some yogurt sauce our waitress was nice enough to provide after she saw me gasping for air. She warned me.

            My friend had a mix of vegetable dumplings in a tomato and garlic sauce. Called kofta makhani ($9), it was slightly spicy and very flavorful. Like all meals here, it was served with seasoned rice and dal – a yellow lentil sauce.

            All portions are very generous, many people could probably fill up on a couple of appetizers alone. Vegetarians will especially enjoy Karma Kafe’s selection. Eight flesh-free entrees are available for $9. The lunch selection is also quite tasty and is a great deal. Sandwiches and various naan wraps are available for $5 to $6 or you can go for bust and opt for the $9 all-you-can-eat lunch buffet. The buffet, which includes a soupy rice pudding for dessert, changes daily. When I went recently the buffet included several periodically refreshed trays of peas pulao (long-grain saffron rice with peas), ginger-coated chicken wings and chana saag (chick peas with creamy spinach sauce)

            I would recommend that anyone unfamiliar with Indian fare should try a lassi. These are sweet yogurt frappes that can be flavored with fruit juice. The thick mango lassi ($3) I ordered with lunch was among the best I’ve ever had.

            Review by Joseph D'Allegro