WHAT TO ORDER

Eat Like a Chef

Lines out the door are a regular occurrence at Tadka Indian Cuisine, which opened at McCully Shopping Center last fall. The cooking of its Nepali-born chef-owner, Ganesh Shrestha, is guided by tradition and flavor—even when he tweaks recipes to meet local requests for less dairy or spice. We asked Shrestha what he would order at his own restaurant, then ordered everything he recommended. It was one of our best meals in Honolulu.

 

By Kawehi Haug
Photography by Aaron K. Yoshino

Hn2405 Ay Tadka 8708

Chicken Malai Tikka, $19.19
Boneless tandoori chicken tikka—one of the best tandoori chicken dishes we’ve ever had.

Hn2405 Ay Tadka 8426

Pani Puri, $8.31
These one-bite street food favorites are the most popular items on the menu. In India, servers prepare one, then feed it to you. That’s how it’s done.

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Garlic Sweet Govi, $7.27
Battered cauliflower that gives fried ‘ulu vibes. Insider secret: Ask for it to be tossed in the house spicy sauce.

 

Tadka Wings, $10.39
We’d never think to order chicken wings at an Indian restaurant, but now we’ll get them every time.

 

Garlic Naan, $4.42
Tadka makes eight kinds of Indian flatbread. All of them should be ordered, but if you have to choose just one, choose this one. And the onion kulcha ($5.46).

 

Goan Chicken Curry, $18.71
A slightly tangy tamarind curry traditional to the former Portuguese colony of Goa in southwestern India.

 

Vegetable Biryani, $16.63
Tadka’s biryani rice (India’s take on fried rice) dishes are the only dishes on the menu made with ghee.

 

Lamb Kadai, $20.12
An umami-rich, jewel-hued tomato and onion curry that is our current constant craving.

 

 

1960 Kapi‘olani Blvd., (808) 941-0414, @tadkaindiancuisine808