With her popular underground Spice Route Supper Club, chef Asha Gomez highlighted the distinctive cooking of her native Kerala, a lush tropical land along the southwestern tip of India. Now, Cardamom Hill, Gomez’s much-anticipated new restaurant on Northside Drive in Berkeley Hills, gives Spice Route fans and curious newcomers a taste of Kerala six days a week at lunch and dinner.
The look: Before getting back to her culinary roots, Gomez was in the ayurvedic spa business for some 20 years. Though it’s located in a busy shopping center near I-75, inside, Cardamom Hill has the feel of a relaxing retreat. Indian music, muted colors, ornate rosewood wall panels and a series of fabric-covered partitions create a stylish, intimate setting.
The scene: The atmosphere seems to have a calming effect on customers. During two different visits, several tables could have been pews, with diners engaged in hushed conversations as they regarded their food. One afternoon, a young woman leaned in and whispered to her partner, “This is really good.”
The menu: Gomez features an array of traditional spices in dishes with Portuguese, Dutch and French influences and contemporary twists. The concise seasonal menu includes starters such as a daily salad ($7), coconut vegetable stew ($7) and lollipop-like goat chops with mint, cilantro, and green chile ($14). Among the mains, look for signature Kerala-style fried chicken ($16) and kingfish rubbed with masala paste and roasted in a banana leaf with a side of plantains ($23).
The drinks: There’s no liquor license, yet. But Brian Stanger, a savvy veteran of Abattoir and Top Flr, is in charge of the beverage program. Stanger promises classic and exotic cocktails with lots of tropical fruits, a craft-centered beer list, and wines matched to the spices in the food. In the meantime, Gomez offers her own recipe chai and other Indian teas.
The extras: There’s no printed menu at lunch, rather servers explain the daily selection of thali plates — a choice of either a vegetarian or meat dish with three sides. For a more casual experience, the bar area seats 12. For special occasions, there’s a private dining room.
Dining out
Cardamom Hill, Atlanta
Lunch: 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays; 5:30-10 p.m. Dinner: Mondays-Thursdays; 5:30-10:30 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays. Closed Sundays.
Appetizers and salads, $7-$14; entrees, $14-$38; lunch plates, $14.
1700 Northside Drive, Suite A-5, 404-549-7012, www.cardamomhill.net
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