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SPICE OF LIFE
Fayetteville’s three Indian restaurants offer different takes on the classic cuisine | By Bhairavi Bhatt
Some like it hot | Tandoori chicken
(above) and many other dishes grace the restaurants’ menus.
Bistro. As the restaurant’s popularity grew, hundreds more here were introduced to the cuisine of one of the world’s most populous nations, creating a desire for more options. Now there are several Indian restaurants in Fayetteville, each featuring foods from different regions of the Indian subcontinent and catering to the city’s foodies, purists and experimentalists. The growing demand here for Indian cuisine has opened doors for Southeast Asia restaurants like Shalimar, Marquis Bistro at Doubletree and the well-established Bombay Bistro. Spice blends are at the heart of Indian cuisine. Many were created centuries ago, perfected over the decades and passed down from generation to generation. In fact, the very phrase “Indian food” tends to conjure exotic aromas and the euphoric taste of the spices, but unbeknownst to many, the blends are actually specific to the regions of India and each region has its own favorites.CV
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ndian food in Fayetteville used to be limited to a tent at the annual International Folk Festival. That was it. During the rest of the year curry and tandoori cravings had to be satisfied in home kitchens or during trips to other cities. Despite a large and thriving Indian community here and plenty of residents who already loved the cuisine, our city had no Indian restaurants. Then, to the delight of Indian food lovers all over town, came Bombay
