I am, at heart, and adventurous eater. I like crazy food, spicy food, different food, experiences and risks. I've visited Little India Cafe several times, and the dining there never fails to awaken a more adventurous parts of my palate and transport me to a hotter climate.
The food at Little India Cafe has great clarity--sharp, well defined tastes. The Indian food I've sampled before has been heavy, Korma that coated the back of my throat with cream fat and Naan more sweet than savory. Sometimes food is so overdone with fat and sugar and seasoning there is not room for a defined taste, an real impression. The owners of Little India Cafe pride themselves on cooking their food with homeade yogurt and sour cream instead of straight cream, skipping the preservatives, using fresh ingredients, home cooking and authenticity. The owner, Madani Kumer, is often found bustling about explaining menu items and chatting with customers. It's a real family affair at Little India Cafe, and it produces one heck of meal--and an inexpensive one at that.The appetizers are mostly under five dollars, and the entrees under fifteen.
My favorite item at Little India Cafe is the plain Lassi, a buttermilk yogurt drink with sugar--simple and cold and an amazing companion to the hot food. It combines perfectly with the meat samosas, little pockets of ground meat and puff pastry that arrive piping hot and invariably burn my tongue as I scarf them down. The chicken biryani is complex, simmered overnight and painstakingly prepared in a mold. I always order the lamb korma, cooked with yogurt sauce and accompanied by nuts and raisins. The naan bread accompanying every entree is soft and thick as a flannel sheet, like a cross between a tortilla and homemade bread.
Little India Cafe is about as close to authentic Indian food as you can get in Louisville. That being said, be prepared to wait a good while for your food, especially if it's a busy evening--everything really is home cooked, from scratch, and that kind of cooking takes time. Also be prepared for something spicy and well seasoned, traditional Indian food is far from bland and Little India Cafe does not scrimp on the heat--or the portion sizes.
