A diet based on global fare introduces palates to different spices and ingredients more efficiently than an atlas-based dating service. Sink your chompers into worldly fare with today’s Groupon: for $6, you get $12 worth of Indian fare at Tarka Indian Kitchen in Round Rock.
Tarka presents a parade of fast and fresh traditional Indian dishes from curries to kebabs, creating a spicy menu menagerie of flavors. Taste buds that need a quick pick me up can eschew dubious pep pills in favor of the tender chicken strips of the chicken pakoras, which are dusted with a seasoned-chickpea-flour batter, deep fried, and served with a mint-tamarind-yogurt chutney ($4). Mild, medium, and spicy personalities find their heat soulmate with curries such as the chicken-coconut curry served on fresh basmati rice with ginger and garlic ($7.75) and herbivorous desires are sated with the minced-vegetable kebab ($7.75). Tarka also boasts savory lamb Naaninis—a pocket of naan stuffed with sautéed goodies and authentically toasted over a fire-spewing dragon mouth ($8). A variety of vegan and gluten-free options pepper the menu, but eaters from all digestive perspectives can enjoy the whipped lassis, a popular Indian drink made from yogurt and ripe puréed fruit, including pineapple, guava, mixed berry, and mango ($3.25).
Tarka uses eco-friendly to-go packaging, recycles items, and even composts food waste. Diners can take out their fare or enjoy the warming glow of Tarka’s yellow walls and hanging lights that can be described interchangeably as upside-down-hanging flowers or mercifully muted vuvuzelas.