The smell of pungent spices mixed with incense greets customers who make their way to the back of Waterfront Row.
There, they find Kamana Kitchen, which features North Indian-style dishes, from tandoori chicken and lamb kabab to chicken tikka masala and chicken and lamb curries. Chefs cook naan, a traditional Indian bread, in a clay oven, called a tandoor, imported from India.
Manager Sam Sudhakaran is quick to point out the oven uses “natural charcoal” for heat.
“We don’t use any gas,” Sudhakaran said. That means “better flavor, like barbecue, a smoky smell.”
Naan, a thin bread, cooks quickly in the oven. Sudhakaran, providing a demonstration, works the dough with his hands for a few seconds, then places it inside the oven. He keeps an eye on it through the large hole in the top of the oven’s metal exterior, then uses long metal hooks to pull the finished bread out less than a minute later. The result is a popular accompaniment to most Indian food and something waitress Pooja Luitel said is a hot item on the restaurant’s menu.
Luitel’s father, Tirtha, owns Kamana Kitchen. He came to the Big Island three years ago. A businessman back in India, Luitel owns a clothing store in the Kona Inn Shopping Village and saw the restaurant space open in Waterfront Row on Alii Drive in Kailua-Kona. He decided to take a chance with a restaurant.
“We didn’t expect it to be this hard,” Pooja Luitel said. “But it’s worth it.”
West Hawaii residents are making up the bulk of their customers, not visitors, Sudhakaran said. People come once, then return repeatedly. Popular items include samosas — typically triangular fried dough filled with savory items, including potatoes, vegetables and meat — as well as items from the tandoor oven.
First-time restaurant patrons may be intimidated by the idea of Indian food, Sukhakaran said. That’s because many people think Indian food has to be very spicy. Indian food may feature many different spices and flavors, but the chefs at Kamana Kitchen can adjust the heat for any palate, from mild to very hot, he added.
The Luitels are vegetarians and the menu, like many other Indian establishments, features a variety of meatless dishes. Particularly popular, Sudhakaran said, is palak paneer, spinach and homemade cottage cheese cubes, and malai kofta, homemade cottage cheese, potatoes and vegetable croquettes in a creamy sauce. Other vegetarian entrees include aloo gobi, a traditional Punjabi dish of cauliflower and potatoes, chana masala, herbed and spiced chickpeas and potatoes and lentil dishes.
Lunchtime offerings include a slate of special plates with entree, rice and several sides, starting at $9.99. Vegetarian entrees start at $11.95 and meat dishes at $13.95.
For more information, call 326-7888 or visit kamanakitchen.com.