Monsoon India

Monsoon India

Kihei

A secluded restaurant in Kihei has

much to offer!

A million-dollar view, affordable cuisine, and delicious tasting.

The times I thought of Monsoon India,

I envisioned the beautiful ocean view, and recall tender

leavened baked bread with cilantro and

garlic topping, comforting spicy curry

chicken and lamb, and the sounds of

pleasant violin music.

Name of the secluded restaurant?

"Monsoon India."

Unless you're a constant restaurant

surveyor,

you may not be

aware of Monsoon India.

Unless you're a road-side sign

reader,

you may not be aware

of Monsoon India.

Many guests are obviously referrals

...the best compliment to any restaurant!

My introduction to

Monsoon India,

was a referral.

I did see the signage often,

but it

did not encourage me to

stop and check-it-out

immediately.

Until one evening, we had the

option to eat-out,

and chose the nearest restaurant

recommended to us...

Monsoon India.

Once I entered the restaurant,

I was immediately

impressed by the approach.

Hari, owner of Monsoon India,

welcomed us with

a confidence that sent a clear unspoken

message, " you WILL have a pleasant

dining experience."

My eyes were drawn to the ocean view

...an expansive

clear setting from one frontal

end of the restaurant

to the other

...an immediate

panoramic sense of comfort

& serenity.

Our wait help, a graduate of a

Culinary

Institute in California,

coordinated total awareness

of approach, introduction and demonstration

of our presence with each other,

with him, and the

restaurant ambiance.

An Indian from Nepal,

his manners

was haute.

You " knew," he enjoyed his job.

His confidence,

conveyed a positive Indian cuisine.

Once our orders were taken, a

comfortable wait

for the first course, was taken-up

enjoying a discussion of the

beautiful ocean view

and manicured lawn, fronting it.

My pre-knowledge of Indian cuisine

was minimal. However, I was aware

of the variety of cooking styles,

and a host

of even greater number of distinct

regional cuisines.

Fresh ingredients prepared

along with

delicate mixtures of many different

fresh and dried spices were expected,

and that recipes vary greatly

from one region to another.

We learned, the Chef, of Monsoon India,

is from Nepal, but

may not necessarily serve

Nepalese-style

preparations, rather

he can vary his

cooking styles,

and can host

other regional cuisines.

Monsoon India with its simple,

clean ambiance,

hint about India's mode of living, and show-off

their artistic side through

the usage of serving utensils and holloware.

The spicy comfort foods,

allude to the usual

preparation of large cooking portions

for the comfort of family

togetherness. The menu reveal

Old World language, and ingredients used

Seasonings Used to Prepare Spicy Indian Foods

many generations ago.

For me, I experience more than tasty foods,

I enjoy the essence of historic values.

Be ready to choose your meal to be seasoned:

Mild, Medium, or Hot.

For us, we love spicy foods, so

Medium was appropriate

for our palate.

I did discover, by allowing

the foods to

"cool-down" to a warmer stage,

the goodness and combination of all spices,

Indian Bread with Dipping Sauce

exploded delightfully in the mouth.

By the way, there was

someone there to refill

chilled glasses of water

. . . so not to worry about

keeping the mouth temperate!

Tender Chicken and Lamb curry with

mint and sweet sauce, accompanied with

garlic/ cilantro seasoned leavened bread,

were satisfying choices for us!

Our evening concluded with Hari, the owner.

He approached our table to chat.

We offered him to sit with us

as his enthusiasm as a Restaurateur

lit-up our curiosity about

anticipations for Monsoon India.

He did not know I was a

Maui Restaurant Critic.

Demonstrations of excellent

dining and food service,

made me curious about their

"restaurant concepts."

We learned their collective studies came from diligent

restaurant research from the mainland, then

to Hawai'i.

Perserverance and enthusiasm

to create,

produce, and continue to

share their native food

across the country,

has been their inherent strength

....nothing fancy, just hardwork, and

excitement to share food, they know well.

We left knowing we would return,

and recommend others

to dine at Monsoon India.

I leave this review with satisfactory

memories of Monsoon India's

ocean view, Chicken and Lamb

Curry, Leavened bread

with garlic and

cilantro topping,

and pleasant violin music

. . . .interested?

4 Star Rating