Scents of turmeric, cardamom, cloves and cinnamon from the kitchen greet customers entering Royal Tandoor, a new Indian restaurant in Port Orchard.
Tandoori butter chicken swimming in creamy tomato sauce, chicken tikka masala seasoned in onion and tomato gravy, and tandoori bone-in chicken straight out of an Indian clay oven are among popular entrees at the new eatery at 1821 SE Lund Ave.
Other offerings include an array of Indian naan breads and exotic drinks such as mango lassi, a chilled yogurt cooler. Among sweet finishing touches are deep-fired cheese-filled dough balls topped with sweet rose water and Indian cheese dumplings in creamy pistachio sauce.
“All I can say is the people of Port Orchard wanted to try something new. They like our food when they see we are using all herbs and spices in it. It’s healthy food,” head chef and co-owner Satnam Singh said. “It’s healthy because we don’t use a lot of butter. All of our curries are gluten-free. We grind all of our spices from scratch and use fresh vegetables. We don’t buy ready-made stuff.”
Singh enjoys preparing the dishes. “When I am cooking I do it from my heart,” he said. “I want to make people smile. When you cook with a happy mood, you want to serve people the same way you serve your family. When someone says, ‘Hey chef is a good job, good work!’ That makes me happy, you know.”
The restaurant is run by three owners, equipped with 40 years of combined restaurant experience. Singh is partnered with Swaran Singh (no relation) and “Ricky” Salil Chanan. They operated Tandoori Grill in Puyallup from 2021-24 when they sold it to move to Port Orchard. Satnam handles culinary duties while the two others manage the business.
The trio chose Port Orchard because they were able to purchase the land and building, which was already suited to be a restaurant, Singh said. The building was the site of Cosmo’s Ristorante and Delicatessen, which closed last summer. Another positive was the absence of Indian cuisine in the area. The closest Indian restaurants are in Bremerton, according to Yelp.
Royal Tandoor is open for lunch and dinner and closed Mondays.
