Tulsi

Good but prices offset it. If this place was a little cheaper it would be a. Food is above average.

Nice little upscale Indian restaurant. The food and service are decent. I had a nice relaxed meal with a friend and we sample quite a bit of the menu. Everything we ordered was excellent. Will definitely try again.

Highly overrated ! I was not able to figure out the taste of their curries — mughlai, punjabi, goan? The mango kulfi so super frozen to the point it was tasteless ! Their aloo tikki was served without any chutni? I thought that was strange. Overall not impressed and will not recommend.

Amazing. I don’t know what else to say, but the food was delicious, the service was right, the ambiance was wonderful, the décor was perfect. I brought my family here for my mother’s birthday and they all enjoyed it very much. The lobster curry was phenomenal.

The inside of the restaurant is spectacular! Great job décor team!
Restaurant week menu details…
I had the Aloo Tikki which I enjoyed a lot despite it being quite spicy. I wish they gave more rice for the main course because we ran out fast! The Basundi desert was great; much better than the mango cranberry ice cream, but then I’m not a big fan of ice cream.
Service was fantastic and on point too! They were very patient and accommodating of our late friend, which was nice.

We were here last night for restaurant week 2016 & we were blown away by the simplicity & deliciousness of the food. Simply awesome! Well deserved Michelin star. We will definitely be returning to this place — just added to our list of faves!

Mediocre and over priced food. Service was good

DON’T ORDER FROM SEAMLESS. I had called the company prior to ordering to see if they would be able to deliver a few blocks further, they said it would be fine. Once I placed the order, they told me I would have to pay another fee (25 $) just for the delivery… Scamming people is not ok. Horrible service for overpriced food is not ok.
Save your money and eat elsewhere.

Went here using a groupon for a 3 course meal for two. I felt groupon customers were treated slightly different in terms of service. The wine that was served was not at par, however the food was good. The lamb kebabs were succulent and flavorful.
The dessert was good and so was the ambience. This isn’t a very typical indian restaurant, it’s rather upscale and pricey but worth the price I must say.

Good Indian food on a Saturday evening.
We ordered the gelauti lamb kebabs and its famous lamb chops as starters.
The yellow dal and the lal Maas was good too.
The naans were excellent and very soft. While the food was good, the restaurant needs some dressing up to do. The décor doesn’t feel like a Michelin star place; it could be any decent Indian curry house anywhere in the world.

A beautiful restaurant with great service and great staff and service to boot! We had a mixed dinner group of carnivores, vegetarians and kosher «lite» individuals so it wasn’t hard to please all.
Most memorable for me was the young jackfruit biriyani! The presentation was intriguing since they bring it to the table with a big puffed dough casing on top and then they do this whole preparation in front of you to serve it. I forgot that I was eating fruit at one point because jackfruit, when not quite ripe, has a very meaty texture to eat. Ordered the usual Indian suspects from the menu from 3 preparations of paneer, dahl, chicken Tikka masala, a goat dish as well and everyone felt nothing lacked in seasoning, flavor or portion size.
Most definitely will be back.

Very delicious indian food!
From the rice to the saag paneer to the naan — nothing but YUM! Galauti Kebabs was THE BEST.
We ordered delivery and it was fast and well-​packed.

I was very excited to try Tulsi. It’s a Michelin star rated restaurant and I had high expectations.
My experience at Tulsi was very average. We ordered a ragda chaat and the samosa platter for appetizers. The ragda chaat was decent but not properly mixed and seasoned. Samosas were fine. For the main course we ordered a phool sabzi with methi, which was decent. Nothing to rave about but liked that the dish was a little different compared to standard restaurant fare. A friend ordered the lamb which they were not happy with. For dessert, we ordered the payasam and nankhatai. The payasam lacked sweetness and the chocolate cup that it was served in didn’t pair well. The nankhatai was delicious, I would recommend substituting the chocolate ice cream with rose ice cream. The cocktails we ordered were also tasty.
Food and ambiance were mediocre and not worthy of any special mention and certainly not worthy of a Michelin star.

As a Michelin star restaurant chaser however not really interested in Indian food myself, restaurant week would be a perfect time for trying Tulsi. I got a bit disappointed to be honest.
Food quality was acceptable and I actually liked the mango/​strawberry soup as well as the marinated lamb chop. However service was something they indeed need to work harder upon. Before we had even finished our dessert, the waiter came by again and again asking whether we have finished or not. We have not.
Ok not come back, and not really recommend it. Don’t understand why it has been rated one star.

I’ve never been into a fancy, Indian restaurant and I must say I was not disappointed with this one.
Food was delicious. Tandoor champ aka lamb chop tasted good just as it looked, YUMMY.
Malai kulfi which was not listed in the menu is a must have. Pistachio kulfi, which also wasn’t listed, was mediocre.
Overall a nice restaurant with beautiful décor! Staff was very attentive. Manager came around to make sure everything was alright and checked up on us few times. Constant water refills. Definitely worth a second visit.

Lapin and I came here after we saw a Groupon deal advertising a Michelin star dinner for a fraction of the cost. Typically, we try to avoid Groupon deals as we end up paying more than the deal was worth. This one of those «Oh, I am glad we had Groupon, otherwise I would have been annoyed at what I paid». Granted, the Groupon deal did have a special menu so they «actual» menu could have been better.
We made reservation for a Friday for 6:30pm. The place was rather empty, which was nice since we were seating at a table inside this cabana looking thing. Our servers were quick, attentive, and pleasant. The space was decorated rather beautiful and the level of care that was exhibited when each dish was bought out and while we waited for our food was impeccable. Although, towards the end Lapin got a rather spicy dish and he drank all of his water and no one came to refill it.
After we ordered, they have a small round cauliflower appetizer (roughly the size of a bubblegum you get from a 25cent machine) while we wait for our dishes to come. We shared an order of Shrimp Balchao, which was really succulent and delicious. Probably the highlight of the entire meal. Lapin got the Jhangazi Boti Kabab (lamb dish) and Murgh Chettinad (chicken dish), both we felt was lacking in taste. We were served a generous portion of naan and rice with our meal. I should say, that I am a bit spoiled when it comes to Indian food as I been eating it since I was a tot and my mom makes her own curry powder along with other spice mixes she cooks with.
Now, the great disappointment. We could choose between the Pistachio ice cream or the Flan. The waitress let us have both. The serving size of each… was just plain… sad. We barely could have two bites of each dessert. granted…they weren’t that tasty… but it was still embarrassing to be serve that to say the least. The inside of a teaspoon was bigger than the size of these desserts.
While I wouldn’t come back here again, the only reason I gave this place three stars was because of the impeccable service.

Had dinner at Tulsi the other day and frankly, was quite disappointed. Here’s why:
–The food was unbelievably spicy, despite our many requests to prepare everything mild.
–Tulsi apparently charges for coffee by the CUP, which resulted in $ 20 of coffee charges for my caffeine loving brother.
–Prices are higher than they were previously, and quantities are much lower.
Not sure what happened to Tulsi but there are too many better and more affordable places in Murray Hill to go back.

The chef is a Michelin star chef. But maybe I am biased because I had just come back from India and had eaten mostly in the best Indian restaurants from Mumbai, Delhi, and Rajasthan.
Tonight, I had requested for something off their menu after chatting with my waiter. It was the fried okra which I had in Udaipur. We discussed it and made sure it was crisp. However, when it came it was sliced julienned style and although it was crisp, was quite dark, almost burnt.
The amuse bouche was good. I think it was ground garbanzo or chickpea fried and served with a dot of tamarind based sauce on top.
My order of Shrimp Balchao as appetizer was alright. It was on the sweet side and reminded me more of other Asian cuisine. It was good but it tasted more like a Philippine shrimp dish I have had before called escabeche.
The garlic Naan was excellent — I highly recommend you order that. It is very well made. So thin and flavorful.
After having ordered LAAL MAAS, a goat stew from Rajahstan about 4 times during my trip to India, I have developed the authentic taste for it at different establishments. Those were all close. However, at Tulsi, it lacked the smoky flavor I had in India in the LAAL MAAS. You see, traditionally, they first out the goat meat in a tandoor — a chef took me to their visible kitchen to see where they «grill» the goat meat. The positive thing about Tulsi’s LAAL MAAS is that their had distinct pieces of ginger in the stew. Unlike in Rajasthan, the sauce in Tulsi was milder and less thick but it was also good. It wasn’t bad.
For dessert, I ordered the Santra Payasam.
It is an Indian dessert similar to a rice pudding served in a mold of chocolate. The «pudding» has a strong taste of orange because of the orange rind. Maybe I paid for the molded chocolate bowl the «rice-​type» pudding was served in. It seems like a better choice of dessert.
My bill was high for the dinner. Almost what I would have paid at the popular Indian restaurant in London except that was much better. So I am a bit confused how the Michelin star chef did all this? I guess it’s better than the other Indian restaurants in town I have been to??? Not really.

Tulsi is one of the few Indian restaurants in NYC to hold an acclaimed Michelin star; it was, in fact, one of three, but since the release of the 2015 Michelin Guide, it is now only one of two (as Tamarind, unfortunately, lost its star). Perhaps even more notable is the fact that Hemant Mathur, Tulsi’s former executive chef and co-​owner, left the restaurant earlier this year, citing aspirations to focus on a handful of more casual Indian eateries in the city. While I can’t say how, or if, things have changed since Mathur’s departure, I can at least ponder my visit to Tulsi several months ago.
I’d gone with a group of three others to Tulsi, a visit that was originally instigated by my friend’s curiosity once she’d learned about the restaurant. Once our party was present, we were led to a four-​top towards the back of the dining room, and although we weren’t seated in one of the draped-​off areas, there was still plenty of space between tables and little overlap of conversation with other parties. We took a good amount of time to go through the menu as our attention was initially pulled towards an advertised prix fixe menu, but upon learning that there were no substitutions and that the entire table had to partake, we ended up ordering à la carte.
First to arrive was a small pani puri as a starting bite. This lightly fried, hollow crisp was filled with a variety of different ingredients, including a tamarind chutney, chili, and a mash of potatoes and chickpeas. Well-​spiced and with a variety of textures, it whet our appetites in anticipation for our appetizers. Perhaps the disappointment of the night were the Crab Cakes; they were formed in too small spheres and dabbed in a few splatterings of the chili aioli. The crab flavor was faint, an the promised mustard seeds and ginger and curry leaves didn’t seem present as well. The Manchurian Cauliflower was a much stronger plate, although it’s important to note that the dish is actually a Chinese-​inspired one. Regardless of its origins, which are still debated today, the Gobi Manchurian was delicious; the tomato-​garlic sauce was perfectly balanced between sweet and savory, and it was evenly coated on the cauliflower, which a crisp sheen on the exterior florets and stems, but was still warm and tender in the interior. Truly, if all vegetables tasted like this cauliflower, no one would need any reminders or scoldings to eat his or her vegetables.
As a main, I’d opted for the Chettinad Chicken Curry, a dish that my friend assured me would be spicy enough for my tastes. It was served on a small bowl, with a side of a refreshing Kachumber salad, consisting of diced onions, tomatoes, and cucumbers. While I can claim no familiarity with Indian curries, I have to admit that I was disappointed with what I received. The punch of flavor — which should have been from the promised use of coconut, coriander, cardamom, star anise, and at least a dozen other spices — was not present. Perhaps they tried to overcompensate by adding an abundance of salt to the curry as an alternative, but the small fold of roti that was served with the dish was far from being a sufficient counter. Thankfully, my friends had the foresight to order a side of the Garlic Naan, but I couldn’t help but feel a little shirked; at a restaurant of this caliber that’s charging upwards of $ 20 on a small curry, shouldn’t they just include a rice or naan as a sign of graciousness to their guests?
I left Tulsi with rather mixed feelings, which is probably well-​reflected in the three star rating. There was a highlight or two from our meal, but for the most part, I doubt I would return. Perhaps I shouldn’t be so harsh; it is difficult for a restaurant to stay loyal to its ethnic roots while simultaneously catering for a very mixed clientele, all while trying to maintain an appearance of a Michelin star-​worthy restaurant… But if, at the end of the day, your focus is the final product on the plate, there’s certainly many stronger Indian restaurants in the city.

I arrived on time for my 6pm reservation, but my friend was running late. They said no problem and offered a seat. Eventually my friend made it and we were seated immediately.
The inside is beautiful. I truly felt like I was in a special restaurant. Upon being seated, we were served an amuse-​bouche which was a puff pastry with a tamarind sauce. A delicious first bite!
I ordered the lemon drop cocktail which was nicely accented by bits of basil.
My friend and I then shared:
Tulsi Chicken Tikka garlic mint aioli (very tender chicken)
Manchurian Cauliflower garlic tomato sauce (my favorite dish)
Hemant’s Tandoor-​Grilled Lamb Chops south Indian potatoes, pear chutney (again cooked perfectly, and the peach chutney was a nice sweet addition)
Masala Stuffed Eggplant tomato-​tamarind sauce, tomato rice (didn’t like this at all)
Garlic Naan (so pungent with the garlic scent, how could you not like it?)
Overall a good Indian restaurant, but not my favorite. Slightly expensive. We had a 30% discount from Blackboard Eats, which helped.
Our waitress was very sweet and enthusiastic about the cuisine.