Amma
246 East 51st Street (between 2nd & 3rd)

I do apologise for the lack of updates, but it's been a pretty nutty time recently. Anyway, I'm here to catch up on a few reviews. The first is a quick weekend lunch at the relatively new Indian place of Amma. As you know I've been critical of most Indian places in Manhattan (especially Devi).

The place was nearly empty which worried me. But we had an okay meal -- nothing special, but it was satisfactory. The place had a fusion-y feel, non-traditional -- which always concerned me. The decor was nothing special either, but as you know, I'm not big on that. What annoyed me was that it was an empty restaurant, and when another diner came in, they put him right next to us. Why????? Ugh...

The starters we shared -- one was a the saffron chicken (pretty bland) and the other Goan shrimp (pretty boring too). The spices were under-emphasised, as I feared. But it was okay. The main course I had the "Parsi halibut" -- which was a bit undercooked and under-spiced. I wonder why they "dumb down" the flavours so much.

We dragged out the meal for awhile but it was out of momentum. It was just a bit too boring after awhile. The only amusing thing was the nice background music (of which the waiters could give us no useful info...). Satisfactory, but I doubt I'll return.

Food: C
Atmosphere: B--
For Lone Diners: C+ (*)