New restaurant offers ‘Indo-Paki’ fare right next to campus

KALAMAZOO, MI -- If you’ve never had Indian food, you’re missing out.

It’s hard to think of another cuisine with a more complex flavor palate.

And maybe we shouldn’t be surprised – Indian food has a long, long, long history, dating back thousands of years, and it was the craze for Indian spices 500-plus years ago that led Europeans to discover the New World in the quest to find shorter trade routes to India.

Among the evangelists for Indian cuisine is Mohammad Ahsan, manager of the new Royal Cuisine restaurant that opened this spring near Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo.

The secret to Indian cuisine is the spice combinations, Ahsan said. Those spices include cumin, coriander, turmeric, cardamom, black pepper, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and mustard seed. Ginger and garlic are also common ingredients.

It makes for “a lot of flavor,” Ahsan says.

Royal Cuisine actually bills itself as an “Indo-Paki” restaurant, a nod to the fact it’s right around the corner from the Kalamazoo Islamic Center and many of its customers are Muslims, including Pakistanis. That helps explain why Royal Cuisine has beef entrees – which many Hindus eschew but Muslims do not – and why Royal Cuisine only uses halal meat, which means it adheres to Islamic dietary laws.

Royal Cuisine’s most popular dish is Butter Chicken ($18.99), an Indian classic and the perfect dish for someone who has never had Indian food. It’s made with a chicken marinated in yogurt and spices and grilled, then simmered in a savory tomato cream sauce. Royal Cuisine’s version includes the addition of ground cashews (which can be left out for people with nut allergies.) The result is mildly spicy, but highly aromatic and packed with flavor.

Another customer favorite at Royal Cuisine is Mutton Biryani ($19.99), an Indian-style casserole of spicy rice with flecks of mutton. The restaurant also has Chicken Tikka Biryani ($14.99) and Vegetable Biryani ($14.99).

For the initiated, biryani is much like the Indian version of stir-fried rice. But it “gives you an entirely different taste” because of the Indian spices, Ahsan said.

Like virtually all Indian restaurants, Royal Cuisine has plenty of vegetarian options. Besides the Vegetable Biryani, the restaurant’s most popular vegetarian entrée is Palak Paneer ($14.99), a dish of creamed spinach and paneer. The latter is an Indian cheese that tastes much like cottage cheese, but with a firmer texture and is typically cut into cubes.

Ahsan encourages customers to explore beyond the better-known Indian dishes. His personal favorite is Kodai Chicken ($17.99), in which chicken is simmered in a sauce of tomatoes, ginger, garlic and an array of spices, and garnished with green chilis.

Several notes about Royal Cuisine: Its entrees are definitely on the spicy side, but the kitchen can tone down the heat on request.

Also, the entrees are large enough for two generous portions (Indian food makes for excellent leftovers) and it’s important to know that most entrees do not include rice, which is ordered separately. As an alternative to bread (or as a delicious side dish), Royal Cuisine offers several Indian-style flatbreads, including naan, roti and paratha.

Royal Cuisine has been open since February in the building across from the Kalamazoo College football field that once housed the Spice & Rice restaurant.

“We found this place, which is a very good spot near campus and in the community,” Ahsan said.

The new owner also likes he proximity to the Kalamazoo Islamic Center on West Michigan Avenue, which provides a natural customer base, Ahsan said. Royal Cuisine regularly hosts gatherings of people affiliated with the center.

The restaurant is also getting customers from students and faculty at WMU and K-College, including a thriving takeout business and from people who use DoorDash and Uber Eats.

“People should try us out,” Ahsan said. “We have a very good taste and we have good prices and good quantity. We have good hospitality as well.”

Royal Cuisine is open 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. seven days a week at 525 Burrows Road, just off the intersection of West Michigan Avenue next to the FedEx near the WMU campus. The phone is (269) 366-4261.

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