Yuki I.
Yelp
What an honor to have been able to visit Ame within a week of its opening! I initially had a reservation for 2 that I had made a couple weeks before the restaurant had even opened. A few days before the reservation, I called to bump it to 3 people - they handled that with no problem! :)
We had a bit of trouble finding parking on a Tuesday evening, but we were seated immediately as we arrived a couple minutes late. I loved the atmosphere of the restaurant - pastel and cool colors on the walls, some dark contours along the walls, interesting paintings hung up all around. I liked the feel of the place.
We ordered cocktails - I got grapefruit rickey (grey goose, grapefruit, lime, elderflower liqueur, club soda), and I tried some of my friend's blackberry spritz. I liked my grapefruit drink - refreshing, soft taste with a hint of grapefruit. Blackberry spritz (aperol, lemon, blackberries, prosecco) was more fruity, sweet, had a cherry aftertaste (although there is no cherry in the drink, so maybe it was the aperol talking). Heads up, we were told they currently don't have ice, but our waiter said they're working on it.
For appetizers, we got the aloo tikki (purple potato, goat cheese, pepita seeds) and calamari pakora (masala butter, cumin, lemon). We LOVED the aloo tikki - fried on the outside, gives that good crunchy texture; soft on the inside and goes so well with the cheese! I would get this again in a heartbeat. The calamari was a bit disappointing. I think it was a little too spicy - may have gotten a little too carried away with the Indian/French fusion.
For entrees, we tried the crispy aloo gobi (vegan, gluten-free: cauliflower, sweet peppers, red marsala curry), shrimp curry (spicy coconut sauce, thai chili, ginger, grape tomato), and cashew chicken tikka (tandoor chicken, cashew cream sauce). For the shrimp curry, we got the saffron rice, and we got the naan puffs to go with the chicken tikka.
The aloo gobi was very good - a bit on the spicy side, but the cauliflower + sweet pepper combination was done in just the right proportions. It had that crispy texture too, living up to its name. The shrimp curry was sweet and spicy, but for me, it tasted too sweet. The saffron rice was amazing, though! My favorite dish was the chicken tikka - loved the creamy sauce with that spicy kick but not too much! Naan puffs were super fluffy! Definitely recommend those! I will have to say, they have presentation on point. Each dish that came out was insta-worthy!
Overall, we enjoyed our meal. Am I in a hurry to come back? No, to be honest. I think the dishes are done well, but would be done better in just traditional Indian or strictly French form. However, the ambiance and presentation of dishes are remarkable, and I'm glad we had the opportunity to give Ame a try early on!
PS- Parking is pretty tough around Bishop Arts, even on weekdays, so be prepared to drive around for at least 10 minutes before finding a space!