Sri Lankan in Grand Haven, MI

It's not often that I would enthusiastically recommend a West Michigan restaurant to someone from Chicago. But a tiny new place in Grand Haven, Michigan is putting out a small but amazing menu of Sri Lankan and Southern Indian specialties, which compares well to food I've had on Devon Street.

Thali Bistro, an immaculate, retro-styled eatery with eleven or so tables inside and out, is just a few minutes off US 31 in Grand Haven (about 1/2 hour N of Holland, 45 minutes from Saugatuck/Douglas and Grand Rapids). The menu is small compared to most Indian restaurants and my husband and I are vegan/vegetarian, so we've tried the few selections in that corner of the menu. For lunch they make a terrific (and quite large) Spicy Aloo Wrap filled with potatoes, lentils and sauteed spinach. There aren't many wraps I would drive further than a few minutes for, but this is one, especially with the amazing coriander/mint chutney and organic mixed green salad on the side. The other veggie option is the South Indian Sauteed Spinach Thali which comes with dal, rice and salad.

At dinner, appetizer options include Samosas, Stuffed Capiscums, Lentil Dumplings, and Aubergine Fritters. We ended up with the lightly battered eggplant fritters topped with a tamarind sauce and the dumplings, about the size of meatballs, with yogurt sauce. Both generous portions were delicious but the dumplings were at the upper limit of our spiciness tolerance (and I like it hot).

Dinner entrees include the spinach thali, Masala Dosa ($13.95) and Wild Mushrooms in Tropical Flavors ($13.95). The dosa was filled with a hefty portion of potato and lentils and served with spicy coconut chutney. The mushrooms came with rice and a mild dal masala. I was worried that "tropical" and "sweet spices" meant sugary, but the dish was perfectly seasoned and definitely not too sweet. Both meals came with an organic greeen salad.

For bread we ordered garlic kulcha ($2.95) and the three chutney sampler ($3.95). The shallot and mustard chutneys were quite hot and the pineapple (a replacement for the usual mango) had a surprise kick. We wondered how others were handling the heat, so we kept an eye on nearby tables—everyone appeared to happily clean their plates of the unusual fare.

To wet your whistle, you can choose from wine, beer and GUS (Grown Up Sodas). I really love their house "Monsoon Juice", a blend of ginger and lemonade. If you're a carnivore, I think I remember beef, lamb, wild boar and fish on the menu in various configurations.

Though I don't know much about Sri Lankan cuisine, this seemed less oily and less overcooked than typical Indian fare, something like how I would compare Thai to most (Americanized) Chinese food. This place is not afraid of spices, especially hot ones which we appreciate, though I wonder if they'll have to tone it down for local palates. Hopefully not. Definitely a place worth driving out of your way for.

Thali Bistro
211 N 7th Street
Grand Haven, MI
(616) 844-3040

Tuesday through Sunday
Lunch 12 to 3 p.m.
Dinner 5 to 9 p.m.

Thanks for the report. I'm spending lots of time in W. Michigan lately, and your dispatches from the fruit belt are incredibly helpful.

The place sounds good, but I'm having trouble with this comparison:

"less oily and less overcooked than typical Indian fare"

By this are you referring to long-simmered vegetable dishes? And by "typical" do you mean typical for a big Devon buffet? As huge and regionally distinct as India is, I assume that's what you mean.

Anyway, thanks again.

Veghead,
My mouth is watering, and anticipating blistering pain already!

The last Sri Lankan I had was in Minneapolis, no less absurd than Grand Haven for spicy ethnic food. It too was very spicy -- beyond my tolerance -- but I didn't notice any 'oiliness' difference.

The Indian cookbook I had emphasizes that oil floating on a dish is a sign of wealth and richness, and butter (ghee, usually) is often added to dishes at the end of cooking. I don't know if that is less common in Sri Lankan cooking.

JeffB wrote:The place sounds good, but I'm having trouble with this comparison:

"less oily and less overcooked than typical Indian fare"

By this are you referring to long-simmered vegetable dishes? And by "typical" do you mean typical for a big Devon buffet? As huge and regionally distinct as India is, I assume that's what you mean.

Anyway, thanks again.

Hi there,

I will try to explain, though I apologize if I make ignorant comparisons, since I am not a food expert. I LOVE Indian food though many times I find it quite rich from oil/ghee/cream. As a vegetarian, I often order the curries in which the veggies are cooked almost past recognition, though they often still taste great and samosas/pakoras/etc which are often a bit greasy...this has been true in my experience at buffets and even at Tiffin and Udupi, my two usuals on Devon. In West Michigan, oil is used even more liberally, so perhaps this is my "typical" yardstick. By that measure, Thali's food is"light"--no heavy creams though some coconut milk may appear, and certainly no oil slick on top of a dish--from the dosa's potato filling to the dal to the incredible mushroom dinner and even the deep fried eggplant, all were flavorful, but seemed "lighter" than most Indian I have had, yet still filling. (And our English Indian-loving carnivore now counts this as his fav local spot, so it's not just the veggies that shine.) Of course, the spice mixture is also a bit different than "typical" Indian, but I won't even attempt to try to explain that--please stop in and explain it to me afterward!

As for spiciness mentioned in the other post above, I do love hot and have only a couple of times been blasted out of enjoying a meal. This was not to that point but certainly jolted my usually bored palate. (This was true more in the appetizers/chutneys than in the main entrees, despite several of the latter being marked "hot".) There were more than a handful of 70 year old folks dining there recently and either they were really good sports or they handled the heat just fine.

At any rate, the food I've had here was different but similar to the Indian I've had...probably the most interesting place hereabouts, though we also highly recommend Unkh's in Holland for terrific Japanese (can't go wrong with their sushi, miso or udon soups and their creme brulee makes my husband's eyeballs roll backward), another huge surprise (which won't last long--the place is for sale.)

Both are near US 31 and well worth driving a ways for. Hope you make it to this side of the lake for beautiful fall weather (brrrr) and a very good meal.


The Unkh’s Japanese Restaurant
322 E Lakewood Blvd., Holland, MI
Lunch M-F 11-2, Dinner M-S 5:30-9
616-394-0024
www.unkhs.com

Thanks for the thoughtful reply. I will check it out.