Indian cuisine is one of my favorites. Whenever I traveled in pre-COVID times, I’d always seek it out in major cities, filling up before returning home to a limited scene where we might see one new restaurant opening every five years.

I’m happy to see the pace quickening with the opening of the Southern Indian restaurant Sarithra last year, and now the Northern Indian/Himalayan restaurant Spice Up House of Indian Cuisine. The latter is a new eatery in the former Choi’s Family Restaurant space on King Street. It’s been completely renovated to have a modern feel, painted in a clean light gray with small touches of India in the artwork and uruli floral decor at the door.

Brothers Bharat and Ganesh Shrestha, originally from Nepal, opened the family-run restaurant to showcase specialties from their native country and the surrounding region. They’ve created a restaurant that demands several repeat visits to get through its roster of breads, curries and tandoor dishes.

Perhaps one of the most relatable meals on the menu would be an order of vegetarian and chicken momos. These steamed dumplings look like the familiar Japanese gyoza or Chinese pot stickers, and are said to have been introduced through trade routes from Northern China.

The succulent chicken momos ($7.95 for five pieces; $13.95 for 10) are delicately flavored with turmeric that color the juices, which spill onto the plate a bright yellow. The vegetable version ($6.95/$11.95) is similarly seasoned and filled with onions and cabbage. Both are accompanied by a smooth housemade tomato chutney.

The momos are a lighter option than deep-fried samosas ($6.95). The combined flavors of potato-and-vegetable-filled pastry and accompaniments of a cilantro-mint sauce and separate tamarind sauce is divine.

Not to be missed are the chicken wings appetizer ($9.95), small but juicy, having been slow-roasted in a tandoor after being marinated in yogurt and spices.

As much as I dislike filling up on bread, it’s hard to resist Spice Up’s naan. On my first visit, I gravitated toward the savory garlic and cheese version ($5.95). As ono as that was, I found the sweet naan ($5.95) even more irresistible. The thickest part of its crust was filled with a mixture of finely chopped almonds and honey, with a brush of honey coating its surface.

It’s the curries — their rich textures and depth of flavor achieved through the layering of onions, toasted and hand-crushed spices, nuts, seeds and herbs — that best demonstrate the reasons I love Indian food. The combinations are complex and sophisticated, yet the overall vibe is as comforting as a homemade stew.

Menu specialties include creamy chicken tikka masala ($16.99), korma of onions and almond cream, coconut curry, and creamy spiced spinach.

My favorite curries are the pahadi mint chicken, and thick and savory Kashmiri stew, rogan josh, incorporating yogurt, ghee and Kashmiri pepper. It’s traditionally a lamb stew, but you can also get it with chicken. As for the pahadi curry, the mint flavor is unmis takable but not overwhelming.

I loved every curry I tried, except for the vindaloo, generally considered the spiciest of Indian dishes. Here, it was a sweet, spicy and vinegary concoction that was too sugary for my taste.

Indian restaurants are one of the few places that offer a variety of lamb dishes, and Spice Up does a fantastic job whether you prefer it in the ground form of lamb shish kebabs ($18.99) that arrive like mini sausages on a sizzling platter, or tender and juicy tan- door-grilled rack of lamb ($31.99).

I’m not generally a fan of Indian desserts, which I find too sugary, but I did enjoy the rasmalai ($5.95), two small paneer (Indian cottage cheese) patties soaked in cardamom-scented clotted cream and rosewater, the perfect light finish to a decadent meal.

Spice Up House of Indian Cuisine
1289 S. King St., Suite 101
Food: ***
Service: ***
Ambiance: ***
Value: ***
Call: 808-784-0338
Hours: 11 a.m.-3 p.m. and 5-9 p.m.
Wednesdays-mondays
Prices: about $50-$60 for two
— Ratings compared to similar restaurants: **** – Excellent *** – Very Good ** – Average * – Below Average

Nadine Kam’s restaurant visits are unannounced and paid for by Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Follow Nadine on Instagram (@nadinekam) or on YouTube (youtube.com/nadinekam).