A new restaurant is ready to serve luxurious Indian cuisine in The Woodlands. Amrina opens for dinner this Friday, June 17.
First announced in January, Amrina (Hindi for "princess") aims to serve contemporary Indian cuisine in an atmosphere that its owners describe as delightful and romantic. The former Kona Grill space in the Woodlands Waterway (3 Watersquare Place) has been transformed into a contemporary environment that features a main dining room, cocktail lounge, indoor-outdoor bar, private dining room, and an in-kitchen chef's table that will host custom tasting menus.
To bring this creation to life, owners Preet Paul Singh and Surpreet Singh recruited chef Jaspratap “Jassi” Bindra to serve as both Amrina's executive chef and the managing partner for their new hospitality company, Kahani Social Group. Bindra brings experience from both hotels in India and Washington D.C. restaurant Punjab Grill, which earned a strong two-and-a-half star rating from Washington Post critic Tom Sietsema.
“Amrina highlights food from all regions of India, looking through the eclectic lens with spotlight ingredient in each dish,” Bindra said in a statement. “Our team has developed a menu to excite the tastebuds of our guests in a way they have never tasted before.”
That menu starts with breads that stray far from the traditional. For example, Bindra serves whiskey naan, naan with sun-dried tomato, olive, and basil, and kulcha with bacon, caramelized onion, and apple. They can be paired with a variety of dips and chutneys such as dill peppercorn yogurt, channa masala hummus, and ajvar chutney.
From there, move on to small plates such as yellow fin tuna tartare, jackfruit samosas, charred octopus, or burrata with anchovies, spiced tomato, and kashmirichili sofrito. Entrees include a masala-rubbed, bone-in ribeye, cauliflower steak with aloo gobhi puree, Chilean sea bass with asparagus poriyal, and red wine-braised lamb shank with truffle umpa, cilantro gremolata, and chili rogan. Match them with sides like truffled mashed potatoes, masala corn, and tandoori mac and cheese.
Beverage options include a wine cellar with 800 options as well as a range of craft cocktails. They include a basil daiquiri, a "New Fashioned" made with bourbon and Averna-cardamom syrup, and a margarita riff that blends tequila and lime juice with golden turmeric syrup, green chili bitters, and cardamom bitters.
For now, Amrina is open for dinner Monday-Saturday at 5 pm. It stays open until 2 am on Friday and Saturday with a late night lounge environment that will include DJs. Lunch and Sunday brunch will follow in the coming weeks.
"We envisioned opening a restaurant of this caliber over six years ago,” Surpreet Singh added. “I am pleased to announce that Amrina is ready to open its doors to the public. Our team is prepared to offer our guests an elevated, tasteful experience of eclectic Indian cuisine."
Red wine braised lamb shank.
