Mom’s kitchen A.K.A KOKO + RAE — Restaurant in Louisville

I’ve been wanting to try the buffet at Mom’s Kitchen since seeing their posts on Facebook.

Mom’s Kitchen is located at 1511 Bardstown Road, just south of Eastern Parkway. Mark’s Feed Store is adjacent, for reference. They are open from 11 AM until 10 PM. The Google Maps entry indicates they open at 10 but I am certain this is incorrect.

A gentlemen named Suny warmly greeted me and seated me at one of the numerous picnic-style tables. The buffet was not quite set up but soon, Suny began bringing out chafing dishes of fresh, hot food.

The selection included curry fish, curry chicken, tandoori chicken, tika masala, rajma, chana masala, dal makhani, and gulab jamun. Please note that I have probably missed a dish or two, I forgot to photograph the chafing dishes with their labels. All information here is provided from memory.

I got one of the generous-sized plates and started in. A large rice cooker held golden spiced turmeric rice. I spooned out a generous serving of it.

The first chafing dish was curry fish. I filled the serving spoon with fish and vegetables and covered one end of the rice. Then returning for gravy, topping the mixture generously.

I repeated the process for the tika masala, dal makhani, chana masala, and rajma.

Once back at the table, Suny brought a bowl with fresh, hot, garlic naan to enjoy with the meal. While Mom’s does offer canned soft drinks, I opted to drink the complimentary chilled water that was provided.

I want to note that while the attached photo does have everything thrown together, each of the dishes was delicious, hot, and satisfying.

After finishing my plate and using naan to get it clean, I returned to the buffet. I got a small amount of rice and topped it with a spoon of dal makhani. I served myself a piece of tandoori chicken. Suny kindly served me 4 gulab jamun.

He suggested I get a cup of their complimentary hot chai tea to have with my gulab jamun. I am glad I did.

The dal makhani was again delicious, hence my desire for just a bit more of it.

The tandoori chicken was roasted to perfection, well marinated and spiced, it was delicious and a change from the curry dishes I’d already enjoyed.

Once I’d finished the main courses, I cut one the dough balls in half and swiped it through the syrup and placed it in my mouth. It was very good. I lifted the tea cup to my mouth but it was still steaming hot. I tilted the cup and blew into it to cool a but of it so I could drink. It was amazing and complimented my dessert perfectly.

For those not familiar with Indian cuisine, here are the basics of the dishes I tried.

Fish curry (fish masala) is made by combing bite-sized pieces of fish with sautéed onions, ginger, garlic, tomatoes & ground spices

Chicken curry is made by simmering chicken pieces with plenty of spices, herbs, onions and tomatoes.

Tandoori chicken (tandoori murgh) is marinated overnight with various spices, herbs and yogurt. This marinade helps to tenderize, spice and flavor up the chicken. It is then roasted in a Tandoor clay oven.

Tika masala is Chuck chicken in sauce. The sauce is fragrant with spices.

Rajma is made with kidney beans simmered in a curry base consisting of bold North Indian spices, herbs, onions and tomatoes. The dish goes by the name Rajma Masala and if served with basmati rice it is referred as Rajma Chawal.

Chana masala is a North Indian curried dish made with white chickpeas, onions, tomatoes, spices and herbs. ‘Chana’ is a Hindi word for ‘Chickpeas’ and ‘Masala’ here refers to a ‘spiced gravy’. So it is chickpeas simmered in a spicy onion tomato masala.

Dal makhani is a North Indian dish where whole black lentils & red kidney beans are slow cooked with spices, butter & cream.

Gulab jamun is a classic Indian sweet made with milk solids, sugar, rose water & cardamom powder.

I recommend you visit Mom’s Kitchen and satisfy your Indian...

Review is solely for the Indian portion of the menu.

I want to really love this place, but I’m on the fence. The first couple of times I went, the chicken tikka masala had super flavorful pieces of chicken. This latest time the chicken didn’t taste like much, and tasted like run of the mill under seasoned chicken breast that was pretty dry. The rice tasted too much like cloves or something I didn’t care for, and there was not enough sauce for the large amount of rice at the bottom of the container.

Also, while I was told the naan is home made, it doesn’t have the chewy, flakey, bubbly texture of great naan. It didn’t have those tasty crispy charred spots. The naan is wrapped up in foil to steam and just tasted like a garlic flavored pita. I would suggest they default to butter naan, work on their cooking technique, and don’t wrap it up tightly in foil. They need to work on their reheating technique if they aren’t going to cook the naan to order. Reheat them in a pan or something. During the reheating process, garlic could be added if a customer prefers. I don’t know, it seems like a missed opportunity of home made naan, because it tasted pre-made to me. Bombay Grill and Tikka House have some pretty stellar butter naan, which I love, but after trying the naan here I am sad to say that it isn’t that great.

Also, they should offer a regular and large portion, and charge less for the regular size. For a quick lunch, the price is too high and the quantity too much. For dinner if the intention is to split, the larger size and higher price is OK, but the total price with naan is over $20. Lunch should offer an entree and naan for under $15 total. $12.99 or $13.99 would be a good target.

I think this place has potential to be really great, but as it stands, I am not sure how often I will...

I had never been here before, but the bright colors of the business were vibrant and inviting to me. The most inviting thing was the atmosphere inside with the kind gentlemen who took SUCH great care of my mom who I’d brought with me. For context, my mom had a stroke years ago affecting her sense of taste. Her favorite foods pre-stroke are no longer options for her as their all too bland for her. I thought the stronger flavors, use of spices here would help her with that issue 🤷🏼‍♀️

I personally don’t have much experience with this realm of flavors, but I loved everything I tried!! (If they have the cashew based smoothie - get it, it was delicious) My mom found something she liked thanks to the gentleman who had my mom try 4-6 different samples of items/flavors on their menu, then double checked and had her try it again to make sure she was getting something she was happy with…thank you again sir if you end up reading this! 🥹🩵🙏🏼😇

When they brought the food they were attentive as can be, making sure we had what we needed and that everything was to our liking. My mom ended up not liking it (this is no surprise, it’s mission impossible getting her to eat, period. She primarily eats bread items and desserts). The only reason I mention that is because a woman who worked there (Sanna, I believe) took the time to chat with us about what it was mom didn’t like and provided suggestions of other items that might be a better fit for her. The care they gave was unmatched to what I’ve experienced elsewhere. This place has so much heart, its undeniably felt. The food was objectively wonderful and I can guarantee you will leave feeling satisfied one way or another. Will be back...