Plume Algiers — Restaurant in New Orleans

Another well-hidden gem of New Orleans dining!!!

It’s at Algiers, the other side of the Mississippi opposite the French quarter. Right in the middle of a residential area. So unassuming that you can easily miss it even when walk by. And don’t get putted off by the outside. Once we stepped in, we were bathed in a creative, pleasant and fresh vibe. The music they played. The mural on the wall. (By their good friend J. Pierre) The relax and yet personal service.

We often experienced Indian, or most of the ethnic, kitchen in either very authentic and little sketchy setup or very modern smooth business run by some management savoy franchise people. Plume Algiers is something in between. Very tasty food. Very innovative. Modern combination and presentation while still loyal and trueful to the Indian food culture. They served with handmade pottery!!!

Banana Chaat - really crispy outside and tender inside. Superb blend of accessories. Even without the main dish, I could have just left this place after this starter and be utterly satisfied.

Mushroom Koru Roti - fried mushroom with vegetables and roti. Tasty. Special. The yogurt gives a good balance. And we ate it with our naan.

Naan - the dough is mixed with pepper corn, coriander and onion seeds, which give it a distinct fragrance once we lift it from the basket. Nicely baked. Perfect thickness.

Bhapa Doi - kefir cheesecake with cherry compote, pomegranate molasses and cashews. Well, cheesecake is cheesecake. But they combine it with such an elegance and balance that we found it the best way to finish our meal.

Only one regret. That we are not hungry enough to order their FEED ME on the menu. They will keep feeding you with their goodies. We would love to come with some friends next time so we can do...

Located in New Orlean's second-oldest neighborhood far from the French Quarter is a small Indian restaurant on a block full of single-family homes. The chefs aren't Indian. After working in the food industry, the partners traveled through Indian, inspired by new-to-them flavors. Upon returning, they created a pop-up that now has a brick-and-mortar worth visiting. On a trip to New Orleans, my wife, seven-year-old daughter, mother-in-law, and I dined at Plume Algiers at 6 p.m. on a Tuesday evening in April. Here's our experience.

1. Food: Don't expect your usual Indian dishes like butter chicken or tikka masala. The menu is small, but that's because every dish is thoughtful and fresh. To feed the four of us, we got the fried rice with chicken for our daughter. We also got the banana chaat, chingri malai shrimp, cabbage moilee, raj kochari, green chutney, tamarind chutney, appam, two servings of naan, and milk cake.

Literally, every dish was scrapped clean and every dish was a winner- truly. The banana chaat is very unique and the banana works with the coconut, yogurt, tamarind, and green chutney.

The chingri malai shrimp was the perfect amount of spicy and the sauce went well with the naan and appam.

2. Service: It was attentive and kind. One of the owners took our orders and walked us through the menu. It turns out she grew up near where we live in Washington, D.C.

3. Space: It's small, but inviting. The walls are decorated with murals and the kitchen is open. Once done, go to the front to settle the bill. We found easy street parking right in front.

4. Price: For a feast that fed all four of us, our bill was $165.70, including a 20%+ tip.

5. Drinks: We ordered one of each of their cocktails. They...

I’ve never reviewed a restaurant before, but I feel like I need to give folks with peanut allergies a heads up. After indicating that I had a peanut allergy on my reservation ahead of time and telling the server when we were seated, we placed our order. It was only after the order was placed that the server returned to ask me if it would be a problem that the kitchen fried peanuts in the same fryer they use for all fried items on the menu. Once I indicated that this would absolutely be a problem, the server pointed out all the fried items on the menu- it was at least half of the food available, and most, if not all, of the big ticket items. It was extremely disappointing. I’ve never been to a restaurant that would put such a common allergen in a vessel that cooks a large portion of the food, especially when it’s avoidable. It felt like no consideration was given to customers with an extremely common food allergy. What little I was able to try was delicious, but not worth being excluded from a huge chunk of the dining experience. Maybe this isn’t a space for people with peanut allergies, but a heads up would have been helpful!

edited to add that the energy of the response below is precisely why I left my first ever review of a restaurant. Had I been met with kindness I would have chalked it up to bad luck. Humility, accountability and hospitality are distinctly lacking here (check out their responses to...