Martin’s Curry Rice

While in Morrisville, the lil lady and I decided to have lunch. The mood for Indian hit, so we consulted the handy dandy Unilocal app and found some of the nearest Indian places. Martin’s Curry Rice seemed like a good choice, so we headed that way.
We were not dissapointed. Very welcoming atmosphere, clean facility, ample seating, very spacious (which was great considering we had our baby in a stroller with us and are still getting used to being out with a newborn), and amazing hospitality. I opted for the double sized protein bowl with chicken. The sauces are color coded and you can mix and match. The chef was gracious enough to give us samples of each with rice to try them out. My weapon of choice was a combination of yellow and green. The meal came out pretty quick and tasted phenomenal. The mix of sauces complemented nicely. The meal was hot, cooked all the way through, and served with a small.
My next favorite of Martins is the Sweet Tea. He explained that he added a few spices to regular sweet tea to give it some extra flavor. I’m gonna have to go back and ask him what exactly is in it, because it was GREAT! I love my Sweet Tea and never really considered adding to it, but this was a welcome surprise. Our whole dining experience here was top notch. I’ll be back next time I’m in Morrisville!

I love curry, and I love the concept of this place, but the execution is lacking.
My curry sauce lacked flavor and my rice was a bit too chewy/​dry. I poured on the hot sauce, and the food became more edible. Though, I must say, surrounded by Chinese buffets and Wendy’s, this is a quick & healthy option. And most importantly — SO affordable. I think that’s probably why I’ll come back soon and give it another shot.
The people are super nice, awesome service!

Indian food is growing on me because of places like this! At the end of April, Martin’s Curry Rice was having a patio party with samplings of their menu, a tasting of Full Steam (local) beers, and a live band playing outside. My friends and I had never been, but we eagerly went to check it out because this event sounded so cool.
Martin, himself, was on hand to tell us about his place. I loved his enthusiasm, passion, and personal touches from his heritage but also food and drinks local to this area of NC. He said that just about every day they go to the Farmer’s Market and build their recipes around fresh offerings from local farmers. They offer locally brewed beers. All the folks who work there are really friendly and quite helpful too.
You can build your own meal which is really cool since there are so many options. After my sampling, I went inside to do just that! I had the Pork Vindaloo and although I don’t recall what sides I had, I gobbled down that dish! For dessert I had a Sweet Samosa which different because I’d never had a Samosa to begin with. I’m not sure how else to describe it but as a sort of pastry with some sort of pureed sweetness inside. I also had a Mango Smoothie simply out of curiousity. I was delighted with all of these choices although I’m not sure that Samosas are my thing. There is also a South Indian Brunch offered if you’re that adventurous.
The prices are great, the food is fantastic, and the owner’s outstanding love and commitment is evident. Get on their email list to stay up to date on all their events and offerings too.

Martin’s is like two restaurants in one… You’ve got your made-​to-​order fast-​food curry bowls. They’re built of local ingredients, and intuitive to order (choice of sauce, plus veggies, meats, and so on). If you’re seeking authentic Indian or full-​on flavor, this may not be a good fit for you. On the other hand, you have your specialty dinners and brunches. These are an amazing bargain: Dinners are often local beer, and locally sourced food, pairings for unbelievable prices. The brunch I had most recently featured a guest chef and authentic South Indian cuisine. It. Was. Phenomenal. Hubs and I opted for a sampler platter, a mango lassi, and coffee — 18 bucks! And everything — from the biryani to the dosa to the incredible sauces — was oh-​so-​tasty. Icing on the cake — a portion of the proceeds went to charity!
To top it off, the owner is positively wonderful — energetic, friendly, and passionate about his food and his customers. What more could you ask of a surprising spot in Morrisville?

Food is not good. No flavor at all.
Friendly service though!

Went on today, Saturday, which is their Caribbean day. Not sure I understand or agree with then theme change on the weekends. They didn’t even have Somosas that seem to be so highly rated on here.
So I got the Curry Chicken and was really unhappy with it. The sauce honestly didn’t have much flavor, even though we requested it extra spicy. In addition, the chicken pieces were so chopped up that there were little slivers of bone in almost every bite. Not a good plate of food at all.
Also got some chick pea snack they had by the register and again this didn’t have much flavor and seem to be stale as well.

I’ve frequented Martin’s on many a lunch hour, and have never been disappointed. The vegetables are always fresh and tasty, and the portion size is an amazing value (I have a big appetite and have never left hungry). Some say that the sauce isn’t flavorful or savory enough, and while I can see some confusion if you’re expecting a creamy sauce that smothers all ingredients, the sauce here is very good and compliments the freshness if the ingredients without overpowering their natural taste. The heat level is pretty tame, even on the red sauce, but a few squirts of sriracha, which they have at the counter, remedy that.
The staff is also very friendly and knowledgeable, I have seen them explain the menu and concept to many first timers, and always make good reccomendtions. Also Martin himself is usually there and will happily chat while your meal cooks.
Overall its cheap, healthy, tasty, and filling. If you are looking for classic Indian food, this probably isn’t the best choice (although the samosas are pretty classic and amazingly delicious), but if you want quality affordable food while supporting an awesome local business, Martin’s will take good care of you.

I was a bit nervous about going to a ‘fast food’ Indian joint. Bad memories of airport and mall food were creeping in, but that turns out not to be true at all.
So here’s what the deal is:
They make curry rice bowls.
Tons of fresh veggies to choose from.
Chicken, fish, and tofu.
3 curry sauces.
Brown or white rice.
The sauces are gluten free, don’t use dairy (I think), so they are really striving for a healthy approach here.
You pick your ingredients, they go in a sauce pan over a induction-​looking hot plate, and several minutes later your food is good to go.
You can get samosas and nan to go, but the portion size is pretty decent.
I went with a ‘protein bowl’, which was a bunch of veggies and the tofu. I added a mix of the hot and middle curry sauces with white rice. It was pretty darned good, and not too expensive.
I’m definitely going to return here. Now if only I could get my 2YO to try it.

Can you find Martin? Well, we normally find him at the Western Wake Farmers Market, searching for fresh ingredients. FRESH!!! He always tries to use the seasonal veggies at the market to use in his dishes.
The main thing this restaurant offers is a «create your own curry bowl». You basically pick one type of meat, 4 veggies, and one curry. You also have to choose between white and brown rice. The sauces are a yellow curry, which is sweet and mild. There is a green curry, which has a medium spice, and there is a red curry, which is spicy. I got fish as my meat, broccoli, potatoes, bamboo, and zucchini as my veggies, and the yellow curry with white rice. We had a party of 4 so I got to try all the curries. The yellow curry was my favorite.
There are also other items you can get. You could get a flan or a mango lassi for the end of your meal, or try a delicious samosa! The price and the portions are pretty good. Martin is a really friendly guy and he walks around and talks to you at your table.
Overall the food was very good and at a very reasonable price.

I am a huge fan of Martin’s as the food is fresh, quick, healthy and filling. Martin has a great concept with a no frills approach to a curry bowl and a few other indian foods for purchase. He is a new business owner learning as he goes, and I think he is doing a great job and is very inspiring. His vision is a fast-​casua Indian food type offering and with the growth of the nearby new Target and other shops, I expect he will begin to really see growth. He shops at the nearby Farmers markets and brings that food into his shop. Great to see local businesses support each other!

I went here for dinner just before a movie across the parking lot. I was intending to go to Danny’s BBQ next door, but my wife wasn’t in the mood for BBQ (ack!). When I saw the mongolian-​grill format (pick your raw ingredients plus sauce) my expectations fell a couple of notches. I picked my protein and 3 veggies, along with the green sauce (not the mildest, the stoplight confused me) with a touch of red, and a side of brown rice. After a few minutes wait, they called our number and we picked up our dishes.
The food was so steaming hot (oven hot, not spicy hot) we had to let it cool a bit, else you would burn your mouth. I ended up mixing the cooked food with the rice plus the yummy yogurt that was provided. It still felt like mongolian bbq instead of Indian food, but it was good. I did enjoy the sauce and liked it and cleaned my plate, but I wouldn’t call it fantastic. It hit the spot on a chilly evening, but I was really in the mood for classic Indian.
Was it good? Yes. Will I be returning? With Danny’s next door, it may be a while. I’m not big on the concept. But I did enjoy my meal, it exceeded my lowered expectations.

4 stars.
I also visited at the CMYE a few weeks ago and enjoyed the food. I also really enjoyed meeting Martin and his wife, learning about the restaurant and business.
First though, the food. The BYOB — Build Your Own Bowl idea works really well. The approach is simple and produces tasty results. The staff helps guide you if you have questions to ensure a successful outcome. I like that you can mix the sauces (I really enjoyed the yellow with a splash of red). The ingredients look and taste fresh and it cooks up really fast.
Apparently Martin’s is also BYOB — as in bottle of wine. I now that for our next visit and will take take advantage. They also carry beers, a mix of local, national, and Indian-​ish, which was nice to see. I try to take advantage of Kingfisher whenever I find it (an homage to my heritage?)
I was a bit disappointing with naan, which reminded me of what I get from the «Indian» stores; decent, but lacked the fresh, vibrant flavor of the bowls. I would suggest skipping the naan and stick with the brown or white rice.
Other’s in our party had the mango lassi, which they clamored over and said was really good. They also went for the flan dessert, which confused me how it fit with the rest of the menu, but they also reported that it was spot on for texture and flavor, not an easy task.
I am looking forward to revisiting on a local Tuesday, where extra things show up on the menu based on what is available at the farmer’s market. Join the email-​list to get weekly updates on the offerings.
The décor inside is casual. I liked parts of the decorations, but at the same time, found it slightly too practical/​sterile. The seating reminds me a rapid turn-​over of pickup, eat, & go; the time they spent on the décor (such as the cylinders of dried beans, spices, veggies) reminds me of a place inviting us to sit and talk for a bit. This would make a great pre-​movie dinner date (conveniently that there’s a movie theater nearby) or an everyday, practical place to eat after work.
I would not call this Indian food but more like a fusion of Southeastern Asian cooked in a Mongolian BBQ style.
If you need a quick, fresh lunch, dinner, or snack, be sure to add this to your list. The food is solid, the service good, and setup easy. I am looking forward to adding it to our cheap dinner dates or dinner backup (when I burn whatever I am cooking) lists.

Last night was our 2^nd trip to Martin’s Curry Rice (the first being a CMYE, a few weeks back:
), and I was incredibly satisfied and am excited to go back yet again. The curry bowls at Martin’s are YUM, but for this review I really want to focus on something very special and unique that Martin offers — All Local Dinners.
Since we had a gift card from the CMYE, and it just so happened to be Tuesday, Jay and I went down the road to see what we could see/​eat. Every week, Martin goes to a local farmer’s market for inspiration and comes back with fantastic «off menu» items. Pay attention to Martin Curry Rice’s Facebook page for what’s up on Tuesday nights.
Martin was there to greet us and explain a little bit about the special Tuesday night menu. The idea of an Asian Beef and Veggie Wrap already had me sold, but then Martin showed me a picture on his phone… this was not beef in a wrap; the beef WAS the wrap. Fantastic. 1 please. Jay opted for Cabbage Rice with Tandoori Chicken.
We attempted to share one Mango Lassi, which almost lead to a fight — we’ll definitely get 2 next time. This drink was SO smooth, refreshing and creamy. Almost like drinking melted fruity yogurt, in the best way possible. I could see myself going to Martin’s in the afternoon just for a Mango pick-​me-​up. Mmm. I’d be interested in trying other flavors!
I’m still an Indian cuisine novice, so I don’t really know how «Indian» my dinner was — but good grief, it was good. The sauce was savory, the meat was tender and the veggies inside my «beef wrap» were plentiful and crunchy. Not to mention the awesome and simply-​sauteed side of onions, squash and zucchini. I’m not really one to fawn over veg, but I inhaled my side dish and the brown rice. Jay’s chicken and rice must have also been super good, because it was gone very quickly. I got to sneak a bite of Cabbage Rice and the flavor was strong and the cabbage was crisp.
Now that I can vouch for Martin’s everyday and special menu items, I can definitely say that this is one of my favorite finds. I can feel good about eating local, healthy and explore new flavors all at once. Martin seems to be very present at his own restaurant and that’s always great to see!

I am new to Indian food so I am still finding out what I like. The wife had a groupon for Martin’s and we checked it out one day for lunch. I liked the idea of being able to choose what meats, veggies, and sauce you want on your food.
I will be going back for more.

Make your own curry bowl?! Brilliant!
There are lots of choices for veggies and protein (including fish and tofu for less meaty options), and 4 different curries you can mix and match with. I was on veggie option overload and «hmmm“d and «errrrr“d for a few minutes trying to figure out what I thought would be an awesome combo. You can go strictly 6 veggies for a cheaper bowl, or upgrade for a few dollars more to a mondo option bowl. SO MANY OPTIONS. Oh, and you also get white rice, brown rice, or a side salad.
Anyway, overall, the food was good. I liked the yellow curry much more than the green curry, the green wasn’t as flavorful as I had hoped it would be. I was super happy with my veggie samosa, I’m assuming the beef one is good also because 30 seconds after Andrew sat down with his food, the last bite was in his mouth and there were happy noises.
I liked the raita also, it had chunks of tomato in it, which is a nice change from the usual just cucumber and carrot variety.

Martin is the friend of a friend, so I paid a visit his place. Tucked away in a huge strip mall is a quiet little restaurant where you build your own curry bowl. Good concept, good execution.
You select a «protein», chicken, fish, tofu, etc. and then 4 vegetables and a sauce served over your choice of brown or white rice. The best part is your custom made to order bowl is only $ 7 for a rather hearty portion. I was impressed with the selection of fresh vegetables, most of them coming from the local farmers market. Martin tries to buy local meat whenever possible too.
I did not have room to try the samosas (one of my very favorite things), but I will on my next trip out to Morrisville. He also has mango lassis, great for hot summer day!
In rounding out the beverage menu, Martin has a small but interesting selection of beer to choose to accompany your meal. I saw on his menu that you can bring your own bottle of wine with no corkage fee. He also has free wi-​fi.

4 stars for food.
5 stars for concept.
SORRY Unilocal. I’M BACK!!! Oh how I have missed thee.
Living walking distance from this piece, I feel privileged and happy.
If you are that person who always makes changes to menu items — «uhm can I have the basil rosemary lamb chops with. mint and lemon instead? Oh and instead of Lamb, can I have the pork chops?» Yeah, this place is for you. You pick whatever you want in your curry and their options are endless. They even have seared tilapia as a protein. Not just your typical chicken breast and beef. They also have seasonal veggies like kale, and bok choi.
They have three types of curry — Yellow, Green and Red. They not only differ in spicy levels but also flavours!!! You can also mix the curries together, that’s 27 different flavour options!!! (Math?).
You can also pick from brown rice and basmati rice. From someone who tries to be healthy but dislikes anything «wheat» or «brown», this is difficult.
It also comes with a yogurt sauce with fresh tomatoes/​peppers in it. It’s light and very appetizing!
They also have naan, mango lassi, flan, all sorts of other awesome street food snacks.
MARTIN, You have got a friend in me! :)
Oh, did I mention that it’s pretty dirt cheap? I’m sure money ain’t an issue after all that I have said.

Martin’s Curry Rice is a very unique restaurant.
One thing to understand is that the curry dish that is served here is fusion (I know, the word is over used, but it really does describe this place).
The curry dish is a fusion (there’s that word again) of Indian curry and Japanese curry rice, which is almost the national dish of Japan (curry-​based sauce with meat and vegetables over rice). So you might be disappointed if you go there thinking of authentic Indian cuisine.
However, if you do go there open minded you will be awarded with an unique pan-​Asian dish. You get much of the spiciness of the authentic Indian curry, but presented in a Japanese curry rice style. And the ingredients in the curry, which you can pick and choose from a good selection, allows you to make it a unique, personalized dish.
And if you want to add a little more Japanese to the disk, ask for the katsu (fried pork chops).

I tried Martin’s Curry with some fellow Unilocalers and was fairly pleased. This place just opened so it’s inevitable that they have a few kinks to work out, but I think they’re on track to be a staple restaurant in the area. I like that the prices are very reasonable for lunch. The concept is simple and unique. The owner was very friendly and he took the time to explain his background and how the restaurant came to be.
Without knowing much about the restaurant, I assumed that this was a Thai restaurant but that’s not the case. It’s actually Indian. Nothing wrong with that though but thought I’d clear that up for anyone else.
Now for the food… To start I had a beef samosa and a vegetarian samosa. Both were good but I preferred the beef. The vegetarian samosa was a little heavy on the flaky bread. Red curry sauce was a little weak on flavor. I think they should vary the recipe a bit. I didn’t have a chance to taste the green or yellow curry so I can’t review that yet. It would be cool if they offered one other more unique sauce (e.g. Tikka Masala, Korma, etc.) on a rotating basis. I know that kind of goes against the name of the restaurant but would be kind of cool :) The vegetable and meat choices are pretty good. The chicken was well-​seasoned and tender. It seemed to be mostly dark meat which was fine for me. The seasoning of the chicken seemed similar to Tandoori chicken.
The restaurant is on the small side but I don’t think you’ll complain about not having enough space unless you’re with a large group. The menu is presented on a nice flat panel monitor next to the area where they take your order. The small appetizers are kept warm in a little pastry case. After you select your sauce and mix-​ins, they warm it up for you on a skillet and it will be ready quickly.
The owner mentioned that during the evenings he throws in some interesting dinner options such as grilled kabobs. Very cool idea and I hope I can get out to Morrisville one evening to try this.

Martin’s Curry Rice just opened up in the same lot as Food Lion, China Town and the Carmike Cinema, right next to the Dollar Tree. The grand opening will be July 31^st, 2010, but if you go before that all the food is 25% off (except the cupcakes). There’s some casual outdoor seating outside, but no one’s outside because it’s a record high July and no one wants to be out in this heat. The dishes are mostly Indian with some Japanese fusion.
When you first walk in you immediately go to your right, down a lane to the menu screen and guy who puts together your food. It’s kind of a mix of fast food/​Mongolian grill, where you pick out your ingredients when you order. You get a choice of meat (chicken, beef, or fish), vegetables (carrots, bell peppers, broccoli, mushrooms, chickpeas, potatoes or jalapenos). They also have sliced eggs. According to their menu they also offer tofu or goat, but I didn’t see this out there. Then you pick your sauce. They offer 3 different sauces, a yellow, green and red. Then you pick your rice (basmati, brown or broccoli) and side (lettuce salad or yogurt salsa, which was just a chunky raita).
I ordered the chicken with chickpeas, potatoes, mushrooms, bell peppers and yellow curry sauce with basmati rice. My husband ordered the beef with potatoes, carrots and green curry sauce with basmati rice. We also got one of the cupcakes because they looked so interesting, though I believe the cupcakes are actually made elsewhere. The price was decent, only $ 13.90 for both the entrees, plus the 25% discount. The cupcake was $ 5 though which is a bit pricey for something so small.
After you order you go pick out a place to sit. There isn’t much seating here and isn’t a whole lot of room to stand either. I imagine during a busy lunch hour this place could get really crowded. They didn’t offer any numbers or write down names, so I wonder if they get busy if they’ll develop a system for alerting people when there food is ready. It only took a few minutes to cook our food.
The yellow curry had some nice flavor to it, but it wasn’t spicy at all. Some of the chicken pieces were rather fatty and the mushroom pieces looked like they either came from a can or were sliced at least a day before. But for $ 7 it was a decent entrée, and the rice and raita were just fine.
I tasted my husband’s dish and I liked his better. The green curry had a better flavor and was a lot more spicy than the yellow. I think the beef pieces were also more carefully cut so they didn’t have as much skin and fat as the chicken did. I don’t think I would have liked the lettuce salad though, it didn’t look nearly as good as the raita.
Supposedly the red curry is supposed to be more like a Japanese curry, and it’s supposed to be spicier than either the yellow or green. Perhaps I’ll try that next time.
The cupcake was very rich and dense, so even though it was small it was easy to share. It was good, but I’m not sure it was worth $ 5.
The restaurant atmosphere is very casual and I think it’d be best suited for take-​out. There’s not a whole lot of seating for a busy lunch hour, and the reggae music here is a bit loud for conversations. But the place does look very clean and bright, and the prices are decent enough that if my office was near this, I would certainly be coming here at least once a week. I’ll try to make it back after the grand opening to try some of their expanded menu. Eventually they’re supposed to get some more entrees and appetizers like curry puffs, tonkatsu and curry rolls.