Turmeric Brings a New Spice to Boat Avenue

One of the latest arrivals at Boat Avenue, Turmeric, serves modern Indian food with genuine roots behind it. Indian owner Rachna Rabari brings years of Phuket dining experience to the table, and that confidence shows in the menu.

We arrived for dinner and immediately liked that Turmeric gives you two quite different ways to dine. Outside, a round bar and handful of tables overlook the lake, with colourful lights creating an inviting pre- or post-dinner spot. We opted for the air-conditioned dining room, where turquoise and yellow accents, bright flowers, Indian artwork and embroidered cushions bring plenty of personality to the space.

The open kitchen was spotless, calm and well organised, with the chefs clearly visible and bustling away. Service was equally impressive; the team were attentive without hovering, knew the sizeable menu extremely well and gave genuinely useful advice rather than simply pointing us towards the usual suspects.

Pani Puri arrived first, which was a fun dish consisting of six crisp shells balanced over individual shot glasses containing alternating spicy and sweeter sauces, with our server explaining exactly how to tackle them. The presentation had a laboratory-like neatness, but the flavours remained reassuringly traditional.

Our second vegetarian starter was the Afghani Paneer Tikka, with a creamy and delightfully smoky flavour combination. My husband and I are not actually vegetarian, yet this was one of those dishes that made meat completely irrelevant. It was indulgently rich, substantial, full of flavour and one I wouldn’t hesitate to order again.

For mains, we shared Yellow Dal Tadka, Mutton Rogan Josh and Goan Fish Curry, hopefully proving our non-vegetarian status. The dal had real depth, with plenty of fresh ginger notes, and the Rogan Josh was rich and comforting. But the clear winner was the fish curry, with lightly fried pieces of delicate fish sitting in a wonderfully light, creamy coconut sauce that we couldn’t resist continuing to dip into. 

There are around ten bread options across naans, rotis and parathas, so restraint may be difficult. I particularly liked the individual bowls so each curry could be kept separate rather than turning the plate into one large mixture.

A colourful collection of pickles was served alongside, including vivid pink onion, mango and pickled garlic. Much of the tableware mixes polished metal with hand-hammered brass, giving the presentation a modern-meets-rustic feel.

We had asked for medium spice and found the curries slightly milder than expected, so next time I would probably take things up a level. That aside, there was very little to fault. Portions are extremely generous, the cooking feels confident and the service is already remarkably polished for such a recent opening.

Turmeric is a piece of the puzzle Boat Avenue was missing. Relaxed enough for lunch, smart enough for a date night, and backed by a menu that goes well beyond the predictable Indian restaurant staples. My advice: come hungry, and do not overlook the vegetarian starters.