Business Community

Butter Chicken brings the flavor of Punjab to Gig Harbor

Posted on July 22nd, 2024 By: Julie Warrick Ammann

If you’ve strolled along Harborview Drive, you might have caught a whiff of the newest restaurant to open in Gig Harbor.

The warm, earthy, and slightly sweet aroma from Butter Chicken Indian Kitchen might distract you from your power walk as you turn the corner near Harbor History Museum. The restaurant is located in the petite one-level storefront previously occupied by Animarium on Harborview Drive.

Although the Indian eatery is new to Gig Harbor, the restaurateurs are well-established in the South Sound dining scene. Business partners Amrik Singh and Remesh Kumar opened the doors of their Gig Harbor establishment this spring. Kumar, the elder of the partners, has been like a cooking mentor to Singh.

Amran Singh in the doorway of Butter Chicken Indian Kitchen in Gig Harbor. Photo by Julie Warrick Ammann

Punjab-inspired cuisine

The culinary cuisine is inspired by the Punjab region in Northern India, where Kumar grew up. Butter Chicken, or murgh makhani, originates from Punjab, and is one of the most popular Indian dishes.

For more than 15 years, Kumar has run the popular Karma Indian Cuisine in Puyallup, along with Fiesta Taqueria & Tequila Bar. His first Washington state restaurant was in Silverdale, Gandhi Cuisine of India on Mickelberry Road. There was even a brief stint on Vashon Island. But since 2008, Kumar has called Puyallup home. Feeling at home and welcome has been a guiding principle behind all of Kumar’s restaurants over the years.

Some dishes from Butter Chicken Indian Kitchen including, from left, samosa, butter chicken, Chechen saffron korma, a mango lassi, and garlic naan (in back). Photo by Julie Warrick Ammann

As a teenager, Kumar left Northern India and immigrated to the United States. At 17, the only job he could find in Los Angeles was as a dishwasher. Until he could afford a small apartment, he lived on the streets, saving every penny he earned.

After falling in love and marrying his wife, the couple decided to leave the urban sprawl of freeways and city life behind for the green spaces and cloudy skies of Washington state.“Coming to Washington was better for our kids,” explains Kumar.

Getting a start in Silverdale

Kumar and his family settled in Silverdale, where they opened Gandhi Indian Cuisine in October 2001. In the wake of the 9/11 attack, Kumar started a long tradition of supporting first responders, military service members and educators with donated meals and other activities.

Today, Kumar’s Fiesta Taqueria Mexican Restaurant in Puyallup provides free meals to all military personnel and their families on the last Tuesday of every month.

Amran Singh cooks palak paneer at Butter Chicken Indian Kitchen in Gig Harbor. Photo by Julie Warrick Ammann

“It’s for everybody!” he says. “Washington state has given me so much love,” explains Kumar. “Every day I wake up and I can’t say enough thanks to this community.”

He plans to carry on his commitment to serving the community in Gig Harbor. Becoming “part of the community” is important to Kumar. “Because I work 7 days a week in a restaurant, the teachers were there more for my kids than I was. Teachers — I owe them! I think they’re awesome.”

As summer comes to an end, Butter Chicken Indian Restaurant aims to connect with schools and local nonprofits to find ways to give back to the community.

Making naan bread at Butter Chicken Indian Kitchen. Photo by Julie Warrick Ammann

Rave reviews from customers

The Gig Harbor community is a big reason Butter Chicken Indian Kitchen came about. “People tell me to bring it to Gig Harbor,” explains Amrik Singh, Butter Chicken’s co-owner.

“We are so happy it’s here,” says Gig Harbor resident and real estate agent Sue Darnell. Along with her lunch companion, friend Elizabeth Bloom, she had been making the drive across the bridge to Karma Indian Cuisine in Puyallup to enjoy authentic Indian dishes.

Customers inside Butter Chicken Indian Kitchen at 4107 Harborview Drive, near the Harbor History Museum. Photo by Julie Warrick Ammann

Bloom studied Ayurvedic medicine in India and has developed a discerning palate for excellent Indian food. “I’m very particular,” she explained.

For newcomers, Bloom and Darnell recommend the restaurant’s namesake, Butter Chicken, as a must-try dish, followed by the Chicken Tikka Masala.

It was a foodie social as patrons among tables began to discuss the cuisine. New residents Sidney and Spencer Stroyer were adjusting to small-town life after years in Las Vegas. “Vegas has a huge, diverse food scene,” they remarked. Their big-city taste buds were quickly satiated as Singh began serving a steady stream of entrees at the Stroyers’ table.

Sidney and Spencer Stroyer eat lunch at Butter Chicken Indian Kitchen recently. Photo by Julie Warrick Ammann

Food and drink at Butter Chicken

The food of Northern Indian is a showcase of aromatic superstars: cumin, coriander, cardamom, and cloves. Cilantro and mint give dishes a refreshing citrusy scent. Ginger warms the meal. Clarified butter, or “Ghee” brings the rich buttery flavor. A hint of floral is infused with saffron.

But while there are dishes that can use up to 40 spices, Kumar stresses that not all Indian food is overly spicy or contains a never-ending list of spices. “Even in India,” says Kumar, we “don’t eat highly spicy food” every day. “Korma has hardly any spices.” Korma is a slowly braised chicken dish with a creamy yogurt-based curry sauce. The staff at Butter Chicken accommodates requests for different levels of spiciness.

To wet your whistle should the heat wake you up, Butter Chicken Indian Kitchen has an array of alcoholic and non- alcoholic options. There are cocktails, Indian beer, and one of India’s most popular drinks, Lassi. The smoothie-like drink is made with yogurt and flavored traditionally with mango. The restaurant also offers a refreshing strawberry Lassi, with other flavors on the horizon.

In the northern Indian village of Bihala, where some of Kumar’s family resides, mango trees flourish. Kumar notes that there are hundreds of mango varieties in Northern India. “The entire village was all mangos.”

Restaurant staff prepare meals in Butter Chicken’s kitchen. Photo by Julie Warrick Ammann

Community connection

From his childhood home in Northern India to his adopted home in the South Sound, home-cooked Indian food is connecting the community.

“I’m just a simple person, I had no idea when I left India that I’d get into the restaurant industry, but all I could find was a job as a dishwasher,” reflects Kumar.

“The city of Gig Harbor has been unbelievable to us.” He says with gratitude. In time the restaurant hopes additional parking will allow the restaurant seating to increase to 27.

Kumar says he believes in Karma. Some might say that karma is what brought Butter Chicken Indian Kitchen to Gig Harbor.