At Cardamom, an Indian restaurant in Sunnyside, Queens, aromatic green pods of cardamom — one of the world’s most expensive spices, alongside saffron and vanilla — flavor everything from basmati rice to dessert. But for the chef Alwyn Gudhino, naming his restaurant was partly about phonetics. “Mom is the last three letters,” he said, spelling it out. “I miss my mom, so I said, ‘Let me use this name.’”



Mr. Gudhino, 41, is from Canacona, Goa, a city on the western coast of India known for palm-tree-lined beaches that are popular with tourists. Inspired by a family of cooks, including his mother, Mr. Gudhino enrolled in a two-year culinary program in Goa. He then worked as a cook in Saudi Arabia and aboard Norwegian Cruise Line ships before settling in New York City in 2009.

At Cardamom, which opened last year, Mr. Gudhino offers a sprawling menu of dishes from the subcontinent. Northern-style buttered curries sit adjacent to southern versions redolent with mustard seeds. The modern-day invention tikka masala is casually noted next to korma, a Mughlai legend. If you’re overwhelmed, the subsection of Indo-Portuguese dishes, though short, is a good place to start.