Tikka N Kabab – Spiciest Dish in Columbus Series

Tucked into the corner of Roberts Road and Hilliard-Rome Road sits Tikka N Kebab. It’s got a familiar feel from the Chinese restaurants of old, including pictures of their Indochinese offerings on a board above the register.

Opening in 2020, Tikka N Kebab does dine-in and takeout with their unique list of dishes. Of course, they have Kebabs and Tikka, but they’ve also got Thai dishes, Desi dishes, and Chinese dishes. Riding solo on this adventure, I was targeting a true to name dish, the spiciest item (to my knowledge on their menu), and some cute lil lamb samosas.

Spicy soup you say? I scoffed. Soup is not spicy. Hot & Sour soup? Sure, it’s got the illusion of heat, but it’s not spicy. Puffing my chest out as I walked into Tikka N Kebab, the kind woman at the counter remarked at my order. “You seem to like it pretty spicy.” “Keeps me warm during these Ohio winters!” She laughed, I laughed, the brown bag containing my food laughed.

Once home and unbagged, I targeted the Extra Hot Chicken Tikka Kebab (it’s in the name, so of course I’ma try it). The spicy equivalent of the climate at Death Valley, the heat is dry and a bit higher than you’d expect, but overall I was underwhelmed at the 10/10 Extra Hot level. I sighed as I grabbed the soup container and threw the lid across the room. “Welp, here goes,” I whispered to the shrimps.

True to the name, this soup is thiiiick. The Spicy Thai Thick Soup contains Thai ginger, lemongrass, chicken, and shrimp cooked together and cooked with lemon juice in a hellish red base. Unsure of proper soup eating etiquette, I delicately dipped a spoon in, pinky up. First scoop to my face, a nice soupy warmth settled in, you know the kind I’m talking about. On the second spooning, a different sort of warmth began to emanate through the rest of my face. First my tongue, then my cheeks, then my nose, then my under-eyes. Something spicy was lurking beneath this thicc soup.

Freeing a shrimp from the bowl of magma, it’s guttural shrieks made me wary of continuing further. The screams subsided as it got to my face, but the heat did not. Continuing to land punch after punch of a unique heat that slaps like extract, this Extra Hot Spicy Thai Thick Soup was unhappy with everything about the situation. It was angry, frustrated, and wanted me to pay for the pain I’d caused it in its short life. Mouth-breathing more than Napoleon Dynamite eyeing tots, the spiciness continued to build. Soup is unkind in that once it’s in your face it’s all over. Each corner of your mouth, your tongue, your lips, everything. Nose dripping, I put the soup down. The pure volume of soup is so high I couldn’t finish it.

Day 2 followed with an even higher heat, like the soup had a meeting and decided, yeah, we didn’t hurt this guy enough. Pro-tip, add in some of the basmati rice to soak of even more heat! Impressed, I sat back, feeling like the bowl of soup I’d just finished. This soup had tried to end me. It did not succeed, but it does deserve high marks. Spiciest soup in the city? For now at least. Spiciest dish? No, but man, this soup hit me hard and deserves a top twenty spot. As such, we’re placing it at #19. If you’re looking for a soup that warms your whole body and could potentially melt your face, Tikka N Kebab‘s got it for you.

You can find Tikka N Kebab at 5429 Roberts Road, Hilliard OH 43026.

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