By Parry This is a little compare and contrast between four Indian places I've eaten at recently (all in San Francisco). They include the Kasa Indian Eatery (SF), Shalimar (Fremont), Chutney (511 Jones, SF) , and Pakwan (3180 16th St, SF). The more you experience what a food should be, the easier it is to be picky. That is why I can't be too picky when it comes to Indian food! My friend at work mentioned, she thinks that most Indian restaurants are too greasy, especially when compared to what she and her mom make at home. Hmmmm...I probably wouldn't notice, unless they way overdo it. Kasa Indian Eatery A really clean looking, quick moving place with helpful folks serving. Accepts Visa. My friend Marcia and I got four rolls, Chicken Tiki (no sauce), Chicken Tiki Masala (with sauce), karahi Paneer, and a vegetable roll. The reviews on Yelp indicated that the rolls were the way to go here. Total bill was $20.00. At first, looking at the size of the rolls and feeling the grumbling in my stomach, I was a bit disappointed that I just dished out $20, but after the first bite of the CTM roll, I felt a lot better about it. It was quite delicious and tasteful, I might go back for that one. When it came to the Chicken Tiki roll, it was good but far too dry for my liking. The Karahi roll was all around good as was the vegetable roll. Overall, I would say that you pay more here for the cleanliness, speed, and ability to use Visa, which is great for a lot of folks, although it is not my cup of tea. Cheap and tasty is what I prefer, so unless I am hanging around 18th and Noe, and I suddenly have a surge of money, I think I will stick to other places I have found. Still a good place though.  |
| Introducing Flat Stanley, and Kati Rolls from the Kasa Indian Eatery |
A little bit of a disappointment. The rice was luke warm, not hot and fresh like the other places I visited. The Naan was a little dense. The Chicken Tiki Masala was good, but not as good as the other places I visited. It cost about the same as the other spots, which is why its safe to say I will not be going back. Sorry Shalimar!
Chutney (511 Jones, SF)
The Safron flavored rice was warm and delicious. The Naan was good, and not as dense as a few of the other places I've visited. The Chicken Tiki Masala was good, and plentiful. The CTM took a little hit to quality in exchange for the sheer volume. Usually when I order rice, naan, and a dish I can down the whole thing without too much effort, but this CTM had me beat. I even took breaks, but I simply could not finish all that Masala. I mean, they really pour it on! The chicken was not as tender as other CTM's I've had and the tomato base for the Masala tasted something like Campbell soup at times, but on the whole it was still quite good. This place also gets major Kudos for having hot sauce that was delightfully spicy and tasteful. This was my second favorite of the places I visited, second only to Pakwan.
The Safron flavored rice was warm and delicious. The Naan was good, and not as dense as a few of the other places I've visited. The Chicken Tiki Masala was good, and plentiful. The CTM took a little hit to quality in exchange for the sheer volume. Usually when I order rice, naan, and a dish I can down the whole thing without too much effort, but this CTM had me beat. I even took breaks, but I simply could not finish all that Masala. I mean, they really pour it on! The chicken was not as tender as other CTM's I've had and the tomato base for the Masala tasted something like Campbell soup at times, but on the whole it was still quite good. This place also gets major Kudos for having hot sauce that was delightfully spicy and tasteful. This was my second favorite of the places I visited, second only to Pakwan.
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| Look at all that MASALAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh |
Pakwan (3180 16th St, San Francisco)
The Pakwan Indian eatery has been my favorite place so far. I didn't have enough cash on me, but they let me order while I made a run to the nearby Wells Fargo ATM at 16th and Mission.
I think if you can master the simple things, its a good sign of the quality and/or taste of all your dishes. For starters, the basmati rice here was the best of any place I've been to so far, so hot and tasty! It was the kind of rice I could eat up without needing to put anything on it, but I do anyways. What else am I to do with all that fine Masala. Actually, the lad running the counter mentioned I could get extra Masala, and was so generous as to provide me some. The Masala was by far the tastiest I've had so far at any place. The portions here were a little more conservative, so I easily chowed through my naan, rice, and CTM. Even so, the sacrifice of quantity for quality was worth it, and Pakwan is one place I definitely intend to revisit.
And to finish my Indian eating run, I went Bhangra dancing with my friend Marcia!
I think if you can master the simple things, its a good sign of the quality and/or taste of all your dishes. For starters, the basmati rice here was the best of any place I've been to so far, so hot and tasty! It was the kind of rice I could eat up without needing to put anything on it, but I do anyways. What else am I to do with all that fine Masala. Actually, the lad running the counter mentioned I could get extra Masala, and was so generous as to provide me some. The Masala was by far the tastiest I've had so far at any place. The portions here were a little more conservative, so I easily chowed through my naan, rice, and CTM. Even so, the sacrifice of quantity for quality was worth it, and Pakwan is one place I definitely intend to revisit.
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| Chicken Tiki Masala with some rice and Naan |
From all the reviews I've combed through on Yelp, it looks like Chicken Tiki Masala is the popular dish to get at a lot of Indian places in and around SF. I had been trying to avoid it since I was looking for something more from the subcontinent and not Britain, where CTM was disputably invented. However, I am done fighting it for now and will enjoy that tasty tasty Chicken Tiki Masala.
And to finish my Indian eating run, I went Bhangra dancing with my friend Marcia!
The best part of the dancing was that the audience/fellow dancers were mature, decent, and quite respectful.
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