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San Francisco/Bay Area restaurant reviews by Chris NorrisArchive for Indian
Zafran, Santa Clara
Zafran, Santa Clara
June 2008
S’Ok. Zafran is a small Indian eatery on El Camino near Scott Boulevard. I came across this place at lunchtime after getting my car washed just down the street. While looking for a quick bite to eat without resorting to fast food, I decided to give Zafran a try. I opted for the all-you-can-eat buffet and loaded up on tandoori chicken, chana masala (chickpeas), curry vegetables, rice biryani, and more. Complete with some piping hot naan from a real tandoori oven, my lunch was fast and tasted great! On the grand scale of Indian food, as found in Bangalore or elsewhere in the Bay Area, Zafran is not especially ahead of the pack. But the service was friendly and efficient, the food was good, and you could do lots worse for lunch.
Madhuban Indian, Santa Clara
Madhuban Indian, Santa Clara
May 2008
Way Good. I’ve been to Madhuban a few times for lunch and the food here is very good. They have an extensive buffet that includes fish, beef, chicken, lamb and goat as well as the usual wide variety of vegetable curries and such. I fell in love with a curried cauliflower that was served off a huge flat pan, probably 2 feet in diameter, heated over an open flame so that the sauce was still bubbling. That was really good cauliflower! The décor is over the top classical Indian décor, which you’ll recognize from the lounges in some of the bigger hotels found in India. If you have out of town friends who don’t eat a lot of Indian food, Madhuban will probably impress them!
Ponzu, San Francisco
Ponzu, San Francisco
August, 2007
S’Ok. Ponzu is a unique restaurant located in the theater district of San Francisco, just around the corner from the Monaco, Clift and Warwick Hotels. Ponzu specializes in small plate servings of Asian inspired food, with focus on India and Malaysia. The menu is somewhat similar to E&O Trading Company, but with a bit more effort to dress up the presentation. The interior of the restaurant is a combination of small tables surrounded by booths all done up in over-the-top fabrics. The food is competent, service is fast enough to get you to the show on time, and the ambiance and unique drink menu make it easy to remember. Be sure to try the White Tiger, a sake martini that Rocks!
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Tandoori Oven, Los Gatos
Tandoori Oven, Los Gatos
June 2007
Hmmmm. Tandoori Oven is a small, local chain of Indian restaurants that emphasize Northern Indian cuisine. The Tandoori Oven has a contemporary ambiance and the food is OK, but really it caters to the non-Indian consumer. The dishes are not spicy, and often the flavors aren’t well developed, almost like some of the ingredients are missing. In the Bay Area, we get pretty spoiled and picky because there are so many absolutely excellent Indian Restaurants. It’s even worse for Laura and me. Since we have a large network of Indian friends and travel to India for business at least a couple of times per year, we expect pretty darn good Indian food and aren’t that patient when we don’t get it. That said, if you want something quick, that isn’t sandwiches or American comfort food or fast food, Tandoori Oven provides a quick, reasonable tasting alternative.
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Straits Cafe on Santana Row, San Jose
April 2007
Way Good. There are a handful of Straits Cafe’s in the bay area, including Palo Alto, San Francisco and San Jose. My experience at Straits always begins with either a Singapore Sling or a Bombay Sapphire Martini (up, with olives!). From there, you can’t go wrong with any of the appetizer plates. I’ve sampled most of the fish plates (the tuna is aways fab) and the stuffed roti and variants. The restaurant specializes in true Asian fusion food, with heavy influence from India. The food is served family style, assuming that the whole table will share, so Straits provides a great opporutnity to try a wide variety of dishes. Easily half of the menu is designed around a small plates concepts, and I can honestly say I’ve tried most of them and have yet to be disappointed by any of them! I’ve had fewer of the entree sized dishes, but I know you can’t go wrong with any of the curries, and the mee goreng (a dish with yellow noodles from singapore) is terrific! If you have a little extra to spend, there are some excellent crab and lobster entrees well worth trying when you are with companions who can appreciate! By the way, while Straits is a hopping and hip dinner spot, the crowd is calmer and the food is equally excellent at lunch time.
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Bombay Garden in Fremont, CA
April 2007
S’OK. Bombay Garden is an Indian restaurant in Fremont (ok, technically in Newark) that seats many, and has a very large lunch buffet. Large selection of chicken, lamb, and vegetarian dishes, and easy and fast to eat for lunch. My friends now know that if Chris gets to choose where we go for lunch, they are likely to hear, “do you like Indian…?” If you are looking for a good Indian lunch to break up the work day … Bombay Garden on Mowry, west of 880.
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