Urban India, San Diego, CA 7/10

Urban India

1041 4th Ave

San Diego, CA 92101

 

Overall a nice place in downtown San Diego.

 

Mixed non veg grill - 7/10

The grilled shrimp and the chicken were pretty tasty.7/10

The seekh kabab could have been better (more finely minced and subtler spices) 6/10

Goat curry - had spoken to the Punjabi chef (who is a vegetarian btw) and asked to make an authentic Indian curry. He did a good job, but would have been better if he cooked the onion tomato gravy for a bit longer. 7.5/10

Naan was good and fresh - 8/10

New Jawad, Paris

http://www.jawadrestaurant.com/nj/

Address: 12 Avenue Rapp, 75007 Paris, France

Phone:+33 1 47 05 91 37

This used to be one of the better Indian restaurants in Paris , but has gone down in the past year. Would rate it 6.5/10 now, down from a 8.5. 

Lamb chilli - tender lamb in spicy sauce. A bit creamy, which is unexpected. 7/10

Naan - good. 8/10

Lamb seekh Kabab - 4/10. Strong taste of garlic , and didn't seem fresh garlic either. 

Baigan bharta - 4/10. Very creamy. No taste of brinjal, let alone fire roasted eggplant. Could have been anything. 

Kulfi- 9/10. Done well. 

Mango lassi- 5/10

Pineapple lass - 5/10

Aloo paratha - heard it was ok. 

DeAfghanan (Afghan Cuisine), Fremont, CA

http://deafghanancuisine.com/
37395 Fremont Boulevard, Fremont, CA 94536(510) 857-1009
There are a couple of locations for this one.
De Afghanan - Google search

Would recommend this place overall.

Very flavorful lamb shish kababs (cubes, not seekh kababs), moist and well marinated. Not hot (as in chillies, as most Afghani food isnt very hot in general), but with a good mix of spices. 9/10
Their menu item - Lamb Kabob
Charbroiled lamb shish kabob marinated with special seasoning  
 
Chaplee Kabob (Spicy)
Beef patties mixed with green onion, eggs, and other Afghan seasoning, grilled until cooked thoroughly
This was very tasty as well and spicy too. 8/10

Mazza, Berkley, MI

http://www.mazzaindiancuisine.com/id1.html
3354 W. 12 Mile Road, Berkley, MI 48072
(248) 543-6299

Lamb karahi - 6/10 - sizzling and spicy but the lamb was a bit tough and the flavor was superficial. The thick gravy was nice.

Tikka biryani - 5/10 - the biryani ex chicken was ok, but the 'chicken tikka' chunks in it seemed like left over chopped tandoori chicken pieces that had dried.

Rang Indian Bistro, Stoneham, MA

www.rangindianbistro.com
6 Central St, Stoneham, MA 02180
(781) 438-8200

Matar (peas) paneer - 3/10. Watery and no flavor. Structurally, it was like miso soup, except with paneer, chopped onions and peas floating around.

Star of India, Ferndale, MI

ferndaleindianfood.blogspot.com
 180 W 9 Mile Rd, Ferndale, MI 48220
(248) 546-5996

Lamb biryani - 5/10 - nothing to write home about. Very average. Was accompanied by a vegetable curry that didnt help either. Not even worth taking a picture of.

Rangoli, Auburn Hills, MI

www.detroitrangoli.com
Walton Village Plaza Shopping Center, 3055 E Walton Blvd, Auburn Hills, MI 48326
(248) 377-3800

Weekday lunch buffet - 5/10 average overall, although the shrikhand (yogurt based dessert) was nice.

Zaike lamb chops - 8/10. well made, marinated and juicy. Some pieces were a bit stretchy (chewy) though, but overall tasted good

Hyderabadi chicken biryani - 6/10. Not much Hyderabad to it. Wasnt spicy, but that is subjective. It did have a dominant taste of a mix of cumin seeds and perhaps coriander/mint, which did not help the flavor.

Priya, Detroit, MI

priyarestaurant.com
72 W Maple Rd, Troy, MI 48084
(248) 269-0100

Lamb Karai - 8/10. Well made, spicy semi-dry lamb dish. Tasty, with juicy lamb chunks.

Tandoori combo platter- This was largely a disappointment.

Lamb seekh kabab - 4/10: was coarsely ground and had whole coriander seeds in it, that, when chewing, gave a dominant 'raw coriander seed' flavor for many seconds (not a good taste by itself). Repeat that taste for each bite ... and the experience is not good.

Chicken tikka - 5/10 was dry and not very well marinated either, besides the spices being limited to the top surface of the chicken.

Naan - 7/10 fresh and lightly buttered plain naan.

Akbar, Baltimore, MD

www.akbar-restaurant.com

823 N Charles St, Baltimore, MD 21201

(410) 539-0944


A nice restaurant that has been around for 18 years. The chef is from Punjab, and the owner is from the Delhi area.

Lamb chops - 8.5/10. Very well made, tasty to the core and well marinated. A bit expensive ($20 for 3 pieces), but surely recommend.

Lamb xacutti - 6/10. This one was a bit disappointing despite having discussed the style it should have been made in, with the owner. Overdose of tomato and made in a hurry, he later acknowledged.


Garlic naan - 7/10. Fresh and uniformly sprinkled with finely chopped garlic.

           

Gaylord Restaurant, London, 6/10

 www.gaylordlondon.com
+44 20 7580 3615
 79-81 Mortimer St, London W1W 7SJ UK


Restaurant with a nice ambiance, however the food didnt match up. Ordered the dishes based on the server's recommendation and also told them how I prefer it cooked... but...

Hyderabadi ghosht (lamb) biryani - 6/10. Had flavor and the lamb was nice, but not great. Too much overtones of mint and clumps of white rice as if the thing was not properly mixed (having to mix is a no no anyways).

Murgh (Chicken) bhuna (roasted, in curry) - 6/10. This was a disappointment with too much tomato and the chicken was dry and fibrous. Normally, this would have been a dark brown well blended thick gravy (not orange) .. but theirs seemed put together in haste (not that the food arrived any faster). And to top it all, there was a full carrot floating in the curry! (decor, I assume)

Naan - 5/10. Fresh, but was on the sour side, as if made with over fermented dough.

     

Chung Fa, Mahanagar Lucknow India

New Goal Market, Mahanagar Lucknow

This used to be one of the best Indo Chinese places in town, 20 years back. One of the few places that served very good chili chicken. Unfortunately, the place has gone downhill faster than Jack and Jill.. But it still exists. 

Chili chicken dry - 6/10. Very disappointing. And expensive. 

Kool break, Hazratganj Lucknow India

1. Tekarees Chambers, Ashok Marg, Hazratganj, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh 226001

Tried the chili chicken "dry" here in the ongoing quest for the original style from many moons ago... Dark brown chicken nuggets with green chillies. No capsicum or onions. Simple. This came close, but not the same thing. 

Chili chicken dry - 7/10

Junoon, New York 8/10

http://www.junoonnyc.com/

Address: 27 W 24th St, New York, NY 10010

Phone:(212) 490-2100

 

Great ambience and good food. Definitely on the expensive side.

 

Goat Patiala - 8/10

Naan - 7/10