Curry Corner Takeaway

Pin It Now!

Curry Corner Takeaway resides in a seemingly abandoned strip mall in Hayward, but just stepping into this small restaurant, you'll find that there is a steady stream of regular customers.  Chef Saras cooks up doesn't exactly have a set menu and cooks whatever she feels like daily.  Her food is Fijian Indian, which is more common than you think in this part of the Bay Area. 

Today's noshings was rice with lamb and chicken along with a side of vegetables.  The flavors are somewhat similar to Indian, but with a dash of islander spices.  For $8 for the combo, its a really good deal and can easily feed 2 people.  The food is a tad on the spicy side, but I prefer that.

A side of vegetables is given with every combination plate.  This also changes regularly.  From top left: curry potatoes, spinach, and tomato chutney.  While all the food is good, the tomato chutney is wow worthy and should be bottled up and sold in stores, its that good.

Address:                Curry Corner Takeaway
                              26657 Mission Blvd
                              Hayward, CA
 

Type:                      Indian

Popular chomps:     daily combination

Chomp worthy:       tomato chutney        

Dosa Republic

Pin It Now!

The creators of The Dosa Republic are the same owners as Curry Up Now (see post HERE).  First of all, this restaurant is in the most obscure area of San Mateo.  Since Curry Up Now has a location in downtown San Mateo, I somehow thought that this restaurant would be close by.  Instead its located on a random area of a desolate stretch of El Camino.  Same shtick as Curry Up Now in that it takes a fusion approach to Indian food, except in dosas.  Dosa are thin crepes that are often stuffed with curry potatoes, spinach (saag), and other vegetables.

Personally, I love dosas.  Their crispy exterior with my usual curry potato filling (masala) is kind of like taking a bite of heaven.  I actually don't think there are enough good dosa places in the Bay Area, my favorite being Dosa (see post HERE).  One gripe about the dosas here are they are soggy and not crisp at all.  Not even the edges.  The flavors are okay, but it could definitely use more heat!  The sambar is also too watery and doesn't have much flavor.

The fun feature about Dosa Republic are its fusion take on dosa.  I think its best to come with a larger group so there are more dishes to share and try.  With so many fusion options, its hard to choose one.  The jamaican jerk dosa comes with chunks of pork belly mixed with potatoes.  Even though the actual dosa was soggy and disappointing, the pork belly was quite tasty and tender.

  

Address:                     The Dosa Republic
                                    2299 S. El Camino Real
                                    San Mateo, CA
 

Type:                           Indian

Popular chomps:         thaali
                                     jamaican jerk dosa
                                     masala dosa

Chomp worthy:            jamican jerk dosa    

Naan 'N' Curry

Pin It Now!

There's probably a huge list of places that have better Indian food than Naan 'N' Curry, but it has a special place in my heart.  Not only does it have what I think is the best naan in the Bay Area, the O'Farrell location is open till 4a everyday.  When you need a change between the bacon wrapped hot dogs and El Farolito burritos, Naan 'N' Curry is addition to that rotation.  After midnight, the loud music, techno music, and people dancing makes it a nice after hours spot when you still want the party to go on.  Just be warned that you will smell like Indian food, even if you only step in for a moment. 

One thing that this place does right is the naan.  The garlic naan is my favorite.  When you can get it freshly made, the naan is pure perfection - fluffy and warm. 

One of my main staples here is the lamb vindaloo.  It's not the best lamb vindaloo I've ever had, but it always hits the spot, especially at 3a.  The boneless lamb pieces and potato chunks have a little kick from the spices.

One of the best kept secrets at Naan 'N' Curry is their haleem.  Haleem is a slow cooked mixture lentils, barley and beef that is popular around Ramadan.  Because haleem can take a long time to make they only serve it on the weekends and even then it seems to be sporadically.  If you've never had it, I suggest trying here!    

Address:                         Naan 'N' Curry 
                                               336 O'Farrell St
                                               San Francisco, CA    

Type:                         Indian

Popular chomps:    lamb vindaloo
                                               garlic naan
                                               haleem         

Chomp worthy:         lamb vindaloo
                                               garlic naan
                                               haleem        

Dosa

Pin It Now!

paper masala dosa - rice and lentil crepe served with tomato & fresh coconut chutney and sambar

Dosa is one of my favorite Indian spots in San Francisco.  A little fancier than your normal chaat place and a little more pricy, but the food is worth it.  Dosa has one of the best sambars I've ever had - chunky and  well seasoned.  The paper masala dosa is light and crispy and absolutely delicious!

Address:                    Dosa

                                     1700 Filmore

                                      San Francisco, CA

      

Type:                            Indian
                                      casual                                               

Chomp worthy:            dosas

Curry Up Now

Pin It Now!

Okay, I admit it.  All this time, I've been too lazy to track down the Curry Up Now truck.  So when they finally opened up a storefront in downtown San Mateo, I had to hurry down and see the hype for myself.

tikki masala fries

close up of tikka masala fries

An Indian twist on my beloved carne asada fries (San Diego must eat).  Although it sounds delicious, its poorly executed.  First of all, I'm not a fan of criss-cut fries.  The flavor of these sweet potato criss-cut fries detract from the masala flavors.  It seems like they used criss-cut fries to take on the weight of the sauce, but it stil ends up soggy.  Everything clumps together in a one big goopy mess.  Very disappointing - I had high hopes for this dish. 

chicken tikka masala burrito

Chicken Tikka masala with chana masala (garbanzo beans) and pickled onions wrapped in a La Palma tortilla.  Another confession - I actually had this exact burrito the week before and I had to come back for another because I couldn't stop thinking about it.  It's that good.  The perfect ratio of spiciness, rice, and meat all rolled up into one delicious surprise.

goat biryani burrito

Goat biryani burrito was the special item of the day.  Love goat biryani and not too many places serve it regularly.  Its mostly seen as a rotating special item.  The goat biryani here is pretty tasty, but I think I prefer it as just a biryani dish.  There wasn't much else in the burrito - just goat biryani wrapped in a tortilla.

Address:                              Curry Up Now

                                       129 S. B Street
                                       San Mateo, CA                                    

Type:                                      Indian, burrito
                                                     casual

Chomp worthy:          chicken tikka burritos

Pass:                                       tikka masala fries

Avatar's Punjabi Burritos

Pin It Now!

 The predecessor of Curry Up Now located in the sleepy downtown of Mill Valley.

Indian and Mexican - the perfect combination

mango lassi

A must order whenever ordering Indian food on a nice day.  The coolness of the lassi always compliments the spiciness of Indian food.

pumpkin

 I ordered the pumpkin burrito having heard that it was the most popular item here.  The burrito is wrapped in either a thicker tortilla or a really thin naan - I can't figure it out.  Probably one of the worst wrapped burritos I've seen in my life (pet peeve of mine).  You can see even in the picture it can barely stand on its on and the filling is oozing out.  This burrito feature irked me while I was eating it since I had to constantly keep eating the part that was falling out to keep everything from spilling out.  The pumpkin provides a sweeter taste than what Im normally used to. Not very spicy either.  Definite downer here.

curried lamb

Decided on another burrito in hopes that at least there would be a 50% win here.  I also thought that the lamb would give the burrito more substance so it wouldn't be as mushy.  No such luck.  Same gripes as with the pumpkin burrito - a little bland, mushy, and hard to eat.  This burrito was probably a tiny bit better than the pumpkin burrito, but absolutely not worth driving across the bridge for.

Address:                                 Avatar's Punjabi Burritos
                                                      15 Madrona St.
                                                       Mill Valley, CA

Type:                              Indian, burritos              

                                         casual    

Vik's Chaat Corner

Pin It Now!

Vik's is probably one of the most popular East Bay locations for chaat (Indian snacks).  Connected to an Indian grocery store, this place is often crowded and noisy on the weekends with people doing their shopping.  

multiple station pickup

 The ordering process can be a little confusing if you're a first timer here.  Ordering and paying are in one line then as your items are called you pick up at the appropriate sections.  If you don't get it, don't worry, the workers behind the counter will direct you and help you get what you ordered.

bhel puri

 This bhel puri is made of puffed rice, tamarind sauce, and sev (fried snack shaped like thin noodles made from besan flour).  It is important to eat this dish as soon as you get it because the puffed rice will soon get soggy. 

samosa chole

 Samosas are deep fried curried potato stuffed pastry.  This one is served with chole (chickpeas).  One of my regular items.  Samosas are Chaat 101. 

bhatura chole

Bhatura chole is present at almost every table here.  Bhatura -Indian puffy deep fried dough.  Careful when pulling this apart.  The hot air steams out when you rip it - only newbies burn themselves eating it.    Served with chole (spicy chickpeas).  Perfect amount of spiciness.

Chaat is up there with my favorite things to eat.  Vik's is a great place to go with friends and order multiple dishes.  The high turnover of this place ensures that you get things hot and fresh which is vital for chaat. 

Address:                                          Vik's Chaat Corner

                                                           2390 4th Street

                                                           Berkeley, CA

Type:                                               Indian, chaat
                                                         casual