(no subject)

[komos.livejournal.com]

Speaking of porn and chicken...

Is there any place in Central Square that serves a better chicken korma than the one I can get at Punjab in Arlington center? Neither of the Davis Square Indian joints worked out.

Comments

[komos.livejournal.com]

I tend to judge everything by the places I went to in London and environs, and it seems like American restaurants assume that Americans have delicate palates. I've liked Punjab not for bucking this trend, but because their curries are really quite tasty.

[bex77]

My impression is that restaurants that can do spicy food around here won't spring it on you without you asking. Or they will question you if you order the vindaloo.

I bet they've gotten complaints about things being over-spiced. I had to have Olympic training in the spice area when I first came to Boston, having grown up with white bread, Lipton tea and cashew chicken as the norm. But now I can eat everything except the hottest, and enjoy it!

The curry shops in London probably don't have to worry as much about delicate palates, but I've never been to one. I got taken to places like the People's Palace or Brown's or that amazing Chinese place near the West End.

[komos.livejournal.com]

Best I've had was in Salisbury, of all places. I nearly wept.

[badseed1980.livejournal.com]

I was under the impression that korma was supposed to be a more moderately-spicy dish than some other curries. Highly flavoured, yes, but not sear-your-mouth hot.

[komos.livejournal.com]

Even by those standards, most of what's available is relatively timid.

[capsicumanuum.livejournal.com]

Heat is not all there is to good Indian food. Also, the difference between a good chef and a successful chef is whether he can produce food that his customers will enjoy and come back for.

Most Indian restaurants here do not spice their food to my taste. This problem is generally remedied by chatting with the waiter before they take my order to the kitchen and requesting my food be made in the style I prefer.

[komos.livejournal.com]

Yes.
Yes.
And yes.

My problem is that even with chatting with the waiter, the result is not what I had hoped for. Heat without decent flavor is about as useful to me as no heat without decent flavor.

There's a story I like to share that is somewhat apropos... There was a point where I went to a bar that was serving wings "free" if they couldn't make them hot enough for you. After several attempts, the chef came out dropped a brand new plate of wings and a HUGE bottle of tabasco on the table and said, "Ok, it's on the house!" I'd like a response to that waiter chat to be something besides the rough equivalent of the tabasco being dropped on the table.

Do you have a recommendation for a restaurant that can do it right?

[capsicumanuum.livejournal.com]

I do, but a caveat first: I grew up eating Karachi-style cuisine, which is strongly influenced by both west Indian and Persian flavors. If you want south Indian or Punjabi style food, my recommendations will be useless to you.

That said, although the Helmand near Lechemere is Afghani, and not Indian, their food is among the best I've had in the Cambridge area. Their waiters are mostly Pakistani, and it doesn't take much explaining to get delicious, spicy food that doesn't sacrifice flavor for heat.

Next up, Lala Rokh near Charles/MGH. It is very spendy, and again, not actually Indian food (the owners are Iranian). It's the sort of place I go to every once in a long while to splurge, but the food is awesome, and near identical to the style I grew up eating.

I love Tanjore in Harvard Sq, and Tamarind Bay is good as well, although I don't know how pricey they are. I've only been to Tamarind Bay for company dinners, so I've never seen the menu or the prices!

Royal Bengal in Central isn't exactly to my taste, but it's the only acceptable Indian food within walking distance of MIT campus. It is quite tasty, and if the flavors aren't as subtle as I'd prefer, at least there are discernible differences between different dishes, which is something I've learned not to take for granted.

[komos.livejournal.com]

Thanks! Honestly, I've not been sufficiently educated about the various styles of Indian cuisine, and I'm very much coming to it as an outsider. Input like this is very useful and much appreciated.

[dani-namaste.livejournal.com]

Royal Bengal is one of my favorite places in Cambridge. I'm curious about Helmand too... I've walked past it once or twice but never been in.