I first read about Priyani Ceylon Cafe, a Sri Lankan restaurant, on FoodGPS’s blog who in turn found out about this hidden gem from an LA Times article. Reading about the dishes in both those articles really intrigued me and although it took a while, I was happy to finally pay a visit there along with some adventurous friends. First, I have to say that I’m glad that I read up on Priyani before dining there. Their menu wasn’t very detailed, but the photos and descriptions of the dishes that I got from FoodGPS and the LA Times article really helped a lot when it came time to figuring out our menu. We also got additional help from husband and wife owners, Nahil and Priyani.

Our meal started with a complimentary trio of deep fried goodness, which included pattis, chicken rolls and fish cutlets.

The pattis were shaped like empanadas with a light flaky crust and filled with curried beef and potatoes.

An interesting thing about the chicken roll is that the chicken filling was first rolled into an egg roll wrapper and than the wrapper was in turn breaded and fried.

My favorite of the three was the fish cutlet, which had a nice kick to it because of the diced red peppers that were mixed into the filling. What took these fried appetizers over the top was the addition of a peppery tomato-based sauce that was just out of this world.

Next up was the Lampreis, which was also referred to as Lump Rice. It’s a mound of rice topped with eggplant curry, onion sambola, shrimp sambola, green banana curry, chicken curry and fish cutlet and then steamed in a banana leaf. This a meal in itself with a variety of wonderful flavors. The onions were wonderfully caramelized and I enjoyed the tartness of the green banana curry. A lovely hit of pungency also came from the shrimp sambola, which was made from shrimp paste. Overall, if you don’t order anything else, this is a must try dish.

Another tasty dish was their Biryani which was mildly spiced; yet, still flavorful fried rice that was cooked with cashew curry and included a side of eggplant curry. There were also yogurt-marinated chicken thighs hidden under the pile of rice and smack in the middle was a roasted egg. That cashew curry added an unexpected, but welcomed sweetness to the rice and because of its marination, the chicken was was delectably moist and juicy.

Following the Biryani, the Kotthu Roti hit our table. This dish is made of housemade roti bread chopped up and stir-fried with eggs, peppers, onions, curry leaves, carrots and lamb. I really enjoyed the light chewy texture of the roti and this was the first time I ever had curry leaves in a dish. I’m not quite sure how to describe how it tasted, but it did add a flavor component that was a little different.

By now you’ve heard of Korean-Mexican tacos, Chinese-Mexican tacos, why not Sri Lankan tacos? I’m talking specifically about the String Hoppers, which are disc-shaped and made up of interlocking rice noodles. The components that came up with these noodle wonders included a Pork Curry, Coconut Sambol (dried coconut with chili) and Dal Curry. Nahil also suggested a little bowl of what he referred to as a gravy to give some moisture to the noodles.

Usually, the various food components are placed on your plate and you tear the string hoppers in pieces and use it to grab hold of your food, similar to injera bread in Ethiopian cuisine. My group actually went a different route, where we laid the String Hopper flat, added our ingredients, folded in half and ate it like a taco. It bucked tradition so to speak, but was still as delicious whether eaten the Sri Lankan way or not.

Believe it or not, we actually had room for dessert and my group of 4 shared 3. The first one was simply a tart plain yogurt with Sri Lankan honey poured on top. Nothing fancy to this dessert, but very refreshing.

We also ordered a Cream Caramel, which reminded me of flan, but unlike flan, it had a light texture and wasn’t overly sweet.

Last, but certainly not least was the Watalappam. The best description of this dessert came from fellow food blogger and frequent dining partner, Foodblogz. In her words, the Watalappam is “a bread pudding of Malay origin made of coconut milk, brown palm sugar, cashew nuts, rice flour, treacle (Sri Lankan syrup), eggs and various spices including cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and nutmeg.”

Overall, my dining experience at Priyani Ceylon Cafe was stellar. In fact, it’s been a long time coming, but this was one of the most flawless meals I’ve ever had. Flawless in the sense that there wasn’t anything that I didn’t enjoy about the food there, from start to finish.

If you haven’t already, I really encourage you to make the trek to Northridge and experience the food for yourself. You definitely will not be disappointed.

Click here if you’d like to come to the dinner I set up for October 4th. *Please note that you don’t have to join my Meetup group to attend this dinner. You can email me separately to make payment arrangements!

Priyani Ceylon Cafe
9035 Reseda Boulevard
Northridge, CA 91324
(818) 998-6900

It all started with an episode on Bizarre Foods where Andrew Zimmerman did a show on Indian cuisine. The part of the show that perked my interest was when he sampled Bengali cuisine. Go figure that I once had a Bengali college roommate, who if I had the same culinary interests as I did now, may have opened my eyes and my palate to this type of regional Indian cooking. You can read about the show by clicking here. What interested me in particular about Bengali cuisine was the utilization of mustard oil as a main ingredient. I’ve never had any food where mustard oil was used, at least not that I know of, so I was curious.

In my quest, I decided to ask the opinion of Smita, owner of an Indian ice cream shop, Saffron Spot, in Artesia. I previously had done a couple of ice cream tastings at her shop, so I figured, she’d steer me in the right direction. She directed me to Little Dhaka, which was also in Artesia. When I looked it up, I noticed that it was a Bangladesh restaurant, which also served as a small market. Confused, I thought maybe she made a mistake, but after some more investigation, I found out that Bangladesh means “Country of Bengal” in Bengali. To find out how Bangladesh and Bengal are connected, click here.

Finally, it was time to check out Little Dhaka and with Smita’s help, the owner of Little Dhaka gave my dining group a nice meal deal where for $10 we got a salad, a choice of two entrees, naan, paratha bread, rice, a rasmala dessert and a soft drink. Even without that special lunch price, great cheap eats can still be had. Little Dhaka has steam tables and each of the entrees run around $3.00 to $4.00. Realistically, you can have a tasty meal for between $10 to $20, depending on what you order and there’s great variety since they switch out the dishes they serve every day. Luckily, my group likes to dine family-style, so we broke up into smaller groups, sat at different tables and proceeded to share our bounty.

First up was a simple, but fresh salad. Nothing to it but cucumbers, tomatoes, red onions and a slice of lemon. Interestingly enough, I used these veggies almost as a palate cleanser (except for the red onions) in between the entrees. The thing about the entrees was that they were just so flavorful. However, since I was unfamiliar with the spices being used for this cuisine, the “Mysterious” thing about these dishes was that I couldn’t really describe what I tasted. I felt like I could taste the tang of mustard oil, but maybe I was imagining it? Of course, there were probably a myriad of other seasonings included in everything we sampled. The strange thing was that I asked the owner briefly about his use of mustard oil in his dishes and he told me that Bangladesh cuisine is actually all about the usage of poppyseed oil. Huh? Now, I was totally confused.

In any case, regardless of what spices or seasonings were used, I just really enjoyed the food at Little Dhaka. Unfortunately, I left the notes I made about the actual names of the dishes at the restaurant, but based on the photos and my general descriptions, you should be able to order them on your own. So as for the only other veggie dish we ordered, I’ll simply refer to it as sauteed potatoes that were cut in spears and cooked with chili. It had a nice kick to it and I appreciated the fact that the potatoes weren’t over cooked and mushy.

The entree sampling started with the Beef Curry. The beef was tender and the sauce it was cooked in tasted great spooned on my rice and the addition of green chilis hiding under the sauce gave this dish some heat.

Next was the fried fish, which in retrospect, would have been better if it came straight out of the fryer, especially if you’re someone who likes crispy fish skin, like me. At least, the fish meat was delicately tender.

My favorite dish was the mutton with lentils with a sauce that also went well poured over my rice and I liked the fact that the mutton wasn’t gamey.

Although their lamb curry was a little more oily than I would have liked, this bone-in tender lamb still had great flavor.

I think the only entree that didn’t do it for me was the roasted chicken with spices. The sauce was just too thick for my taste and of all the entrees didn’t seem seasoned enough.

As for the rasmalai dessert, I didn’t really know what it was until I Googled it when I got home. It’s basically cottage or ricotta cheese dumplings soaked in a sweet, thickened milk flavored with cardammon. I liked the texture and the flavor of the cardamon, but the milk was just way too sweet for me.

Overall, I really enjoyed my meal at Little Dhaka. These days, whenever you can find affordable dining where the food also tastes good, it’s definitely a good thing and I think Little Dhaka offers both.

To see pics, go to:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/la_addict/sets/72157606283028231/

Little Dhaka
18159 Pioneer Boulevard
Artesia, CA 90701
(562) 865-5230

If you’re into ethnic food, check out the Pleasure Palate blog for more tasty discoveries!

Paneer Tikka Kebab Vs. Argentine Flap Steak

Thanks to Lord of the Grill Ali Khan and his pal Nissar Modi for stuffing TACO’s gullet this labor day weekend in Los Feliz at their epic India Vs. Argentina BBQ. Khan is fresh off his first appearance on Bobby Flay’s show where he rocked the set with tasty lamb hoagies, and the man knows meat and heat better than Bo knows baseball.

“King” Khan set off an extensive explosion of dishes from both South America and the Sub-Continent. Over 6 lbs. of lamb were marinated in homemade preparations and 100% hardwood was used in the fire. Repping those randy Argentines was chorizo and flap steak, while the incredible Indians stepped up to the coals with chicken tikka, lamb tikka, and paneer kebabs, which were handmade by Mr. Modi.

When the dust and tequila cleared, both countries came out charting high on the BBQ taste meter, but possibly due to the few thousand years India has on Argentina to find out what the people like, the Indians dominated in flavor, tenderness, and more Big-O’s per bite. The steak was perfect, juicy, and hot just like at an asado, but it was still no match for the intricate zest of that deep red tikka. The soft chicken burst in our mouths, the lamb juicily melted away, and Nissar’s paneer kebab had more flavor and pleasant texture than those at our beloved Khan Chacha in New Delhi.

In the end, bellies past full, Ali decided against a coup de grace of pulled lamb shoulder, leaving us all with the Labor Day wisdom to keep it under $50 if we ever find ourselves at Costco. Here’s to good eating, being with friends, and most importantly to three-day weekends!!!!!

Grill General Ali Khan

117 W. Santa Monica Blvd. Santa Monica, CA 90401 ~ 310-656-1664 (TACO Guide)

My oral enthusiasm for Indian delicacies eventually steered me to Gate of India, Santa Monica’s well-spoken of ‘Atala’ dripping in festive tent fabrics, gorgeous detail and ornament, swish figurtative paintings, and the occasional random string of Christmas lights, resembling some middle-aged gal’s 40-thieves-induced wet dreams aboard a first flight to Delhi. Stoppering the northside of the 3rd St. Promenade, mere yards from the beach, Gate of India’s first non-surprise was disclosing the buffet’s $10 price as relative to the suggestions of its high-profile real-estate.

Desi ex-girlfriends and bent ex-roommates can back me up, I munch more than a man’s fair share of South Asian fare, so a 10 buck all-you-can-eat buffet seemed like the right idea at the time of this blazed lunch. Service was friendly, the spot bright and buzzing with worker bees, plus the buffet is convenient and wide open enough to fit my dear and personal interpretation of Eric Wright’s ‘Eazy Access Legislature of 1988.’ Atmosphere aside, hot curry in my mouth is what I seek, so onward did I press….

Why yes, now that you all mention it, my subcontinentally-slanted tongue can be a harsh judge of which particular Indian is coming into my mouth, as countless cruel lashings and cunningly twisted slips of upbraiding has resulted for those whose curry-pots just couldn’t be tamed. Would I dress down Gate of India for a ‘sari’ performance, calling it to the carpet for a cruel castigation of its flavors, appearance and hustle? Or maybe I’d merely subject said Punjabi pleasures to a waggish, smart, and randy soul kiss? Eh…in the end, that shit was just alright…

I like my Indian vegetarian, but the best item on Gate’s lunchtime buffet was the ginger chicken, which slid off the bone in oily, tender chunks bursting with creamy, spiced-stewed masala-like flavor, the hints of natural, distinct tastes emerging from every bite. The other chicken was a Tandoori, okay, definitely not spectacular and a wee bit dry. The curries really did not blow my mind, but are the kind of things I’d come back to if in the area and hankering for Indian in a bad way. I love chana saag, but not when the spinach comes overcooked and dominates the flavors instead of complimenting a good measure of spice. The Dal was flavorful and had a great consistency somewhere between typical legueme mash and something silkier. Onion bahjee is hardly a dish but it made like fries to my chicken, dried out, though saturated in oil.

There was also some uninspired, slightly boring aloo gobi, overall, putting too much pressure on the chicken to justify the high price which should have gone towards furthering the cuisine with creativity or consistency, rather than merely making the grade. The curries were mild and not regionally specific or fascinating, let alone sumptuous, doing the trick just enough to pass as Indian, but not enough to push the boundaries of what that can embody. Obviously, the buffet is not the best angle to judge most restaurants from, but we’re concerned with saving what little booty we can scrape together.

Overall, the food is well-balanced and pleasing, but not mind-blowingly delicious. Perhaps my glazed eyes mysteriously arrived bigger than my stomach, for I left about 13 pounds heavier, my stomach full of everything from crappy store-bought garlic naan that came much later than my food to some semi-wack Indian ‘sweet’ I had at the end of the meal. I can’t think of a lot of independent restaurants left around the 3rd street area, nor a lot of places I really wanna eat around there. So while I’d go back to Gate of India in a second when buying my ironic t-shirts at Urban Outfitters and my Omarion CDs at Borders, if it was my infinitely insatiable need to find the best inexpensive Indian meal, my thoughts might venture more towards Royal Anarkali on Melrose, or Govinda’s in Culver City, Tandoor-India and India’s Oven on the Wessside. But alas, the quest continues to satisfy my desires for a proper Desi repast in Los Angeles (short of the killer dinner I had at that Mendhi party at Sitar in Pasadena). All I truly long for is some soulful, sticky, sweet Indian-Angelina to give my mouth the curried contentment it truly craves…

3764 Watseka Ave. (@ Venice Blvd.) ~ 310-836-1269 ~ Culver City (TACO Map)

305 Rose Ave. ( @ 2nd St.) ~ 310-836-1269 ~ Santa Monica (TACO Map)

I know I’ve been all up in the Hare Krishna’s salad lately, but Govinda’s is a treasure for vegetarians and healthy eaters. Located inside of the Krishna temples of Culver City and Santa Monica, the Govinda’s (the Govindases? Govindi?) are tiny diners that resemble hostels. Both feature cheap, all-you-can-eat vegetarian buffets with a slight Indian twist as well as an occasional eavesdropped exsistential conversation.

For $6 in Culver and around $9 at Radha Govinda’s near the shore (higher rents), you get a salad bar of fresh, colorful variety with sunflower seeds, peppers, and tofu, among many other choices and different light dressings. Then there is usually a pasta course with a hearty sauce low on oil. Last time I was there it was a corkscrew pasta in a peppery creamy white sauce that had me back three times. Next comes the small section that usually has three to four Indian influenced curries, daal, and one or two side snacks. The curry tinged broths are intricately spiced, pleasing my picky tastes for Indian with flavors familiar and creative. The crunchy, lightly-fried red-peppers I had at the Santa Monica localation were some of the best things I’ve ever tasted.

The food at Govinda’s is simple but savory, and mostly organic. You can taste cleanliness in every bite, it’s a meal that makes you feel good, even when you gorge yourself. The curries are a little soupy from time to time, but are still better than a majority of the Indian I’ve experienced in L.A. They are never overstated. It is definitely not Indian, however, just influenced by the subcontinent. Certain specials repeat, like the nutloaf on Saturday nights that is fantastic. A full menu of sandwiches and pizzas is also posted at the Culver City location.

There is usually one dish on hand that is creative and inventive without being overly pretentious or calling attention to itself as you may find in some of LA’s other temples of vegetarian cuisine. Culver is by far the better deal, as you can feast for a mere $6. Next time you fill up on too much pastor at the taco truck, cleanse yourself with a trip to Govinda’s vegetarian buffet for your next meal.

Chutney’s ~ 2406 Barrington Ave. @ Pico Blvd. ~ West LA

Having dated a few more than my share of Desi girls, I’ve become an expert when it comes to eating Indian. Never has the experience of slipping my mouth around some subcontinental treasure been as regrettable as it was at Chutney’s. Presenting itself like it’s the Baja Fresh of Indian food, this one-off with not-so-subtle dreams of becoming a chain can’t even be called the Del Taco of Indian food.

I’ve learned in my years of devouring tiny curry treats to be wary of Indian spots that rely heavily on meat offerings, as a nation generously populated by vegetarians naturally churns out better veggie dishes. Chutney’s menu is rife with ahimsa-violating lamb, chicken and beef plates, the first sign of disaster upon approach. Still, my mind stayed open until it felt my tastebuds react to the saag paneer (typically a favorite) for $3.75; Watery collardgreens came in a styrofoam bowl, with a few sour chunks of cheese floated on top. It was inedible.

The burrito-size masala dosa for $4 was decent enough, giving me as much of a sensation of Indian food as a seven-layer burrito does of Mexican food. The dosa might be worth hitting for a cheap bite. As a bread and spread Californian, I didn’t believe in a meal a Central American couldn’t cook better than a country’s natives, until I met the chefs at Chutney’s. Not their fault, where’s mama-ji’s secret recipes when we need them?

Maybe we’ll come back and try the meat to further explore what strange force in Krishna’s universe keeps them open. Until then, Chutney’s, from the painfully digestible name to the barely digestible food, gets the finger!

Artwallah is not your Mama-ji’s typical Indian party…if it had been, the food would have been a lot better, the music louder, and the place more packed with old people who are somehow related, talking about other people’s marriages, gold jewlery and pickle recipes.

A celebration of art and culture, Artwallah, curiously at the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center, skews towards the youthful, underground side of South Asian life in the U.S.– the indie Indians if you will. Thus present were a smattering of groovy Gujaratis, new-wave New Delhians, punk Punjabis, rockin’ Rajasthanis, hoo-ridin’ Haryanayans, tuned-in Tamils and utterly-progressive Uttar Pradeshinans, along with their neighbors in the subcontinent, such as bangin’ Bangladeshis and savvy Sri Lankans (yes, we really could do this all day).

What Artwallah lacked in attendance (and great food), it certainly made up for in the spirit of both those attending in support of the community and the sheer camaraderie of celebrating South Asian heritage together…(CONTINUED BELOW)

Amongst lackluster shopping, the absence of devices like a henna booth, plus…ahem, mediocre food and art exhibits, were a few rare treasures that made the day a success.

Rave Magazine, a gorgeous glossy underground lifestyle magazine published both in the States and the Subcontinent, was on full-display, showing a wide-range of musical and worldly knowledge past and present that awed TACO. Amazing photography and incomparable taste, from its feature on Eminem leaving the rap biz to a look at the new documentary on Hendrix, as well as rarely seen photos of the Fab Four in India, and reviews of US and Indian artists’ CDs, travel and fashion features embodied the new generation’s passion and comfort with the culture of their home-country and that of their parent’s.

Nirvana Woman, a magazine dedicated to the modern Indian-American woman, was also in attendance. As our good friend Sheal of Bollywood Fo’ Real says, “It is an amazing magazine geared towards young, successful Indian-American women with some dispoable income and sense of style. Its got great fashion editorials and even introduces these fabulous Indian designers such as Satya Paul. I’ve decided to give it the Sheel Seal of Approval. It ain’t no Femina!”

The artwork of Neil Chowdhury, which draws together myth, past, and present in hyper-colored photo collages, were both fun and thought-provoking, a notch above the other intriguing artists who explored the themes of heritage and cultural-belonging that often eminate from Desi works of art. In fact, identity as it relates to living in the U.S., often as part of the first generation, played heavily into the expression displayed in this year’s art.

The haunting wail of Falu, a Bombay-born and trained singer who had recently performed with Yo-Yo Ma’s Silk Road Project, and accompanied by her rock band at Carnegie Hall after becoming a musical ambassador at the famed venue, showcased the singer’s vocal scope and discipline, while updating her millenia-old vocal style with a multi-ethnic crew of rockers backing her.

Perhaps the day’s best discovery was My Pet Dragon, comprised of the newly-wedded team of Reena Shah and Todd Michaelsen, who recently appeared on Karsh Kale’s new album. Reena’s dancing combines her classical training melded with a current, improvisational spirit. Todd, just a lone man with a guitar, seemed to fill the entire downtown area with the force of an entire rock band with beautiful, bittersweet songs, carried across with a stunning voice of lifting intensity, power and flexibility, reminding us of My Morning Jacket singer Jim James’ acoustic record crossed with the steady power of Coldplay‘s Chris Martin (uh, but cooler, sorry for the comparison, Todd). The two are as noticably in love as their song-and-dance combination are forceful and stunning. We imagine more than a few copies of their new CD First Born flew off the tables Saturday, as TACO picked one up ourselves.

We look forward to Artwallah surviving and growing, and hopefully next year getting some BETTER CURRIES (!!!) in addition to strengthening the prescence of South Asian Angels, afficianados, artists and performers that left such a positive impression in 2006.

New India Sweets and Spices ~ 1245 Fairfax Los Angeles 90035 @ Packard

Although I am a Southern Californian son, I did an 8-year tour of duty in New York City and an equally long tour-of-duty in a relationship with an Indian princess. I grew to love homemade Indian food as served in the Punjabi taxi cab eateries where mustachioed, broad-shouldered Northern Indians devoured their curries before hopping into their yellow chariots for 12-hour shifts of drunkards and agitated cheapskates. The girl’s mother, a sweet Bangalorean with a love marriage to a wonderful Punjabi, was unequaled in her preparation of dishes from both ends of the subcontinent, be it a crisp dosa from the south, bhel puri from Bombay and a host of tandoors, naans, and rotis from up north.

However, I have been unimpressed by my forays into Los Angeles Indian food. The highly recommmended Gujarthi curries at Jay Bharat on Artesia, I found near disgusting, while Indian restaurants from San Vicente West to Fairfax to borders East have turned me off at best, made me sick at worst. I was feeling Electric Lotus in Los Feliz, but my Desi friends say they refuse to touch it. Pasadena’s Sitar was quite excellent hosting a recent Mendhi ceremony I attended. But sill, my search continues…

Little did I know, there was a tiny storefront behind my temporary sublet, New India Sweets and Spices serving up the kind of no frills Indian curries my palate desires. New India resembles a tinier version of Atwater’s India Sweets and Spices, though I have no clue of any relations. New India is not fancy, basically a small market of pre-packaged Indian spices and boxed meals, decorations and mammoth bags of basmati and lentils, Bollywood DVDs and Bhangra CDs, Sikh shrines and a display of fresh sweets up the sari… (Continued below)

But the food is rich with the flavors of India, almost delicate in its preparation, nothing fancy but totally delicious. Sitting in a square, steel pots under a weak heatlamp are typically 6-7 daily made curries, looking not necessarily appetizing, with chana (chickpeas) on hand and a plethora of samosas segregating the vegetarian from the chicken curries.

The chicken tikka masala is the most beautiful color I’ve ever encountered, a deep brick-red color that resembles the festive pastel paint throw at revelers at the Hindu celebration of Holi. It is as delicious as it is stunning in looks; a deep, soothing almost smoky cream of tomato and possibly more tropical flavors, with big chunks of tender chicken swimming underneath.

The chana tastes like India itself to me, a generously spiced, wet broth that is not watery but a thin cardamom-heavy soup, with the delicate, supple and soaked pods bursting flavorfully in the mouth. Garlic naan is coated in finely chopped garlic cuts and a light layer of oil, perfect to make the basmati and curry stick in a tasty mash of Indian delight.

Samosas are acceptable but not phenomenal. Everything goes great with a sweet, hot chai, although sometimes it can take a moment to arrive. The sweets, if the different tastes of Indian sweets appeal to you, are excellent with an assortment of colorful ladoos, gulab jamun, barfi, and jalebis, among other less recognizable desserts.

It’s possible that New India has just about everything a displaced Desi or an Indo-phile might be looking for in Los Angeles, edible and decorative, sweet or homey. It’s not the overpriced standard of Gaylord’s or the funky creativity of Electric Lotus, but it is solid and a new staple of my Indian starved diet, entirely possible for a full meal under $6, yaar!