Thursday, November 25, 2004

Indian

Al-Watan
13619 INGLEWOOD AVE, (310)644-6395 Hawthorne
Ohmigod, the best tandoori I have ever tasted. Urdu TV and totally Pakistani atmosphere with no hipster clientele. Curries are also out of this world. I haven't been to Artesia but it's hard to imagine better meat-centric Pakistani fare than this.

Woodlands
11833 Artesia Blvd, Artesia. 562 860 6500
Here is the South Indian restaurant to eclipse all others I've tried. Gigantic dosa/pancakes with multiple variations, the deep fried bhatura puff, and a magical condiment called milakai podi. A rare find.

Al-Noor
15112 Inglewood Ave, Lawndale - (310) 675-4700
A little cleaner than Al-Watan but still dripping soul, this spot has great nehari (lamb shank curry) recommended by J.Gold.

India Sweets and Spices
9409 Venice Blvd (310) 837-5286
What a find, a real Indian grocery store with chaat counter on Venice in Culver City! Don't miss puris, giant puff = chana bhatura, classic idli sambar and masala dosa. Street food for almost no cash, highly highly recommended.

Ambala Dhaba
1781 Westwood Blvd. 310-966-1772
Westwood sister to Artesia restaurant with surprisingly good Punjabi style fare. Goat is good, so is ludhiana chicken. Puris/little puffs for appetizer, wholesome vege options and kulfi for dessert. Highly recommended.

Annapurna
10200 Venice Blvd. Culver City (310) 204-5500
Some "South Asians" claim that this South Indian spot is better than Woodlands, and it's certainly a rare outpost on this side of town. I only tried the lunch buffet which wasn't a fair comparison with made-to-order Tamil and Andhra pancake-like things. Still, the smallish saucer-sized dosa, fluffy idli, copious yoghurt and large array of dishes are a good value and quite tasty. Rasam (spicy tomato/lentil stew) and pale green coconut chutney are especially good. Kulfi and tea included!

Asian Kitchen
10406 Venice Blvd., (310) 559-9644, Culver City
Pakistani Indian on Venice Blvd. Haleem (meat and grain paste) and butter naan are great.

2 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Al-Watan is the bomb! I've never had such tender tandori chicken! I also love the different naan on the menu.

8:43 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

There's another good and cheap Indian vegetarian place called Samosa House.

They are at:

1510 W. Washington Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90066
Phone: 310-398-6766

Folks there are more friendly thatn Indian Sweet and Spices. Food is more delicious too.

6:52 PM  

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