If Sen is a bengali name, you should also try annapurna on the peninsula. Nepali food is much closer to Bengali food than the traditional Delhi/Punjabi joints. Someone wrote: : Mary, : Thanks for the pointer to the CitySearch page - however I would just like to : point out that the review is neither accurate (e.g. "Hindus are : vegetarian" - Wrong) nor comprehensive (most of SF's Indian restaurants were : omitted). : Having said that I would just like to add that although I live in the city, : whenever I get a craving for Indian food (happens quite often, actually) I : trek a hundred miles (ok, my car does!) to Sunnyvale and back - the Indian : restaurants there are SO MUCH better than their SF counterparts. And going : by the lunch time crowds, obviously many others share the same opinion. : Regards, Kaushik
San Francisco Bay Area, CA
Fellow Indian Food Lovers
Someone wrote: : Mary, [SNIP] : Having said that I would just like to add that although I live in the city, : whenever I get a craving for Indian food (happens quite often, actually) I : trek a hundred miles (ok, my car does!) to Sunnyvale and back - the Indian : restaurants there are SO MUCH better than their SF counterparts. And going : by the lunch time crowds, obviously many others share the same opinion. Hmmm, so its not just my imagination, although for quality of the lunch buffet, I'd have to go with Amber in Mountain View.
Kaushik,
Appam's service leaves something to be desired, but I find their combinations more exciting than the traditional tandoori joint. Apart from Amber, I find most of the Indian joints in the south bay to taste like permutation of different meats/veggies. with pre-prepared sauces. A matter of taste I suppose. No criticism meant to anybody.
The daal-bhaat, mish-mash, begun-bhorta, and dharosh bhaji at Annapurna reminded me of North Bengali cooking (Mymensing & Pabna). Whether Annapurna is representative of Nepali food, I could not say. Other Nepali joints I have tried in Colorado and DC tend to carry more Tibettian influenced food.
Someone wrote:
: Hassan,
: Yes, I have tried Appam once - while they do attempt to be different from : the usual (North) Indian restaurant model, I found the differences to be : merely cosmetic. The food was mediocre (and a tad overpriced) I found, and : the service was apathetic at best. I am in no hurry to go back.
: And yes, Sen is indeed a Bengali name - at least, in this case! I have never : tried Annapurna, but am willing to give it a go. No offence meant, and I : confess to being fairly ignorant on the subject, but I did not think that : Nepali cuisine had any significant highlights. But I will confess that after : a long day's trek, mostly in drizzling rain, it was absolute heaven to go to : a dry tea-shop with a blazing fire going and having a meal of chapathis, dal : and mis-mas ("chochhori" is the nearest Bengali equivalent) !