Noshing with Sandi: Himalayan Curry and Grill

 

Himalayan Curry and Grill, 10330 Friars Rd. #104,  San Diego, California  92120

SAN DIEGO — As part of our “Eat around the world” program, my dad and I dropped by Himalayan Curry and Grill, a cute little Indian, Nepalese and Tibetan restaurant.   I have to admit, I’m not sure what the difference is among the three when it comes to the cuisine, and their menu doesn’t seem to specify.

When you walk in, there are murals along the walls showing elephants and mountains and other themed decor.  The music sounded like Indian music, in fact I wanted to break into a Bollywood style dance upon entering – it’s lively and happy music.

Since we went for lunch we were able to take advantage of their lunch special menu.  As an added bonus, they also had a coupon in the Buy-One Get-One mailer that comes to the house.

The lunch special comes with rice, naan, lentil soup, some pickled vegetables and choice of two entrees.  I ordered the chicken vindaloo and chicken tikka masala.  My dad order the chicken curry and chicken chilli.  We also got an order of Paneer Pakora, which is homemade cheese dipped in chickpea batter and fried.  The consistency and flavor was much like extra firm or fried tofu.  It’s served with a mint chutney that adds spice and flavor to the dish.  It was okay, but I don’t know that it was flavorful enough for me to order it again.

Back to the main dishes.  The chicken vindaloo and chicken tikka masala were very good, very flavorful, but had a high sauce to chicken ratio- that is I would like the stew to be a bit heavier on the chicken chunks than it was.  The same held true for my dad’s meal.  On the other hand, since we had the appetizer first, I did have enough for leftovers, and found that the taste was yummy enough that I kept picking at it long after I was full.

The service was fine, nothing wrong, but nothing to write home about either.  The food came out quickly, and we didn’t have to wave him down to get the bill.

I know that we’ll be back there because we actually go there fairly often, it’s a great spot for a quick, cheap non-fast food lunch.  All-in-all, I give them an 8 out of 10.

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Sandi Masori is the food and restaurant reviewer for San Diego Jewish World.  If you know of a restaurant you would like her to review, or would like her help publishing a book (her day job when she’s not reviewing cuisine), contact her at sandimasori@gmail.com