JEFF COX REVIEW
Kabab and Curry House

Reviewed: Jun 5, 2005
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Absolutely.

A little more than a year ago, the Indian restaurant scene in Santa Rosa was pretty bleak. Now there are two bright spots that have raised the local standard for this popular style of food very high indeed.

Pamposh, open for just over a year in Rincon Valley's Mission Shopping Center, has become well-known for its inventive and elegant versions of Indian-style dishes. And now Kabab and Curry House, which opened downtown in mid-May, presents a large menu of traditional, regional Indian dishes that are full of exotic flavors and nicely priced.

Anyone who's traveled to London over the past couple of decades has noticed that the Indian restaurants there offer intriguing flavors and great value to the British public. Sort of what Mexican food offers to Americans.

So strongly have the British taken to Indian food that "tikka masala" is now the No. 1, most-loved, and most often made dish in that country -- a mixture of chicken chunks stirred with Indian spices in a gravy-like sauce. And while most people think that "tikka masala" is a traditional Indian dish, it is, in fact, a creation made in Britain.

You'll find two kinds of tikka masala -- chicken and vegetarian -- at Kabab and Curry House, along with over 80 other appetizers, soups, salads, raitas, tandoor oven specialties, biryanis, breads and desserts, including 35 chicken, lamb, seafood and vegetarian curries from different regions of India.

Outside on Fourth Street are a few tables for al fresco dining -- and watching the rich mixture of people who frequent this area just east of B Street. Inside, the restaurant is beautifully appointed, with hand-made furniture and a full bar with a Brazilian marble top and a wooden back bar made in India.

The artwork on the walls is from Rajasthan, and decorative hanging glass lamps add a romantic touch. The glassed-in kitchen toward the rear of the room allows a view of the toque-topped cooks -- including Chef Luke Rozario from Goa, the former Portuguese colony on the west coast of southern India. There's a mezzanine above the kitchen, and an upper room used for banquets. Tables are set with tablecloths, cloth napkins, fresh roses in slender vases, and silverware with curved handles that take a minute's getting used to.

Service is efficient and is overseen by owner Anil Bembey, who has long experience at top-flight places like Victor's Restaurant at the St. Francis Hotel, the erstwhile Compass Rose, and other places in San Francisco.

The well-chosen wine list is reasonably priced. Some stand-out selections include a 2003 Austrian Gruner Veltliner for $27, a 2003 Hugel Alsatian Gewurztraminer for $34, a 2002 Cape Mentelle Shiraz from Margaret River, Australia, for $34, and a 2001 Everett Ridge Zinfandel from Dry Creek Valley for $36.

Dinner began with the Assorted Kabab Platter ($11.95; 3 stars). You may be wondering about the relationship of Turkish kebap to the Hindi word kabab. The words have a common heritage and the technique of roasting marinated meat on skewers drifted southeast from Turkey, passing through Arabic lands and Persia (now Iran)before reaching India centuries ago. Here minced lamb, juicy chicken, spicy shrimp, and tender salmon kababs are cooked in the hot tandoor oven, then taken off the skewers and served on a plate. This is a yummy treat for two people.

Chef Rozario's home region gets a nod with the Goa Beach Masala Scallop Appetizer ($8.50; 2.5 stars). Masala is the Indian word for spice, or a mixture of spices, and eight scallops, sautéed in olive oil, are finished in a sauce of coconut, lime, tomato and ginger and served on long slices of cucumber.

My least favorite dish of the night was Almond Chicken Cream Soup ($4.50; 1.5 stars), a thin soup that had a distinct flavor of scorched cream, and some bits of chicken and crushed almonds in the bottom of the bowl. This was followed by a delicious duo of Subz Samosas ($4.50; 2.5 stars), fried turnovers stuffed with potatoes, peas and cashews enlivened with Indian spices.

With the saucy entrees about to start, I ordered a supply of Onion Kulcha ($2.95; 3 stars), the naan flatbread stuffed with onions, herbs and spices, torn pieces of which are essential for wiping up all the fine sauces.

Ordering Fish Curry ($13.95; 3 stars) brought Chef Rozario to my table to ask whether I wanted tilapia, catfish or salmon. I chose catfish. Then he asked if I wanted it mild, medium spicy-hot, or very spicy-hot. I figured discretion is the better part of valor and specified medium -- which turned out to be plenty spicy enough for me. The fish was tender and flaky, cooked just right, and the flavors in the creamy onion, tomato and herb sauce were nicely balanced.

For a lamb dish, I tried the Gosht Rogan Josh Lucknowi ($14.95; 3 stars), tender and boneless cubes of lamb flavored with cardamom, cloves and brown onions and served in an exquisite sauce whose tastes and aromas blended into an exotic whole. Murgh Tikka Lal Mirch ($13.95; 3.5 stars) is a dish of boneless chicken pieces that have been marinated in hot chiles, ginger, garlic, yogurt, and spices, then cooked in the fiery tandoor oven. It's served with fried slices of onions and sweet peppers.

At this point, my mouth was pretty fiery, too, from all the hot chiles in these dishes. Salvation appeared in the form of Boondi Raita ($3.95; 4 stars), where grated raw cucumber is mixed with cooling yogurt into which crunchy pearls of fried chickpea batter are stirred. This was the perfect antidote to the capsaicin (the substance that gives chiles their burn) in the food, and my favorite dish of the evening.

For dessert, who can resist the Kulfi Anarkali ($5.95; 3 stars), a reduced milk ice cream, North Indian style, in two flavors: one made with dried mango and one with pistachios? Both were wonderful.

To sum up: Kabab and Curry House brings well-made, delicious and moderately priced traditional Indian cooking to Santa Rosa.

Jeff Cox writes a weekly restaurant review column for Q. You can reach him at jeffcox@sonic.net.