“OMG.”
That’s the only way to describe how good the food is here. I believe I said it about 15 times within the first taste of dinner (as well as the assorted longer variations of the phrase), and clearly, I disagree with whatever the Philadelphia Weekly food critic said badly about it.
To begin, the service was impeccable. I didn’t have to ask for anything during the meal – appetizers, desserts, and water were all provided (I’m presuming that the gratis appetizer and dessert are to convince people to make return trips because the location is newly opened).The restaurant is clean, well lit, and has a bit of ambiance, although it feels a bit empty despite having a lot of tables. The only way to describe it is…well, it reminds me of Chinese restaurants in the suburbs – a lot of open space but not much to distract you from the food or whomever you might be dining with. The room itself is light pink, white tablecloths, overwhelming chandeliers, and a few Indian knick-knacks on the walls.
Upon sitting down, the waiter brought us out three “dips” and crispy bread. I believe that this was papadam, but I neglected to write down the types of dip and the type of bread, for which I apologize. Since this isn’t on the menu, I have a feeling that this is King of Tandoor’s version of a basket of bread, which was actually most appreciated. In addition, we ordered the Samosas ($3.50/2), which were good, but not particularly memorable. Mainly in the sense that I couldn’t remember them once the main course came out and I kept going “OMG, OMG, OMG.”
For the main course, I ordered the Chicken Tikka Makhanee ($12.95), my companion had the Lamb Dumpahkt ($13.95). We also ordered an order of regular Naan ($2.50) and Garlic Naan ($3.25). The naan, like all bread, is baked in the tanoor over, and was crisp, a little buttery, and definitely not overbaked. The bubbles in the bread (where air pockets built up in baking) didn’t crack and shatter, rather, they were soft and added to the texture. Note that they aren’t kidding when they say garlic naan.
The Lamb Dumpahkt is a dish, closest in description to a “lamb pot pie,” cooked in dumpahkt (casserole) with a pastry crust on the outside. The crust is inflated by the steam inside; it contains the scent of the dish (delightful) and the heat (hot, at least in temperature). The star of my night, though, was the Chicken Tikka Makhanee. This deserves special mention, because I am in love with what the Indian restaurants in Tokyo call butter chicken curry. I had no idea that it had a better, more Indian name, and was extremely surprised and delighted when the chicken tikka makhanee came out and it was my beloved butter chicken curry. And it was LIGHT YEARS BEYOND what I had elsewhere. The flavor burst out of the hammered metal bowl; combined with the naan, it was honestly fantastic – the marinated and barbequed chicken in the sauce (which had a hint of almond in it) is delightful and I have been urging people to head to King of Tandoor for that alone.
After the main course was cleared, we were ready to depart, when our waiter brought us a complimentary order of Firni (normally $2.95), an Indian rice pudding flavored with rose water. Although unexpected, it was not unappreciated, and cleansed our mouths from the sensuous spices and flavors from the earlier courses, and was a terrific ending to the meal.
King of Tandoor is located at 1824 Callowhill St., Philadelphia, PA 19130. The phone number is (215) 568-0750; website located at www.kingoftandoor.com. Online ordering is coming soon.
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