SF Bay Area, CA - Shalimar Fremont - 2005 (MOVED)
RATING (* for Poor to ***** for Excellent)
Food: ****
Service: *
Ambience: *
Value: ***
Shalimar Website
GENERAL: I've made it clear in the introduction that I'll write about places just because of its food and nothing else. Well, this is one of those places that has got nothing else. If you appreciate authentic Indian food and succulent grilled meats, all with LOTS of spices (and grease), you'll have a good time here and you will know why this little shack (well, four of them now) is one of the most highly acclaimed Indian restaurant in the US.
FOOD: This is not your everyday healthy vegetarian or everything-curry Indian restaurant. It's really a Pakistani / Northern Indian grill house. They know how to grill things - chicken, lamb and beef (no pork, sorry!), all grilled to perfection. Curries are great too, very aromatic from all the spices (so are the grilled meats). Naans are the best you'll find in the Bay Area, if not the US. Try garlic naan if you're not meeting a customer within 6 hours. Even the vegetarian dishes are delicious and, as usual, spicy (not hot, but aromatic).
To complete your adventure at Shalimar you must 1) take some onions and hot pepper, pour some lemon juice and mint dressing on it, and eat with your grilled meats and 2) have some hot milk tea after the meal. These will complete your exotic foreign experience without getting to far from 101 or 880. Beware: Grease is a problem here with all dishes, but if you set your expectation right (ie don't over-indulge!) you'll be ok. I was also disappointed by the specialty lamb chops - maybe because I hate all overcooked meat.
SERVICE: I don't know what to say about service - there isn't much of it. The one in Fremont is hosted by men who really hate you and want you to get lost. The one in Sunnyvale is more friendly - but still no service. Everything is self-served - but even then things often run out (like onion or tea, even plates on one visit) and rest assured that no one will respond to your plead unless you're bleeding or going into labor right in the restaurant.
AMBIENCE: Want to eat Pakistani food under a Humphrey Bogart poster? Try the new Shalimar Sunnyvale. The Fremont restaurants looks more like a company cafeteria - only more dirty. You know what I mean now.
VALUE: Good value if you like the food - no value if you don't like it. I know VERY FEW people (those who just can't handle the greasiness) who walk out hating the place, but when they hate it they really do - because there's nothing else to like about it. This place it by no means a cheap Chaat house, especially if you have a big appetite for meat, the frankly the prices are reasonable.
BOTTOMLINE: Shalimar reminds me of Southwest in the early days - it's a no-frills place that gives you what you need. Southwest gets you where you want to go - but not a complete flying experience as we're used to, an Shalimar give you a wonderful meal - but not a complete dining experience as we know it. Set your expectation straight, set your meat-loving instinct loose, and get ready to gain a couple lbs!
LAST WORD: This place is packed - lunch and dinner. The best time to go is strange hours - like 11:30am for lunch or 5:30pm for dinner.
Food: ****
Service: *
Ambience: *
Value: ***
Shalimar Website
GENERAL: I've made it clear in the introduction that I'll write about places just because of its food and nothing else. Well, this is one of those places that has got nothing else. If you appreciate authentic Indian food and succulent grilled meats, all with LOTS of spices (and grease), you'll have a good time here and you will know why this little shack (well, four of them now) is one of the most highly acclaimed Indian restaurant in the US.
FOOD: This is not your everyday healthy vegetarian or everything-curry Indian restaurant. It's really a Pakistani / Northern Indian grill house. They know how to grill things - chicken, lamb and beef (no pork, sorry!), all grilled to perfection. Curries are great too, very aromatic from all the spices (so are the grilled meats). Naans are the best you'll find in the Bay Area, if not the US. Try garlic naan if you're not meeting a customer within 6 hours. Even the vegetarian dishes are delicious and, as usual, spicy (not hot, but aromatic).
To complete your adventure at Shalimar you must 1) take some onions and hot pepper, pour some lemon juice and mint dressing on it, and eat with your grilled meats and 2) have some hot milk tea after the meal. These will complete your exotic foreign experience without getting to far from 101 or 880. Beware: Grease is a problem here with all dishes, but if you set your expectation right (ie don't over-indulge!) you'll be ok. I was also disappointed by the specialty lamb chops - maybe because I hate all overcooked meat.
SERVICE: I don't know what to say about service - there isn't much of it. The one in Fremont is hosted by men who really hate you and want you to get lost. The one in Sunnyvale is more friendly - but still no service. Everything is self-served - but even then things often run out (like onion or tea, even plates on one visit) and rest assured that no one will respond to your plead unless you're bleeding or going into labor right in the restaurant.
AMBIENCE: Want to eat Pakistani food under a Humphrey Bogart poster? Try the new Shalimar Sunnyvale. The Fremont restaurants looks more like a company cafeteria - only more dirty. You know what I mean now.
VALUE: Good value if you like the food - no value if you don't like it. I know VERY FEW people (those who just can't handle the greasiness) who walk out hating the place, but when they hate it they really do - because there's nothing else to like about it. This place it by no means a cheap Chaat house, especially if you have a big appetite for meat, the frankly the prices are reasonable.
BOTTOMLINE: Shalimar reminds me of Southwest in the early days - it's a no-frills place that gives you what you need. Southwest gets you where you want to go - but not a complete flying experience as we're used to, an Shalimar give you a wonderful meal - but not a complete dining experience as we know it. Set your expectation straight, set your meat-loving instinct loose, and get ready to gain a couple lbs!
LAST WORD: This place is packed - lunch and dinner. The best time to go is strange hours - like 11:30am for lunch or 5:30pm for dinner.
posted by His Servant at
1:02 AM
