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2013-12-14
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I've been looking for a new place for Indian food besides Aladdin's Mess which is where I usually go to satisfy my craving for some cheap and good Indian food. I was intrigued by the fact that the chef here used to work at The Peak so decided to come here for dinner on a weekday. Clay Pot Indian Restaurant is located in a cooked food center inside a wet market building. It shares the floor with a seafood restaurant and a Thai restaurant. I've eaten at several cooked food centers before in North
The menu was standard as at other Indian restaurants with offerings of samosas, tandoori items, curry, and naan breads. We ordered two curries and two naans to share between the two of us.
Mango Lassi ($28) - this is a drink I always order when I eat Indian food. The mango lassi here was not as sweet as the one at Aladdin's Mess but the taste of yogurt was much more apparent. The drink was refreshing enough and served as a nice buffer against the heavy taste of curry.
San Miguel ($22) - J's beer was huge for only $22!
Papadams (Free) - this was a free starter given to us by the restaurant. The papadam was roasted nicely as it was thin and crispy. The taste was pretty spicy from the black pepper infused into the dough. The mint yogurt dip that accompanied the papadam was fresh and perfect for offsetting the spiciness of the snack.
Cheese Naan ($24) - I was quite looking forward to their naans as I heard that they had a proper tandoor oven in their kitchen. Unfortunately, our naans were not as crispy or toasted as we'd like. For their cheese naan, the taste of cheese was not apparent at all but rather just provided another dimension of chewiness to the naan. Perhaps that's for the best as the cheese did not overpower the taste of the curries.
Garlic Naan ($22) - the garlic naan was unfortunately pretty disappointing as it was limp and ordinary. Not only was the naan not crispy enough, the smell or taste of garlic was not apparent at all compared to those at Aladdin's Mess. It looked like some dry garlic flakes were sprinkled on the surface of the naan which did nothing at all.
Chicken Tikka Masala ($75) - my favorite dish to order at any Indian restaurant and the chicken tikka masala here did not disappoint! The curry was buttery and creamy with a strong taste of tomato as well. I liked that it was not oily or salty at all, which was a problem I've had at some other Indian restaurants. The curry was great as a dip for the naans and we made sure to clean off all of the curry from the plate!
Mutton Saag ($78) - the color was surprisingly bright to the point of looking radioactive. Colors aside, the spinach curry was one of the freshest that I have tasted though! The flavor of spinach was strong and apparent which complimented the lamb pretty well. The lamb itself was gamey and tender - a pretty good dish overall.
Conclusion - the curries were great here while the naans were a bit disappointing. As we didn't get any spicy dish this time, I would love to go back again to try but the dining environment leaves a lot to be desired as it was dirty and noisy. I saw a small bug crawling on my table as well as on the wall behind us. The neighboring tables from the seafood restaurant that shared the floor were loud, smoking, and playing dice (and this was already on a weekday). Nonetheless, this can a great place for Indian food if you can brave the environment.
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