Lahore Karahi

Update Review, 2021 Visits

It had been nearly 10 years (!) since I last visited, and reviewed, Lahore Karahi, an Indian restaurant in the Tenderloin.  The neighborhood isn't one I necessarily seek out, but, they have plenty of Indian restaurants, and some are really quite good.  My visits this time were in the depths of the pandemic, when I wanted some reason to get out of the house, get something tasty, and help support local businesses.

I placed all my orders online in advance, and although they were never ready when I arrived, they were prepared fresh to order.  The single staff member was friendly and seemed to be running the entire place (no dine-in service at the time).  I was impressed with the quality of my simple items, and I'll gladly return to get a full meal sometime.

Sweet Naan. $3.99.

"Sugar, coconut and raisins added to baked naan."

This was fascinating!!!

I had sweet naan once before in my life, and I didn't really like it then (my review, from Al Hamra), but also I had no idea what to expect then, and sought it out for dessert, which, it wasn't.

This version I also didn't know what to expect exactly, and I knew people said that it was different from most other sweet naan styles, so that made it even harder to reason about.  In particular, most other sweet naan has cherries, at least from what I've seen on menus, and this did not.

Anyway.  It was handed over piping hot.  Freshly made.  The foil literally almost too hot to touch.  I appreciated that they wrapped it up to keep it warm.

From the outside, it almost looked like regular naan, although it had some pockmarks.  

The naan itself was ok.  Not remarkable, and a bit chewy and thin.  I had it pretty fresh, so I don't think this was from being wrapped up a few minutes?  The chew didn't seem quite right, and I kinda wanted it fluffier, although maybe that isn't how it is done for sweet naan?

There was a little char on the bottom that was good.

But this was about the insides, anyway.  That is where it got really, really interesting.

Sweet Naan: Inside.

Yeah, inside.  *What* was inside?  I honestly don't know.

The menu said "sugar, coconut, and raisins", yes, those were all present.  The coconut was shredded dried coconut, the raisins were golden raisins left whole throughout.  And the filling had a sweetness.

But there was clearly much more going on.  In addition to the sweet fruitiness is a ... nutty earthiness?  I believe there is a substantial amount of sesame seeds.  Maybe some almond paste?  And there was bits of something orange and candied, some other dried fruit I think?  But it didn't seem to be cherry like others.

And then ... a touch of something else savory.  Garlic? Onion?  Curry powder?  I'm not sure, but it was subtle, and there, creating a balance unlike anything I've had before.

It was just really, really fascinating.  Sweet, yes, but there was also so much savoriness to it.

I sought it out thinking I'd use it for a dessert item, or, I thought it might just be like a soft, puffy, white bread with raisins in it, and I'd toast it/eat it warm slathered with cream cheese for breakfast.  But after a few bites I imagined it going great with a spicy curry, or with yogurt (raita) too.

I greatly enjoyed it, just as is, for an afternoon snack (I bet great with chai!), and had another hunk the next morning, warmed up in toaster oven, for breakfast.  It was great for breakfast too, sweet, but not too sweet.  If I had more, I'd try it for dessert dunked in whipped cream or stuffed with mango ice cream.  It seems really versatile.

I'd love to learn more about sweet naan styles so I can figure out how to best pair it in the future.

***+.

Pappadam. $2.

"Crispy spiced lentil wafers. Served with homemade mint and tamarind chutney."

I ordered the pappadam just because I remembered that their chutney is so delicious.  If I ordered pappadam, I'd get chutney.  I think the chutney is made in house.

The pappadam itself was fine, crispy, good lentil flavor, not stale. ***.

It came with only mint chutney (not tamarind as it was supposed to), but I received 3 of the fantastic mint chutney, so I was pretty happy.   I adore this spicy chutney, but I don't think it goes all that great with the pappadam - the pappadam is better with raita or mango chutney (or, just dunked in curry). 

Housemade Mint Chutney. 

The mint chutney is really, really good.  I love it drizzled on roast veggies, with grilled paneer cubes, or really, with just about anything, including using as a salad dressing.  Spicy and flavorful.

****.

Update review: I got it again.  It was quite good, really spicy actually, and fresh tasting. Again, I believe them when they say homemade.  ****.

Mango Chutney. $2.99.

"Indian-style spiced mango chutney."

I also ordered the mango chutney, available separately.  It was fairly standard mango chutney.  Slight sweet, slightly sour.   I suspect not made in house.

Not much to say, but nice to have to pair with things (particularly with samosa!).

***.

Raita. $2.99.

"Homemade yogurt with cucumber."

Yup, more dips, I also got the raita. 

The raita was actually quite nice, which, honestly surprised me.  It seemed legit house made, a quality product.  In particular, it was quite thick, like labne, which I really enjoyed (usually raita, or at least the raita I seem to wind up getting places, is runnier?).

Anyway, I really liked it.  Awesome to dunk crudite into in particular.

****.

Original Review, December 2012

I've been on a quest to find some indian food I like in San Francisco.  I've been to plenty of places that have been mediocre, but no where that I really find myself wanting to go back to.  So when I recently got some more GoPago credits, I decided to use them to gamble and try out another Indian place.

I decided on Lahore Karahi, a place with fantastic Yelp reviews ... until a few months ago.  I read that it was sold recently, and people are very unhappy with the new ownership.  But I still gave it a try, since I figured that some of the negativity was just people not dealing well with change.

It is a very small place in the Tenderloin, with a somewhat strange model.  Normally, you order at the register, but they bring the food out to you when it is ready.  They seemed to mostly do take-out, and have several online ordering systems, like GoPago, which I used.  I liked that they had a dine-in option available through GoPago.

This is not somewhere you go for decor or ambiance.  The tablecloths were all dirty, stained, and wrinkled.  They then had a plastic layer on top of them, so it seemed really strange that they were so dirty, given the protectors on top.

The staff weren't unfriendly exactly, but said very few words.  On one side of the room was an area with water and unlabeled carafes, with a big sign saying "Self Service".  Luckily, I'd read about this beforehand, so I knew that I could help myself to some hot chai, but I got the impression that no one would have told me about this otherwise.

Overall, it wasn't really good nor bad, just fairly unremarkable.  But, it was definitely the cheapest indian food I've had, and was a fantastic value for the money.  I'd consider going back, but wouldn't go out of my way for it, and will continue my quest to find somewhere I like more!

Chai.  Complimentary.

As I mentioned, there were some unlabeled carafes over on the side, with paper cups next to them.  They were filled with piping hot chai.  It was unsweetened, but there was also sugar you could add in to taste.  It wasn't really remarkable, very milky and barely tea flavored, and almost soapy tasting, but I liked having a nice hot drink, and the price sure was right!

***.

Shahi Paneer.: Lightly fried cheese cooked with nuts in tomato sauce.  $7.99.

My shahi paneer arrived piping hot, within just a few minutes of my ordering.  It stayed incredibly hot the entire time I was eating, with steam continuing to rise from it, even when I was finished.

The sauce was very creamy, clearly made with a lot of heavy cream.  It was also glistening with oil.  A little too heavy for my taste, but I somewhat expected that.  It was pretty flavorful, with decent spicing, and large chunks of spices throughout, including whole leaves.

The paneer was a bit of a disappointment   It was mushy, kinda rubbery, and not really fried on the edges.  It did have a nice flavor however.

The portion size was generous, with a lot of paneer, far more than anywhere else I've been.  And for only $7.99 this was a really good value.  I'd consider getting this again, but it wasn't particularly remarkable.

***.

Naan.  $1.

The naan was freshly made to order.  I saw it being kneaded out after I ordered.  It was actually a really nice size, smaller than many places, which I liked.  Slathered with some oil, and cut into quarters.

It was decent naan.  I wouldn't rave about it, but it was better than most.  Hot, fresh, fluffy, with a good char in a few places.  And only $1?  Very good value, and I'd love to try some of the other flavored/filled naan next time.

***+.

Kheer: Special rice cooked with milk and sugar, served cold with pistachios.  $2. 

And, time for dessert! The rice pudding wasn't anything special.  Tiny bits of rice, sweet milky base, some spicing, a few sliced nuts, and a total of 2 raisins in my entire portion.  I added cinnamon and blueberries to it when I got home, and enjoyed it much more.

This was a small little container, but just the right amount for one person, and not bad for $2.  I wish all restaurants offered up small little desserts like this!

Anyway, this wasn't bad, but it wasn't good.  I wouldn't get again.

***.