16762 Thu May 03 01:20:50 -0700 2001 9 1 San Francisco Bay Area 0 47411 Punjab Kabab House is another soulful Indo-Pakistani restaurant in the San Francisco tenderloin area. The menu is similar to Shalimar and Naan N Curry. The bengan bhurta was fresher and lighter in color than other bengan bhurtas. The palak paneer was fine. The mixed vegetables were okay, but I think Shalimar's are more flavorful. The dishes seemed to be less greasy than the other two places. For takeout, I suggest you ask them to wrap the paper boxes in plastic wrap, as the boxes are flimsy. Naan N Curry is more thoughtful in putting take out orders in plastic tubs. Punjab Kabab House is tidier and more aesthetic than Shalimar and Naan N Curry. Another plus of Punjab Kabab House is its location - a short block from the Powell Street Bart Station, if you get off at the west most entrance. That removes the concern of walking alot in the tenderloin at night. Address: 101 Eddy Street, between Taylor and Mason. Open daily 11:30am - 11:15pm. 447 7499 Thu May 03 01:20:50 -0700 2001 0 elise h 1 47427 Hey, thanks for the tip! Where do they fall on the naan-o-meter? Thu May 03 16:01:43 -0700 2001 47411 0 Alexandra Eisler 2 47437 Alexandra, the naan - o - meter is now an official chowhound measure. Sheepishly, I must say that I don't know for Punjab Kabab House. When I order take out, I resign to the fact that the fleeting moment of naan right out of the tandoor glory is forever lost. I'll have to report after an eat in experience. Fri May 04 01:15:44 -0700 2001 47427 0 elise h 3 47531 I've never been able to resist tearing off that one bite of fresh off the tandoor naan on my take out order. Now that you've done all four fabulous dives: Shalimar, Naan 'n' Curry, Punjab, and Pakwan, which is your favorite? Fri May 11 20:44:43 -0700 2001 47437 0 Melanie Wong 4 47624 Trying to decide which one of these to try - we spent all the money on theatre tickets so figured we'd try one of these places for dinner. Which do you recommend and why? Wed May 16 09:16:38 -0700 2001 47531 0 Celery 5 47650 Now where is that Elise? Probably chewing on a piece of naan somewhere, she can answer better than I, Cheryl, since I've only done the double of Shalimar and NnC. But let me run down the two. They're both great, but I give the edge to Naan 'n' Curry. For starters, the naan is better, more chewy and denser, and the brush of clarified butter gives it a boost too. You can get a plain roti here. I'm addicted to the spinach and lamb with spinach, both of which are fresher, more complex and intensely flavored than Shalimar's. It's a smaller place so you can watch your food being prepped, I enjoy this. And, it still has an air of being undiscovered. Shalimar has been written up (deservedly so) by many critics and you'll see far more white faces (looking a little frightened) in there. Shali makes fantastic eggplant and the lamb in butter sauce can't be beat. This place hustles and bustles, and seated patrons get jostled a lot. There's an annex (haven't been personally) that's a more cleaned up dining room. Pakwan is on the corner of O'Farrell and Jones, a stone's throw from either of these two. Easy to poke your head in all three and go where your gut tells you. I tried to pick up lunch at Pakwan last week, but was too early and they wouldn't take an order before noon. Just from that walk-through, the seating area seemed cleaner than the other two to me. To give you some 3rd hand info, an acquaintance from Pakistan told me that of the three, he likes Pakwan the best. A few more choices on the menu (fairly limited at all three), and the cooking tastes like what his cook at home made for him as a child from his grandmother's recipes. On Shali he commented that it's so authentic, they even brought in Karachi dirt! Btw, I ended getting my lunch from the new Thai restaurant, Sukhumvit, on that block and was very unimpressed by the green papaya salad. Thu May 17 00:47:48 -0700 2001 47624 0 Melanie Wong 5 47831 I prefer Naan n Curry because its regular menu includes a few dishes which are rarely offered at the other restaurants. Examples are okra (sada bhindi) and bitter melon (sada karayla). While there are few vegetables I dislike, the reliable and ubiquitous broccoli sometimes gets tiring - finding new vegetables is fun. The bitter melon is also featured in Chinese cuisine. Naan n Curry's bitter melon was not bitter. It didn't even look like a melon. It looked like carmelized onions. The cook said they cut the melon in strips and when this vegetable is correctly cooked, it is not bitter. Another plus for Naan n Curry is that the cooks are friendly and the place is light and open. Mon May 28 23:19:59 -0700 2001 47624 0 elise h 6 47933 I dropped by N-n-C tonight and they've cleaned up! I hadn't stepped inside since maybe January. The peeling wallpaper is gone and they've painted the interior white. Now I understand what you mean by "light and open". I even sat down while I waited for my order. The red velvet covered chairs are the same, but the grime and grease are gone. Must have been steamed cleaned. There were about 8 specials listed today, unfortunately they were out of the ones I was interested in. I did try the bitter melon. These shreds do not look like the bitter melon served in Chinese cuisine. I'll ask to look at the raw veggie next time to figure it out. I still think they have the best naan. Sat Jun 02 04:25:11 -0700 2001 47831 0 Melanie Wong 6 48547 i live in silicon valley yet i LOVE naan n curry..often we'd drive several times a week just to eat at our fave place in SF. it's got great food at reasonable prices...chicken tikka curry is a special favourite along with the seekh kabobs, naans, okra among the other various dishes. the only complaint about the place is the untidy bathroom and occaisional over spicy food. :) otherwise i'd definitely give it a two thumbs up! Naan N Curry is the best out of the rest mentioned! :) Mon Jul 09 18:09:43 -0700 2001 47831 0 naan n curry fan 6 48610 I dont agree with the cook about the bitter melon (karela). If it isnt bitter, it means that its been salted and allowed to lose all its juices and hence its bitterness before cooking. It is upto the cook to decide how bitter he/ she wants to make it. Certain vegetables like eggplant and karela are specifically served in Indian cuisine with some bitter overtones. They are not rid of it completely as the bitter juices are attributed with properties like cleansing your blood, promoting growth of healthy bacteria in your digestive system etc. Bengali cuisine has a special course of "shukto" - a serving of some bitter preparation in the beginning of the meal. It cleanses the palate and prepares it for the rest of the feast to come. We often made the stuffed kind of karela at home. It is eaten almost like a pickle with the meal, taking a bite of it every now and then. It is really delicious. Mon Feb 16 15:54:28 -0800 2004 47831 0 Shalini Bhalla