Warrior: 7.5/10. Either I was wrong about this restaurant in my review earlier this year or it has really improved. I’ve visited in person several times for lunch recently in addition to tonight’s delivery. The food has been very good—the best Indian in DTLA in my opinion. They do a good job with dishes from multiple different regions. Perhaps the most impressive dishes tonight were the North Indian sarson ka saag (mustard greens, served with corn flatbread) and the malai kofta (vegetable dumplings). I’ve never seen the former dish in LA (though it is a classic), and Tulsi’s rendition of the latter dish is the best I can remember tasting in LA. The Indo-Chinese dishes (garlic fried basmati rice and sautéed roasted paneer with soy-tomato sauce) were really good too. I’m not a big fan of their dhokla (steamed lentil squares), which are a little sweet for me, but they are okay. (I would recommend the khandvi from the Western Indian/Gujarati menu instead.) We didn’t get any Southern Indian dishes tonight, but the restaurant does a good job with those too.
Peony: 7.5/10. I enjoyed almost everything tonight. I liked the two breads and the steamed lentil dhoklas. They worked really well with the curries. The malai kofta and saag were tasty and had the right level of spice for my tastes. The Indo-Chinese fried rice turned out really well as the texture of basmati rice is naturally dry and al dente. Very good Indian food for delivery.
Have you tried India’s Restaurant in Silver Lake? I’m not too experienced in Indian food but recently had lunch there and thought the food was quite good.
Warrior: I have eaten there a few times, including for dinner and the lunch buffet, though it has been many years. My thinking was that it was a solid restaurant with a North Indian menu that seemed copied and pasted from all the other Indian restaurants around the U.S., which isn’t necessarily a bad thing because those dishes can all be very good. I remember Yelpers seemed to love it, but I was never that fond. On the other hand, I remember liking it more than other Indian restaurants in that area (e.g., Agra). Anyway, it has been a very long time (eight years?). We will remember to try it again.
Warrior: 5/10. We’ve ordered from Soriana, which used to have a different name that I forget, about five times. Every time, I hope that last time I ordered the wrong thing or it was a bad night for the kitchen, because the food shows some promise, and I’ve never had Saudi Arabian food outside of Thailand. But every time, the food is disappointing. They have three kinds of classic Saudi Arabian preparations of chicken (not even counting the shawarma)—how exciting!—but each is way too dry and bland. I did like the flavorful basmati rice tonight. The zaatar bread and the fattouch salad were just okay.
Peony: 5.5/10. The food was fine. The chicken was a little on the tough side. The flavor was a bit bland, especially in the middle bits. But the rice was very tasty and flavorful, and I even if it was cooked in the chicken’s broth to achieve such a result. Nothing wrong with all the dishes. I just feel they could be better.
ROOTS Indian Bistro (Northern) - Melrose & La Brea
Speaking of Indian Food & Deliveries - A cold & rainy Monday seemed like a good day for Postmates… and hot, comforting curries seemed like just the ticket.
Onion Pakoras (onions fried in chickpea batter) and Potato & Pea Samosas. Both Vegan.
Pakoras are probably better eaten in the restaurant. Samosas came nice & hot, w/a light, crispy wrapper (not greasy), savory filling. Tasty sauces. We like ’em.
The Vindaloo sauce could’ve been reduced a little longer, but was flavorful and the chicken was very tender. My favorite was the Korma. I couldn’t really taste the raisins in the cashew-raisin sauce but it is still quite yummy!
Garlic Naan & Tandoori Roti (both $3 for two pieces)
The curries came piping hot. The spice levels have a nice warm, slow building heat. You can order one or all four dipping sauces ($2 ea) for a flavor boost or more heat. I loved the spicy, dark green mint sauce. I do wish they used more eco-friendly or reusable packaging (yes, I’m that girl).
We would certainly order from ROOTS again and look forward to exploring more of the menu.
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We had the same impression. Hubs is impressed with the chicken while I think it’s a little chewy, but did enjoy the flavors. We enjoyed a lot of Mizlala takeout during the lockdown and it’s a good place to meet friends in our hood.
Same. At Mizlala for me, it’s the Meatballs or go home. The Chicken Schwarma is also good… but hubs like to get the Pargoyot because it’s super healthy and goes well in the salad plate.
Over on CH, myself and one other poster (Mr. Taster?) praised the chicken at the old Compton location of Bludso’s, urging folks to not sleep on it. Ordering brisket at Bludso’s is sacrosanct, but that was the best BBQ chicken I’ve ever had. It was excellent.
EDIT: I should add that the order was both brisket and chicken, with some sides.
Peony: 6/10. Good quality pizza. Tasted healthy too, as it was light on salt and oil. Good crust, on the thinner side, for thin crust lovers like me. I would rate it higher if I were a pizza person.
Warrior: 6.5/10. I like Superfine, but I am not totally sold. This was one of those nights where the crust seemed a little too doughy and unimpressive. I’m happy that they added a new mushroom pizza recently. The salad was good.
Peony: 7.5/10. Wonderful meal. Loved everything, particularly the soup and the rice. I’ve had really good experiences with Peruvian food. That makes me excited about visiting Peru one day.
Warrior: 7/10. Better than average Peruvian. I really like the parihuela (seafood soup). The arroz con mariscos is tastier than most versions. Quality food! Sorry Peony, I’ve already been to Peru, so I don’t see it in our future.
Please do. It’s a wonderful country. Interestingly, I recommend everyone to time their visit to coincide with the Inti Raymi Festival in the Andes (around June 21-24).
