Speculating on Sanaya – Irvine

You know the ethnic food is good when people of that ethnicity eat there. You know the ethnic food is great when people of that ethnicity bring their friends to eat there. Judging by the table of multiple Indian families and another of married men having a boys’ night, clearly I’ve come to the right place.

The only thing better than breaking good bread is breaking bread with good company. I had the company, and we had the Garlic Naan. Thin and slightly fluffy, with a coat of killer-breath, this naan is exactly as naan should be.

I think I love naan enough to make it the main event sometimes, but what’s bread without a good sauce to dip? Nothing like creamy-smooth tomatoey Paneer Tikka Masala to put butter and jam to shame. Oh, and it comes with rice too…does anyone else think rice is royalty and Basmati is their king?

My Bindhi Masala didn’t have much for dipping, but it’s been a while since I found an Indian restaurant brave enough to make okra. It’s been even longer since I found an Indian restaurant good enough to make okra well. This bindhi was a perfectly spiced mix of okra with slime-removing tomato for a chewy concoction with a kick.

To be perfectly honest, I had pretty low, if any expectations for a restaurant in a commercial shopping center off the highway on my way back from the Del Mar Racetrack. But I was craving Indian, and that’s what Sanaya had. Turns out, I’m as bad at predicting restaurants as horse races, if not winning a single bet in 6 races is any indication. But after a whole afternoon of losing, Sanaya was the only bet I made that paid off. Lesson learned, put your money where your mouth is.