Bollywood Zaika UPDATE - Redondo Beach

Oops I did it again. 

I have NEVER ordered the exact same dinner two days in a row, but Bollywood Zaika's Butter Chicken is no mistake. My finger didn't slip on the Ubereats - I just had to have it again. So. Much. Cream. Unbelievable texture, gravy like silk. This is like the Harvard of butter chicken, go crimson!

The Palak Paneer again. The fenugreek adds a layer of depth to the flavor that spinach alone just won't do. I got it on a plate this time so there were some softer sides to for contrast. The Daal is a gentle lentil, little buttons of comfort and substnace. The Jeera Aloo has a little more oomph, spiced potatoes the color of the sun.

Here's an app I’ve never seen: Vada Pav.  A patty of spicy potatoes on a toasted bun parties with a chutney that kicks. It's like a veggie burger slider, but I've literally never had a meat burger that could beat this balance of seasoning.

You got me, Bollywood Zaika, you got me good. I can’t stay away, and for Indian food, I can no longer stray. I don’t know what kind of crack you're sprinkling on your spices, but keep doing it because whatever it is has got me hooked!

Mayura Indian Restaurant - Culver City

I haven't had good south Indian food since medical school, and I wasn't prepared for Mayura. All this food comes with a flood of memories, of so much heritage and culture fed to me by friends. The recipes were definitive, but they were never set in stone. My friends would make the recipes their mothers and grandmothers had passed down, adding an occasional extra shake of the spice spoon to add their own personal touch. Impromptu post-exam dinner parties, idly on a whim, I had almost forgotten all that, and I almost forgot how much I miss them all.

"ID-LEE. Think Freud meets China." My first pronunciation lesson, and my favorite south Indian staple. Idly doesn't look like much, just round white-flour cakes of lentils and rice (pictured on on the appetizer basket below). Steamed with varying degrees of fluff, dipped in a hot, spicy Sambar and cool Coconut Chutney; warm, wet bites interspersed with comparing our answers for questions #42.

Someone says C, but I think the answer is A. A for Assorted Appetizer Basket, a plate of all things deep fried. The onion pakora could top a delicious veggie burger, the mixed vegetable pakora are pillowy fritters of orange and green. There is a samosa with peas and mashed potatoes encased in a chewy skin. The vada are new for me, dense, deep fried, savory lentil donuts.

5 Cocktail Uthappam is a platter of minis topped with variations on a theme; tomato, carrots, green onion. It comes with channa, a dense stew of chickpeas, a thicker, equally spice-ful variation on the sambar theme. I used to literally break this bread with my med school BFFs, and now a table full of residency BFFs break bread again. Same uthappam with the same camaraderie and warmth; the bonds of those who trudge the trenches together are not so easily cracked.

The Masala Dosa is a must. A crispy crepe with spiced mashed potatoes; what's not to like? Theirs is good, but the last dosa I had was made by my friend's mother, and I'm pretty sure her spices had crack in them because I still dream about her dosa. 

Still, I can always handle an extra dose of dosa, and I'm never had Paneer Burji Dosa before. The sweeter, milder Indian cottage cheese has a Tempurpedic pillow-y texture, filling but light.

The carnivores must have the Chicken Tikka Masala. It's a staple of the north, and it is textbook.

A sizzling platter of Tandoori Mix & Kebab is full of flavorful chicken, glowing red-hot next to thick chunks of spicy kebab.

The Kerala Special is new for me, and it is exceptional. The kerala chicken curry is spicy, an indescribable spice-mix in a savory curry. It fills every nook and cranny of the fluffy rice pancake it comes with.

The Bhindi Masala breaks up all that meat. The okra is stir-fried dry (in a good way), and the tomatoes suck out the slime.

Dessert is a round of take-home boxes. Like every south Indian I've ever known, they are very generous at Mayura. They dish it out, and they pile it on, and everyone at the table has a light lunch. Indian food tastes just as good the next day, as each cube of chicken soaks in all its spices. 

Unlike north India, south India is mostly vegetarian. You can stuff anything into a dosa, and they can cook a good chicken, but at Mayura you don't really need the meat. Every dish is will leave you wanting more, and if you've never had south Indian food, you really need to try it.

Go Guru - Plymouth

I suppose it’s only fitting (or ironic?) the Indians prosper in Plymouth. This downtown North Indian restaurant serves up the best (chicken or paneer) tikka masala I’ve ever had, and trust me, that’s a lot of tikka masala. The sauce is sweet but tangy-fresh – the chicken is clearly pre-frozen and in larger chunks than can comfortably fit in my mouth, but I’d pick through a whole chicken if it meant I got extra sauce! 

Lighter seems to be the theme at Guru – the tikka masala sauce is more tangy than creamy, which makes it lighter than typical tikka masala. The mango lassi had more yogurt, less sugar, and the veggie pakora was fried tan, instead of darker brown, and it was crispy, not soggy with grease after 2 minutes on a plate. But not to worry, they didn't go lighter on the portions and one entree will leave you stuffed. If you like Indian-hot spicy, go elsewhere, but if you like your Indian reasonably hot, the medium is enough, but the hot is better if you can handle it.

When it comes to Indian restaurants, Guru is a go. Get whatever you want to appetizers and drinks – the lassi is a classic, but the pakora isn’t a necessity. Get whatever else you want, just make sure your order includes tikka masala and don’t forget to come for live music on weekends!