Michi Sushi

Location: Campbell, CA
Website: www.michisushi.com
Cuisine type: Japanese sushi
Atmosphere: authentic decor, simple chic
Meal: dinner
Overall score: 8.75

Nina

It’s not a secret that sushi is my favorite food, so I never pass on an opportunity to try something new. Michi Sushi is a popular place in Campbell, and their claim to glory was that their sushi was made only with seafood imported fresh overnight directly from Japan. Since the tsunami wreaked havoc in Japan, however, and since the fishing industry has been hard hit from multiple angles, over the past year they started finding alternative sources, but they stand by their promise of providing fresh and authentic seafood on their menu.
There is not much parking at this small place, but they do set up a double parking situation where you leave your key with a valet to sort out the cars when you leave. Upon entering the restaurant, we were greeted heartily by the sushi chefs behind the bar, and we had a 20 minute wait before we could get a table. Especially since it was a Friday evening, it would have been a good idea to make a reservation ahead of time, which we’ll be sure to keep in mind.
The menu is extensive to say the least, it could easily take an hour to decide what to get among the dozens of different sushi rolls, entree combinations and appetizers etc. I made my task easier by picking options that were either very unique or just classics that I enjoy every time. For an appetizers, we ordered Hamachi Kama, which is broiled yellowtail collar - I’ve heard cooking shows sing the praises of this part of the fish saying how it’s loaded with flavor and is highly appreciated in Japan, so I had to try it. Even though it was a bit difficult to pick out the meat from among the collar bones, the effort was well worth it, the meat was moist and flaky and the flavor was balanced by the charred grill marks on the outside.

The appetizer came out at the same time as a bowl of edamame and some seaweed salad, which were nice touches of bright green in both color and flavor. The nigiri sushi came very soon afterwards, so the table got a bit crowded, but I couldn’t really complain when we were presented with this thick, very fresh and very tender strips of fish (salmon, yellowtail, tuna, shrimp, eel, the usual suspects for a chef’s combination of nigiri).
Next, was the part that I was perhaps anticipating most yet fearing a little bit - the roll we ordered. It is called “SJ Road Dogg” (not really sure what the reference is here, but they had something for everybody in term of theme), and aside from the not so unusual filling of hamachi, tuna, kani (crab) and yamagobo (the pink marinated ginger root), the roll was topped with sake, seaweed salad, macadamia nuts and … wait for it... jellyfish! That’s something I had never eaten before, and I was curious to the extreme, yet dreading the texture just a little bit just from what I was picturing in my mind. Unfortunately, when the roll came we were informed that they were in fact out of jellyfish, so our roll was made without it. When I expressed my disappointment, the server apologized profusely and offered to put in an order for our second preference of roll.

Our makeup roll was the FJ40, a roll filled mainly with hamachi and seasoning, but topped with scallops, fish roe and lemon slices. I was glad we did take her up on her offer, because this roll was delicious. The first one we got lost some of its sheen since we knew it was incomplete (though to be sure it was still fresh and creamy and delicious), but the second roll we got was really satisfying, with the tender scallops coming through in flavor and balanced out by the acidity and creaminess of the other toppings.
This restaurant is definitely worth the hype - the atmosphere is authentic, service is exemplary and the food is outstanding. Even though it’s on the pricey side among sushi restaurants in the South Bay, it’s definitely a clear favorite.

Food 10
Drinks 9
Atmosphere 9
Service 9
Value 7

Ben

We eat a lot of sushi. So much so that I have been quite bored of it lately. Despite this, I don’t remember ever having a better purely-food experience eating sushi than Michi sushi. We went with a 10 nigiri combination of 6 types of fish and two large rolls: FJ40 (hamachi, sake, wasabi sauce and scallions; outside: sake and scallops, topped w tobiko, lemon slices, scallions & wasabi sauce) and SJ Road dogg (amachi, tuna, yamagobo and kani; on top: sake, seaweed salad, jellyfish (out, thus free roll), macadamia nuts, Korean spicy sauce and michi special sauces). The nigiri was simply incredible, a truly melt-in-your mouth experience. The taste was so fresh, the portions generous. The rolls were incredible too, in a much more overt way (I am glad we ate nigiri first, rolls second). I can see how this little gem has won so many awards and is so popular locally, and I now realize how much of sushi I have been missing by eating the rubbery sashimi served at 99% of japanese look-alike restaurants. The atmosphere is really active and fun, with a large crowd (prepare to wait if you don’t have a reservation). The owner seems to make his way around the restaurant quite well and know a lot of his clientele. The sushi takes center stage here, but the drink menu and rest of the menu are respectable as well. The prices do reflect the rarity of this standard, but are not outrageous. The service was very busy but polite (even granted us a free roll when they made a mistake). I would say it’s definitely a place worth checking out, if you go simply for a few sashimi slices.

Food 10
Drinks 8
Atmosphere 8
Service 9
Value 6

Simply Fondue

Location: Livermore, CA
Website: http://www.simplyfonduelivermore.com
Cuisine type: Fondue, contemporary
Atmosphere: private small tables, dim lighting
Meal: dinner
Overall score: 8.75

Nina

The Livermore valley area is the wine underdog to Napa and Sonoma, even though they do produce some nice varietals. A way in which they encourage consumption and appreciation for local wines is through promotional agreements with local restaurants. Such a restaurant is Simply Fondue in Livermore, which waives corkage fee for Livermore Valley wines - and that’s not only a good deal, but also an incentive to try out the restaurant. I picked a Petit Syrah from Concannon winery and we went to this restaurant on a Monday evening so we could also take advantage of their March Madness offer - you can draw a discount ticket at the end of your meal which can be work 10%, 20% or 40% off your entire bill.
The restaurant was very much reminiscent of The Melting Pot, a national chain which we’ve tried out a couple of times in Indianapolis. The lighting was dim (almost too dim, which prevented me from really documenting this meal like I usually do without annoying other with camera flashes) and the seating was both cozy and romantic. There were two burners for each table of four, which allowed you to select two methods of cooking for the entree part of the meal.
As we’ve always done at fondue restaurants, we ordered the multi-course meal. In this case, since we didn’t go for the all you can eat version, we had to choose whether we wanted cheese fondue or chocolate fondue as our third course (salad and entree were included by default). I made my decision not based on which one I’d rather have (chocolate, of course), but rather which one would be harder to make as successfully at home (cheese, since I make chocolate stuff all the time).
My first course was a simply spinach and strawberry salad with almonds, tossed in a sweet cider vinaigrette. The ingredients were fresh and flavorful, though there was perhaps a little too much dressing for my taste, next time I think I’ll ask to have the dressing on the side.
The second course was a traditional “Swiss Chalet” cheese fondue, and this is where the restaurant started earning its name. The base for this dish was a blend of kirshwasser, garlic and spices (mostly nutmeg) with a generous amount of Chablis wine. To that, the server then added a bowl of freshly grated gruyere and emmental cheese, which melted very smoothly and had a mild flavor, yet enough bite to impart a rich flavor. We had a good amount of things to dip in this, like raw veggies (broccoli, carrots, cauliflower), apple slices and assorted bread pieces.
It was, however, the entree course, when we enjoyed the broadest variety of flavors and were able to really appreciate the pairing of our dry and fragrant wine with the food. In taking advantage of the two burners on our table, we ordered both a skillet and a sangria broth. These came with the usual array of sauces to complement the entree - curry yogurt sauce, spicy honey mustard, horseradish mayonnaise, ginger soy glaze, sweet and sour sauce and peanut sesame dip. We entertained ourselves by trying to guess what each sauce was before the server came over with our meats, and our guesses turned out to be extremely accurate - I guess our practice in appreciating and describing food is worth something after all. The meat selection was quite varied, but to our slight disappointment we realized that the sauce selection had nothing to do with our actual order, it seems like it’s a standard selection that they would serve and it’s entirely up to us if and how we match it with the food. At previous fondue restaurants the choice was more deliberate, and there were suggested pairings of food to sauce. To summarize, we got beef tenderloin, roasted garlic chicken, sea scallops, blackened salmon, ahi sesame tuna and herb crusted pork tenderloin. The last three of these were probably my favorites, because they were rich in flavor and juicy when cooked right. The beef tenderloin was good but rather plain and small, the roasted garlic chicken was tasty but got dry very quickly if you didn’t pay close attention when cooking it, and the sea scallops were disappointingly small - more at the level of bay scallops rather than the larger, juicier variety.
At the end of the meal, we picked out the 10% discount form a hat (not surprising, I am sure there was a much higher chance of picking this than the other discount opportunities), but it’s better than nothing and brings some excitement and playfulness into the payment process. Service was great from beginning to end, the food was delicious and the opportunity to drink wine at a reasonable price was certainly a welcome bonus for a casual weeknight dinner.

Food 9
Drinks 10
Atmosphere 9
Service 10
Value 7

Ben

Strongly resembles the chain of Melting Pot restaurants, a style which I am now taking to define Fondue restaurants. Dimly lit, professional wait staff, good sized menu, choice of a la carte fondues or combinations of cheese / broth / dessert fondues. We liked that they have no corkage fees for Livermore valley wines, so we were able to really enjoy ourselves over a bottle of wine from the store at a fraction of the cost. We went with the "fondue Sampler" including a choice of salad (I had a tasty gorgonzola greens salad) 6 entrees (beef tenderloin, garlic chicken, scallops, blackened salmon, ahi tuna and herb crusted pork tenderloin) and the choice of cheese or dessert fondue (we chose cheese, a classic gruyere). The cheese fondue was my favorite, with a strong white wine flavor and garlicy gruyere/emmentaler cheese. The entrees were all tasty in our sangria broth, though I found the meat portions to be quite small. I have to say I rate the food high because I simply love the style of fondue, but I would say it is a little better than the Melting Pots we've been to in the past. The atmosphere is cozy and provides a decent amount of privacy via table spacing and compartmental rooms. The wine selection seemed pretty large, though we were happy to enjoy what we brought. Overall it is a good fondue place, and can be more affordable if you bring a Livermore valley wine and can take advantage of rotating specials they have on their website.

Food 9
Drinks 9
Atmosphere 8
Service 9
Value 7

Garden Fresh

Location: Mountain View, CA
Cuisine type: Chinese, Vegetarian
Atmosphere: plain, kitchen table feel
Meal: dinner
Overall score: 7

Nina

I had heard much about vegetarian only restaurants, but never tried one out simply because given the choice between a place that offers meat and one that doesn’t I always choose the former. However, for this double date dinner one of us was vegetarian, and she proposed this vegetarian restaurant with a large offering of faux-meats.

I was happy that we went for a family-style dinner sharing of multiple dishes, that way I could try a much wider variety of this unique style of cooking. We ordered a wonton soup, sushi rolls, broccoli beef, sweet and spicy chicken, shrimp and crispy duck with mushrooms and broccoli. The wonton soup was flavorful and balanced, but nothing out of the ordinary. However, the sushi rolls were warm, which I found a bit strange. Considering this was a Chinese restaurant, I’m not even sure whether this was intentional (since the warmth just made for a slightly moist rice, and didn’t really enhance the flavor or texture in any way).

Moving on to the “meat” dishes, I was a bit surprised by the beef and broccoli - mainly, the light color of the tofu bites and the meat-like but non-specific flavor did not really say “beef” to me, they might as well have called it chicken or pork and I would have been just as convinced. The sweet and sour chicken was ok, nothing out of the ordinary but a convincing enough imitation that I didn't miss the meat. The shrimp dish put up a surprising effort in being more convincing, and came with a variety of vegetables, which was refreshing after all the broccoli. The tofu mix had a mild seafood taste, and on top of that was shaped and colored like whole, deveined shrimp - quite a nice touch. Last but certainly not least, there was the Peking duck - and I saved the best for last. The meat was not imitated by some variation of tofu, but rather a mix of mushrooms consisting primarily of shiitakes. The “meat” part was covered in a delicious and perfectly crispy skin that make the dish taste even more authentic. Even though the “duck” was served with even more mushrooms as a side, I did not find it too overwhelming and I really enjoyed both the flavor of the dish and the savory sauce accompanying it.

Disappointingly, they didn’t have any dessert on the menu, but then again I was pretty full after trying all these dishes. I’m not sure that I would go back often since I generally don’t pick vegetarian restaurants over others, but if I even find myself back at Garden Fresh I will definitely be ordering the crispy duck (and most likely I’ll be looking for the same dish at other vegetarian restaurants just in case I get lucky and find this again).

Food 7
Drinks 5
Atmosphere 6
Service 7
Value 8

Ben

This the first restaurant I have seen specifying itself as vegetarian only, with the stated intention of imitating meat flavors. I actually enjoyed it much more than I would have guessed, particularly the amazing crispy “duck” with broccoli - a dense mushroom meat imitation that I thought was spot on. The other dishes were all pretty good - wonton soup, “sushi” rolls, broccoli “beef,” and sweet & spicy “chicken.” While there are a decent amount of soy - based “meats,” they do a good job of mixing it up and the dishes are flavorful and well beyond the lightly disguised tofu atrocities I was expecting.

It’s a little austere place, a single room with full window wall facing the parking lot, and maybe 10-15 tables. The service is polite, the prices are pretty low (~$8-12 / entree), and overall the place has a pretty lively feel and seems to get a good amount of business. I would say this place is definitely worth a try.

Food 8
Drinks 6
Atmosphere 6
Service 8
Value 8

Osha Thai Noodle Cafe

Location: San Francisco, CA
Cuisine type: Thai
Atmosphere: casual bar/lounge
Meal: lunch
Overall score: 6.75

Nina

As part of showing my brother around the Bay Area we decided to stop through the city to show him the famous Lombard Street and possibly scout out a hookah lounge. Turns out that the city passed an ordinance that forbids any place serving food or drinks from allowing any form of smoking (West Lafayette, IN passed something similar, though it allowed for exceptions for places making their money primarily from the sale of tobacco related products like hookahs), so the only places still open were the ones with BYOB policies and with odd open hours. We also learned our lesson about trying to approach the winding part of Lombard St by driving along Lombard street - we stayed in a long line of cars for a good half an hour, with people coming from side streets waiting close to no time since each intersection had a four-way stop sign.
While we were walking around the city along streets west of Union Square (where some of the advertised hookah lounges were supposed to be), we realized we were growing hungry. It was already 2 pm and we had only eaten breakfast, so it was no surprise, but we had lost track of time driving around Marin County. We stopped at the first place that looked like it had some potential - Osha Thai Noodle Cafe.
The place was decorated fairly cheaply, though it tried to convey an air of chic bar / lounge with dark benches in the table seating area and cozy cushioned sofas / armchairs in the bar area. A real deal breaker in terms of atmosphere inside was a persistent, loud pounding sound that resonated throughout the restaurant the whole time we were there from someone doing renovation work to the only bathroom in the establishment. I don’t really understand why they couldn’t schedule this work to take place outside business hours and allow their bathroom to be available to patrons.
The menu featured a section for the health-conscious, with “green” Moroheiya noodles (buckwheat flour, whole grain etc instead of wheat) and lighter protein. I opted for the green noodles with salmon and creamy garlic sauce. While I question the healthiness of that creamy sauce, I can’t complain about the flavor. The dish was well composed, with a good amount of salmon chunks and just enough sauce to make it rich, yet not too heavy. I was worried that the salmon would fall apart and wouldn’t hold up to a creamy noodle dish, but they did something really smart to make it work - the salmon cubes were lightly coated in flour and fried to a perfect crisp without being greasy or overdone. That added a perfect textural contrast to the creamy sauce and smooth noodles and locked in the flavor of the fish at a perfect level of tenderness.
Since I assume the repair work incident is isolated (how often can they be renovating), this is definitely a place I’ll keep in mind for a quick and flavorful meal in the area between downtown and Little Saigon in San Francisco.

Food 9
Drinks 7
Atmosphere 5
Service 8
Value 7

Ben

A Thai place a little south of Nob Hill in SF. We went at around 4-5 PM for a late lunch meal. The place looks overall very hip, with a dark interior, 270 degree bar on the ground level and an offset floor with dining tables. We had a pretty unpleasant experience - to be fair it was not a peak meal time (~4-5 PM), and possibly a singular experience. We walked in and got a table, and then started to hear this tremendously loud drilling. It turned out the bathroom was being worked on (so we couldn't use it), and there were construction workers ~20 feet from the table pounding / drilling away to install a sink. My green curry was fatty with a pretty mild flavor and a pretty small portion, and the service was a little distracted / impatient. Nina's brother did seem to really enjoy his dish, a chicken fried rice. Overall, I can see the potential of the place in its prime condition, but my one experience was not a great one.

Food 5
Drinks 7
Atmosphere 5
Service 5
Value 7

Old Mandarin Islamic

Location: San Francisco, CA
Cuisine type: Chinese, traditional Mandarin
Atmosphere: plain, crammed cafe seating
Meal: dinner
Overall score: 7.25

Nina

With my brother visiting, we found a good opportunity to try out something new - and to expand his palate on the way. Old Mandarin had been on our todo list for a while due to a friend’s enthusiastic recommendation, but it was too far on the west side of San Francisco for us to make our way to it on a casual day out on the town. This time, it worked out that the shortest way from Half Moon Bay to Marin County passes very close to this restaurant, so we decided to stop by for dinner. It turns out not only is it a highly appreciated spot, but it was voted in the top 100 Chinese restaurants in the US, which I think is saying a lot since there must be thousands and thousands of them across the country (not sure how much the large Chinese population in the SF skewed the popular voting process, but it still gives this place bragging rights). They display a poster that says "Top 100 Chinese restaurant" which makes them look even more popular, though we later realized that in fine print it encourages customers to vote for them so that they can be named among top 100. Tricky fine print...
The first minute we walked in we were impressed at how busy this place was - we were the second group in line waiting for a table to open up and every table in the restaurant was packed, even though it was already 8 pm. The aromas in the air were intoxicating, the decor was traditional and the table setup was plain and functional, like most SF Chinese restaurants. Then we had a moment of realization - this restaurant is actually really tiny. There are three rows of maybe 5-6 tables each closely packed together, and the initial impression was due to (very clean) mirrors lining the walls giving the impression of a much larger space. While in other places this might have meant having to wait longer for a table with fewer tables to open up, that was not the case. The servers seemed very efficient in urging customers to finish up and pay for their meal, so we were seated within 5 or 10 minutes of walking inside. We quickly received our drinks (water and hot tea), though our order of beers seemed to get lost somewhere between our table and their fridge and we never got it.
There was a large number of lamb dishes on the menu, which is something I haven’t seen before in a Chinese restaurant; pork was also notably absent. The name of the restaurant provides a simple explanation immediately - the owners are from a Chinese Islamic background, which influences the choice of protein in their dishes. I was intrigued by this twist in the traditional Chinese fare, and I went for one of the most exotic dishes on the menu - the lamb soup. It was not just a plain lamb soup, but rather a concoction that used the whole lamb, and the server dutifully warned me about it. I say, bring it on! When we placed our order there was a little bit of confusion due to the server’s poor understanding of English and our poor understanding of her English. Ben’s order (spicy beef of some sort) was translated into Mandarin lamb, and she enthusiastically endorsed it, so he decided to go with that instead of his original pick.
My soup was served in a huge bowl, and looked like everything I expected, and I was enthusiastic to discover the different meat cuts, some of which I recognized (heart, kidney, liver) and some of which were foreign to me. They brought in smaller bowls and three spoons so we could share it, but I was really the only one interested in the lamb innards so I was left to deal with it on my own. However, the broth was quite plain and mild in flavor, so I grew quickly tired of it, and resolved to mostly pick through the meat and veggies (the usual suspects, water chestnut, sprouts and the like).
When we got the bill we were in for a surprise - it amounted to about twice as much as we expected. A quick inspection revealed the reason - our server had written down everything we ordered (including the beer and a couple of dishes that she misunderstood before we set things right), and the cashier put all of them on our bill. They were very quick to correct it and apologized profusely for the mistake. Even though the broth in my soup wasn’t a big hit, the flavors in some of the other dishes on our table were amazing, with generous portions and just the right level of spice and perfect doneness without being too greasy or heavy. This place has rightfully earned its name for good, tasty food within a unique niche of Chinese cooking.

Food 8
Drinks 6
Atmosphere 7
Service 6
Value 8

Ben

A small place (8-12 tables) in west San Francisco. It is a local favorite, so be prepared to wait some time for a table. The service staff was very lively and (for lack of a better word...) sassy. The menu is and food are very authentic (be prepared, choose carefully if you're not feeling explorative), and offers several hot / cold plates as well as a popular hot-pot option. We ordered a lamb soup, which came with literally all pieces of lamb, from leg, to organs (including liver, heart, kidney.. wonder what else) and heavy cartilage and a lot of bone. It was a subtly flavored broth and I eventually got burned out picking through it, as I am generally not crazy about organ meat (though Nina seemed to quite enjoy it). We also ordered Mandarin lamb, which was a salty, spicy lamb dish again with a good amount of bone and cartilage, but overall very good. The hot and spicy chicken was a good dish, only slightly breaded and with a good amount of flavor (though I also found it a bit salty), with a lot of water chestnuts, onion, and celery. The service was pretty entertaining. First they urged us to order more and more, and when we relented and ordered some beers, they never brought them out though they made it to the bill. The prices are reasonable, ~10-$15 entrees. Overall, I would say it is definitely a place worth checking out, a great way to get acquainted with Islamic Chinese food, which is a real twist on the ubiquitous Chinese classics, and it offers some unique flavors and very authentic dishes.

Food 9
Drinks 6
Atmosphere 7
Service 6
Value 7

Sabor Salvadoreno

Location: Santa Clara, CA
Cuisine type: Salvadorian, South American
Atmosphere: austere, diner bench seating
Meal: lunch
Overall score: 7.4

Nina

After a full week of dutifully cooking dinner at home every night, it was our turn to splurge a bit. We had a dining certificate for $25 for this place, though the minimum purchase to use it was $35 - we assumed it wouldn’t be too hard to hit our target from previous experience, but boy were we wrong! This small, austere eatery had entrees in the range of $6-$8, with the fancier options going as high as $11. We decided that we had to take something to go to hit our target, so we planned for a burrito for Sunday’s breakfast and then proceeded to pick out what we’d order for dinner. One thing we noted was that they were so small they didn’t have a liquor license, so the only beverage offerings were extra sweet fruity sodas, so we decided right away to stick with water.
We started out with pupusas, which are traditional Salvadorian appetizers. Really, they are extra-thick tortillas (think ¾” thick) that are stuffed with various fillings. We picked three different ones, just to cover a wider variety of their offerings: the first one was stuffed with cheese, beans and chicharron (fried pork rinds, a much loved treat in South America and other parts of the world), the second was cheese and jalapeno, and the last (and my personal favorite) was cheese and chopped beef (I’d guess it was flank steak but I can’t be sure). These were all tasty, though somewhat heavy due to their thick and dense breadiness, and we soon realized that this would be a very carb-rich and heavy meal.

My entree was the “camarones a la plancha,” which really just means grilled shrimp. The meat portion was fairly generous, though seasoning was close to absent and there was nothing special about the preparation - really just a bunch of medium sized shrimp thrown on a griddle and seared on both sides. This came on a large plate along with mild rice, refried beans (though I was pleasantly surprised by the flavor and integrity of the beans, there is nothing that I like less than the mushy shapeless beans that come in some burritos) and an iceberg lettuce, cucumber and tomato salad that was neither seasoned or dressed. On top of all this, it also came with a side of plain pupusas, which I barely touched since I had all the stuffed once to eat too. There were a couple of sauces on the side which definitely improved the flavor of these pancake like concoctions.
The service was great and the homey family owned feel of the restaurant made up for the austere setup and small space. The food was tasty, though nothing too far out of the ordinary - it made for a satisfying and unique meal in some ways (never had pupusas before, now I know what they are), but it wasn’t anything too far out of the ordinary. This can be a good place for a quick, cheap meal and a little change of pace, though I wouldn’t necessarily go too far out of my way to try this place again.

Food 7
Drinks 5
Atmosphere 6
Service 10
Value 8

Ben

This is a fun place - I only wish I worked closer as I would love to eat lunches here. We had a restaurant.com coupon which required we spend $35, which was definitely quite a challenge as the prices are pretty low. You order at the counter but they bring out chips and a great homemade salsa. The Salvadoran menu appears a lot like basic mexican food, except their signature, a Salvadoran dish called "pupusas." Pupusas are a thick corn tortilla filled with your stuffing of choice, and a great way to get a variety of flavors by ordering multiple different ones at ~$2-$2.50 each. We ordered 3 different pupusa combos: queso, chicharron, frijoles; jalapeno con queso; carne asada con queso. I actually really liked them, though I can imagine they would become a bit heavy on the dense breadiness if I were to eat them very frequently. I also had a pollo en salsa verde which was a meaty thigh with a tasty (a little soft on spice) salsa verde. To go, I ordered a chicken burrito. We went on a weekend, but apparently during weekday lunches it can become quite crowded, and I can understand why. Overall all the food was good and a nice twist from classic Mexican food, the manager / owner (?) is a funny, easy-going guy, and the place has a very relaxed, fun vibe.

Food 8
Drinks 6
Atmosphere 6
Service 9
Value 9

Amber India

Location: Mountain View, CA
Cuisine type: Classic North Indian
Atmosphere: fine dining, mood lighting
Meal: dinner
Overall score: 8.2

Nina

It often happens on weekends that we start running errands, and get caught up in them until we find ourselves starving, far from home, and with no ingredients readily available for a quick dinner. That’s when we choose a quick restaurant that we drive by, that sounds appealing or that we have heard of before but never tried. It was on one of these days that we stopped at Amber India. It looked unassuming from the outside, with a narrow entrance off a strip mall on El Camino Real, but we had actually heard of this one and it came with high praises; plus, the full parking lot also offered a hint this place might be a hidden gem. The inside immediately dispelled the initial impression of a small shabby place - this place had an elegant and authentic decor, a sophisticated atmosphere and labeled itself as an Indian fine dining establishment, and rightfully so.
We went straight to the point - ordered two entrees, no drinks or appetizers or anything else that could detract from us getting our food. I picked a dish that sounded very unique - cochin scallops - since I had never eaten shellfish in an Indian restaurant before and I was very interested to see how they would hold up to the spicy cuisine. Having learned our lesson from Shiva’s, we went straight for the unleavened bread cooked in the tandoori oven - not only does it offer the benefit of being whole wheat, but it’s also somewhat crispier and lighter than the classic naan. The server convinced us not to go with roti, but with something similar yet more sophisticated - a paratha (layered bread), with this aromatic seeds that reminded me of cumin though they weren’t quite the same. He insisted they were an Indian seed with no exact equivalent in English, I’ll have to figure out what that is so I can try it out in my own cooking.
The scallop dish was excellent, they definitely earned their title of “Best Indian Food in the Bay Area” several years in a row by the SF Chronicle. The scallops were large and tender, drenched in a tomato based coconut milk curry with peppercorn and tamarind. The texture wasn’t quite as creamy as the classic seared preparation for this shellfish, but it was surprisingly soft for something cooked slowly in sauce that way. They were also quite generous with the portion size, I had never eaten more than 3 jumbo scallops in a restaurant entree before, and this time I had 5, which made for quite a satisfying meal. The bread we ordered was also great, with a crispy texture on the outside, yet the fresh baked softness on the inside. The seeds gave just enough aroma to allow the paratha to hold its own, yet were subtle enough that they didn’t detract from the flavor of the curry.
I can definitely see how this restaurant earned it renown, and I enjoyed our dinner experience here quite a bit. The food was flavorful and excellently cooked, the service was beyond reproach and the atmosphere was appropriate for everything from a semi-casual family dinner to a romantic date night. A must-try in the Silicon Valley food scene.

Food 9
Drinks 9
Atmosphere 8
Service 9
Value 7

Ben

Appears to be another of countless Indian restaurants on El Camino, in a small parking lot next to a nail salon. We were surprised to find it has won some accolades (SF Chronicle Bay area top 100). The restaurant has a nice feel to the inside, white tablecloths and professional and courteous host and service staff. The food is moderately priced (slightly higher than average Indian restaurants in area, standard meat entrees $15-$25) and a carefully constructed menu (not overwhelmingly large, but covers all classics and has a large selection of both vegetarian and meats (including chicken, goat, lamb, seafood). The wine menu is a good size, but we found the price a little high and didn't go for it. I had a "Rogan Josh" lamb curry and some roti, Nina had a scallop curry. The lamb was tender and the sauce was very flavorful and with a good amount of spice.I tasted Nina's dish.. and wouldn't recommend (the scallops were slightly tough and the flavor was lost in the spice). Overall, I found the food to be very good, but did not stand out in any spectacular or particularly memorable way.

Food 8
Drinks 7
Atmosphere 9
Service 8
Value 7