Anarkali Indian Restaurant

Reviews 4

FE

Felix Lee

Anarkali is different from most Indian restaurants in Los Angeles, in a good way. There is no lunch buffet service available, which speaks about the restaurants commitment to not waste food and use better ingredients in dishes that are only cooked to order. The chefs can prepare common Punjabi and royal Mughlai fare that you find at many Indian restaurants, but the specialty here is actually Bengladeshi/Bengali cuisine. The Choudhury family that owns this restaurant had lived in Bangladesh before opening Anarkali in 1983. I chose two items which usually dont appear in menus, the kalaan biryani and Bengali chicken roast. They happen to be the "special occasion" type of food. Kalaan (button mushroom) biryani is more of a South Indian style of rice dish that lies outside of Anarkalis specialty, but Anarkali still prepared it to be extremely aromatic and flavorful. The biryani was prepared spicy on the Indian-scale and it tasted amazing. It had a more distinct onion, bitterness, and sweet taste compared to other Mughlai-styled biryani Ive eaten which tends to be overwhelming with garlic and ginger when I request for it to be spicy. From my dining experience, button mushrooms are usually served with other bland ingredients or in a mild gravy, so this Indian dish was unique and a pleasant discovery to me. On the other hand, the traditional Bengali chicken roast was just average to me. This special delicacy is said to be commonly served at Bengali banquets, weddings, and parties. It had a very sharp aroma, probably due to the fact that spices are fried/heated in oil as the first step of the preparation. There were about four pieces of chicken with bone that seemed to be roasted until the meat was slightly charred, then placed in a thick tomato-based sauce that was lightly flavored with garlic and ginger. Tastewise, the gravy was very similar to a bhuna dish, but not as pungent in taste or spicy than I expected. I think it would pair well with a vegetable pulao or roti. Unfortunately, Anarkalis chicken roast was prepared with too much oil and ghee and arrived in a nearly inedible grease bomb. There was about 1cm of oil floating on top of the curry that I had to skim and drain. The chicken roast was as heavy as consuming a korma-style dish, so I wouldnt recommend this dish to health-conscious people. I ordered food through a third party delivery service, so I cant say anything about the service and ambiance at Anarkali, but based on the Yelp photos, I can say that this is one of the few places in LA where youll find Bangladeshi flavors without ordering from a steam table filled with old food.

JA

Jason Fracaro

Not only was the food great, but what a wonderful experience. We were a little dismayed when we arrived the other night to closed doors. With a little diligence we were able to discover that the dining room was closed for renovations and that they were in fact still open. We then placed our order for to-go when we—by happenchance—met the owner of the restaurant. Apologies were made for the inconvenience and were given a sneak peak at what the re-grand opening was going to look like. And then we were treated with another surprise: drinks on the house! While we waited for our food we carried on with our conversation with the owner and he proceeded to buy us a round of beers. We politely refused at first, but was quick to realize our offense. At the end when it came near to finish our transaction, we found out that we were neatly taken care of in terms of our food for the evening. How nice of them; an example of going above and beyond taking care of their customers. ~*The Food*~ When we got home we quickly tore open the sweet naan (with coconut), basmatti rice, and proceeded with the saag paneer and chicken jalfrezi. One word: amazing! We ordered the food to be of medium spice and that was just enough for us. Just the threshold for me. (If you are sensitive to spiciness, I would recommend you go with mild or mild-medium if you still want a little spice to it.) The food was flavorful and enough for three people. Yes, we ordered rice and we received two containers of it. I hope this is the normal portion as I said before, the order is complete to serve three people with European portion sizes. If not, and rice is your thing—you may want to double up then. To end the evening we received a followup phone call from the owner to ensure that everything was to our liking, this and the fact that we were invited back to the reopening of their dining room once the renovations have finished. Again, a nice touch with the customer service. Service aside, we would definitely come back and I think the restaurant may have found itself with a new repeat customer. I realize that this may have been a special case and like anything else, your dining experience and opinion may vary, but I do hope that your experience (if not like ours) of Anarkali will be a positive experience. ~J.F.

A

A Khani

Anarkali was a gorgeous restaurant before their recent renovation, but now it is even more gorgeous. Not your typical decor for Indian restaurants, as it is sumptuous, understated, & elegant. Not cheesy. Lovely shades of ivory, soft blues, and rich woods. Good spot for a romantic date or my favorite of having a girls night out. More importantly, however, is the food: fresh, rich in flavor, and always piping hot. My favorites are the Tikka Masala with a little extra spice which counteracts the natural sweetness of this sauce perfectly; Shrimp Bhuna loaded with tons of bell peppers, onion, and shrimp; and Aloo Gobi Matar with chunks of potato, cauliflower, and peas in a very unique sauce thats rich in flavor but still light. ALWAYS get the naan and potato samosas. Popadom and sauces are FREE whereas some restaurants charge for it. Generous servings as well considering I always leave with enough food to eat a couple of more times. Some restaurant reviews only mention the food, but I always notice the level of service. It is top notch and has such a friendly vibe. I almost feel like it might be my cousin or uncle bringing me a soda or plate of food. Cant count how many times Ive seen waiters walk guests out and hold the door open for them or overhear the owner chat it up with longtime customers. Just wish I lived closer to Anarkali. Need me a samosa right about now...

A

A Private User

We were visiting from the Bay Area which by no means is the mecca of Indian food. However the service and food at Anarkali in Los Angeles were absolutely terrible. Being from India my family has plenty of experience in Indian food First of all we had a 50 off 100 coupon which the restaurant itself offered on a website. Not only did the waiter make it a point to remind us that certain things didnt qualify EVERY TIME he came to our table(we know how to read thanks), he was loud enough to make others know we were using such a coupon and in a way were inferior to others. I am sorry for being diligent enough to find a deal you were stupid enough to offer. The food was terrible( i think the fact we had a coupon played a role ) . Everything was ordered very spicy. In return we got oily ( we could see the oil floating on top of every dish) , bland and an excuse for food. In fact the service was so poor that they forgot to bring the sweet dish for the already expensive thali.