Tiffin Asha
| Address: | 1670 NE Killingsworth St, Portland, OR 97211, USA |
| Phone: | +1 503-936-7663 |
| Site: | tiffinasha.com |
| Rating: | 4.1 |
| Working: | 5–10PM Closed Closed 5–10PM 5–10PM 5–10PM 11AM–3PM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 6
BA
Bao Yu
I am an Indian American woman. And, I’m wary of Indian restaurants in America. When I’m walking anywhere in this country and I see an Indian restaurant, I cross the street. It comes of having been betrayed so often. But, once in a while, I get a craving for a dish that is time-consuming and hard to make at home, and that’s when I’m tempted to take another gamble. It was such a moment of weakness, which led me to Tiffin Asha. They offer the holy south Indian trinity of dosa, idli, and vada. As someone who is originally from Karnataka, south India, these are the foods of my childhood, the foods closest to my heart. I saw that Tiffin Asha has more than four stars on Google and Yelp, but when it comes to Indian food, at least, those stars are as effective a predictor of quality as the astrological planets are of your future. I kept up my guard, and went, not expecting a great meal, but hoping for something decent. And, once again, my hopes were dashed. Let me say right away that the problem with Tiffin Asha isn’t that it’s “Americanized”, or not “authentic”. To use local produce like Kale, which isn’t a traditional Indian green, and to come up with new twists, like a dosa with honey, blue cheese and fleur de sel, is both sensible and laudable. However, one needs to get the fundamentals right, and this is where Tiffin Asha utterly fails. Please note that there are many varieties of dosa, some made from fermented batter and others from fresh batter. Idlis are always fermented. Tiffin Asha serves what are called paper dosas, which are supposed to be fermented. They claim that both their idlis and dosas are, except that they don’t taste that way. A dosa or an idli made from a properly fermented batter should evoke a good sourdough in aroma and flavor. Paper dosa isn’t supposed to taste like paper, and yet, at Tiffin Asha, it does. Their idlis are likewise bland, and not nearly as light and fluffy as they should be. But, the worst offender is their vada. Vadas are supposed to have a perfectly crisp exterior and a cloud-like, melt in your mouth interior. Tiffin Asha’s vada is a dense, pasty ball of dough, totally unrecognizable as a vada, and unworthy of the name. As for the accompaniments – the gunpowders, chutneys and sambar - the only one they get right is the gunpowder (I had the green variety). The chutneys and sambar are aberrations, especially the chutneys. They are the same insipid, out of the refrigerator slurries that pass for chutney at most Indian restaurants in America; nothing like the real stuff we eat at home, which is freshly ground, or slowly cooked, and always thick in consistency, and bright in flavor. I’ve come across other reviews of Tiffin Asha, which complain that they’re a little too pricey, this about a restaurant that charges ten dollars for a plain dosa with a sambar and chutney. I myself will never again pay a cent to Tiffin Asha, but that’s not what these reviewers are saying. They have no problem with the quality of the food; they just wish they could even pay less for it. Their attitude couldn’t be more condescending. To make proper dosas, idlis, and vadas, not to mention, sambars and chutneys, is a labor-intensive and skill-intensive process. In neighboring Vancouver, WA, I’ve had an excellent crepe topped only with fresh lemon juice, butter and sugar for six dollars. A dosa is a lot more work to make than a crepe. If Tiffin Asha is charging ten dollars for a plain dosa with a sambar and a chutney, then, the way I see it, they’re charging only four dollars more for what are, in fact, three different dishes, and that too, hard to make dishes. If they were to charge more for their food, possibly then, they could buy the necessary ingredients, time, and expertise to make it good.
BR
Brenna Depies
Ive been excited to try the new brick and mortar Tiffin Asha and was finally able to on Monday - and let me tell you, I am so glad I did! I went with a friend and we decided to try a little bit of everything: the chutney sampler, the gunpowder flight with idli, the famous Hot Chick Dosa, a pork kebab, and the sweet coconut milk appam. And I can honestly say I loved every single bite! The chutneys were the best Ive ever had, the gunpowders were fun and new to me (and delicious), I gobbled every bite of that Hot Chick and pork kebab and the coconut Appam ended the meal just perfectly. Ive eaten a decent amount of Indian food in my life, but I guess Ive never had southern Indian food because it was all new to me. And it was good... like really really good! Oh and the staff was amazing! They took lots of time to explain everything and answer our questions - you can truly tell they love what they do. I cant wait to go back and try the other half of the menu :)
CH
Chris Adair
Had a job interview to be a dishwasher and the owner was very rude. She lied about the pay, and when I was unhappy with the low pay she said she didnt want to waste her time, started getting rude. I tried explaining that the pay was unmanageable with living across town and she got fed up and cut me off, started getting up and said have a good day. Didnt even let me finish speaking. She also very rudely started ripping up my resume in front of me, not sure why. Either way, very unprofessional owner. Very highly suggest she get some lessons on running a business. She wanted me to work for a couple hours before she would even consider hiring me, wasnt aware that unpaid working interviews are illegal. Definitely not a great experience. If this is how she runs her employment.. I can only imagine how distraught the food service is.
PU
Puja Gandhi
Tasty but insanely overpriced for being what is essentially Indian Street food. The presentation is great, and the ambiance of the place is wonderful, but the portions are crazy small. Prepare to spend at least 30-40$/person in order to feel satiated. Im not opposed to spending that much money on a nice meal out, and I do find that the food is lovingly prepared, authentic, and would be a challenge to make in my own kitchen (and therefore worth eating out for), but Im mentally stuggling with shelling out that much money for carb heavy dishes that can be found cheaper elsewhere (my Indian parents would balk at the prices). I wish this was still a food cart; it was way more authentic that way.
CH
Christopher Bayerle
This food here is beautiful. This is definitely the sort of place that everyone in Portland needs to try. The food reflects the cuisine of Southern India. Id guess its different than what most Americans think of when they think about Indian food. The chefs here give a lot of thought to what theyre making and how its presented. Its a step above other restaurants in the area. The prices are a little higher than some other restaurants in Portland, but in the end comparable to restaurants nearby, and diners are offered a nicer experience. I was afraid the portions would be too small, but I left satisfied. This could be one of my favorite places in the city.
NA
Nalini Ganapati
Visited the place on recommendations from 2 friends. The first time we left because the only spot available was in front of the restrooms. The second time, we called ahead and reserved a table. The decor is elegant, loved all the little touches around. We ordered vegetarian South Indian food : the chutney and powder samplers, the trilogy, a rava dosa and appam/stew. The quantities of food are rather small and to their credit, it was pointed to us in the beginning. Food overall was good with excellent presentation. The Trilogy and the pickles were the best.
