Akbar

44 N Fair Oaks Ave
Pasadena, CA 91103
(626) 577-9916
http://www.akbarcuisineofindia.com

so a buncha my college frends were in town last week and one of these guys was indian, and he suggested we go for indian cuisine for dinner. now i’m not at all an expert on indian food, but i do enjoy it quite a bit. i never really tried indian food until college. and after graduating from college, i havent had an indian meal at all. i’ve totally been craving indian food for a long time now, so i took these guys to Akbar, which is right in old town pasadena. i’ve walked by this restaurant many times and noticed theres almost always indian people sitting inside. that is always a good sign. that also caught my attention because my general impression of restaurants in old town is nice ambience, but overpriced food that u can prolly get better in other parts of pasadena (although there are some really good ones in old town).

one thing i would highly suggest. make reservations or go there early to put your name down for a table. when we got there at around 6 pm, the place was basically empty. i put our name down for 7:30 so we could walk around and do some shopping. wen we came back at 7:30, the restaurant was packed with ppl lined up outside. where did all these people come from?? but no worries. we went in and got seated immediately.

and actually the restaurant is very small. i like the warm colored decor, and the tables are relatively close to one another. we were actually listening to this chick telling her frend bout how The Holiday was the best movie ever. and they also serve water in these cool stainless steel cups. which, according to our indian friend, is traditional in india. the menu pretty much has the standard indian specialties. but one thing that i found unique was the “chili meter”. they rate the spiciness of each dish on a scale of 1-5. and you can request to have your dishes more mild or spicy. very accomodating to the diverse old town crowd.

WHAT WE ORDERED: Chicken Tikka Masala, Lamb Saag, Lamb Vindaloo, Prawn Madras, Chicken Tikka, Naan, Tamattar Nan.

im actually really unqualified to judge indian food from my limited experience, but these are just some of my observations. so i will start with my all-time favorite indian dish. chicken tikka masala. usually i find the dish somewhat heavy, but in a good, richly flavored way. in this case, i found the tikka masala actually very light and very tangy. i’m used to eating it with just rice, but if you eat it with the nan it actually tastes better. overall, i liked that it was light and tangy with a delicate creamy texture, and it was good as expected.

lamb saag was pretty good, though it was not one of my favorites. the flavor didnt leave a strong impression on me.. it was not so rich and distinctive as some of the other dishes. but it’s still good, and i dont have much experience with ordering this dish so i’ll just leave it at that.

lamb vindaloo was up there among my top favorites. it also had that rich, tangy, distinctive flavor that really stimulates your senses. i was quite impressed by this one and i like how the potato kinda mixes up the taste and texture. not much to say, other than i liked it.

prawn madras was surprisingly very good. not that i had any reason to think it’d be bad, but i never tried indian seafood before, so i didnt really know what to think. from what i recall, the curry was lightly flavored with coconut, and really brought out the shrimp flavor. with other other dishes, i feel like the curry kind of overtakes the natural flavor of the meat. prawn madras was a really interesting and pleasant contrast to these other dishes. it was another winner in my book.

the chicken tikka, i was not too fond of. it’s a tandoor grilled chicken. i thought it was dry, and tandoor grill isn’t among my favorite methods of preparing chicken. im probably biased because i practically lived off chicken my whole life.. actually i think some of my frends liked it a lot. but this was just not for me. sorry, akbar. and india. however, i heard that the tandoor grilled chilean sea bass was good. maybe i will try that next time.

the nan was pretty standard… i can’t tell the difference between good nan and bad nan. however, the tamattar naan was a bad choice. it’s nan stuffed with sundried tomatoes, which clashed with the dishes, and tasted a bit too sweet and italian for an indian meal. i’ll remember to not get it next time.

overall, the meal was great. it really hit the spot for me after a year-and-a-half craving for indian food. our indian friend was also impressed, and even filled out a comment card saying something along the lines of “i’ve eaten at indian restaurants around the world and this was one of the best.” one note, though. i know a lotta ppl who’ve never tried indian food at all, and a few ppl who dont like indian food in general. it’s a bit of an acquired taste, so i dont guarantee that everybody will like it. but, for those who do enjoy indian cuisine, i highly recommend Akbar.

SUMMARY
Pros: Great authentic Indian cuisine, located in Old Town Pasadena near lots of shopping and other restaurants, very reasonable prices, very polite service, cozy atmosphere, accomodating menu.
Cons: Not too many tables, long wait (if you don’t reserve beforehand, that is).
Grade: 9/10