Curious if there is gumbo better than his in the LA area. His is, I think, the only gumbo I’ve ever had. I also think is really good, but I have no other reference points.
Happy to report that PiccolaTrattoria was quite tasty. Felt like a less casual version of Fritto Misto in SM or Colori Kitchen in DTLA. Prices were fair and while nothin was ground breaking we had a good meal. 2 apps, 2 pastas, 1 main, 3 drinks = $140 after t/t. Highlight were the mussels and risotto w/squid steak. Crowd was very Santa Clarita.
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So we did a Palmdale vs Canyon Country Indian battle over the weekend, Malhi vs the fabled “best AYCE buffet” Royal Tandoor.
Ordered pretty much the same thing from both places - tikka masala, boti kebabs, garlic naan, pakoras.
I felt Royal Tandoor had signifcantly higher QPR, with portions at least twice as big as Malhi for the tikka masala and pakoras. Highlight at Royal Tandoor was the giant portion of tikka for $12 and good garlic naan. Preparations fairly authentic from what I experienced in Mumbai, meaning limes served with the tandoor grill items, dry spicing, and slices of raw onion + tomato.
At Malhi, the boti kebabs were more tender than Royal Tandoor but the prep was not at all what I associate w/ indian cuisine. the spicing was more “wet”, almost korean influenced. They also served it on a sizzling platter with onions, so the onions cooked down (also not what I experienced in India). Malhi loves green bell peppers, and includes it with the tandoori + inside the tikka masala. The tikka at Malhi has a much more tomato-forward (lol) flavor, the shrimp were overooked, and there was not as much spice as Royal Tandoor. The pakoras were excellent though, especially the fish pakoras. The garlic naan might as well have been from trader joes, and 2 pieces actually means 1 piece cut in 2. QPR was very poor.
Overall, neither one really knocked it out of the park, but the superior QPR @ Royal Tandoor probably means I’ll be going back there. Will revisit this thread again after trying out the lunch buffet, which apparently is also offered on Saturdays.
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How is that possible? Were the servers or patrons naked?
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less casual, meaning leather soled shoes and not flip flops.
Oy, oy oy. So sorry. My brain has been malfunctioning since I caught another huge cold.
Yes, that makes perfect sense. 
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Totally agree with you on QPR at Malhi’s, at least now. Shame about the naan. While it was always just one large piece, it never used to come off as being like Trader Joe’s, but things change. I confess I haven’t spent much time at Malhi’s since they opened their newer, more upscale place in Palmdale.
At their previous location in Palmdale, they had a very good lunch buffet which featured a broad variety of dishes on a rotating basis (and ones that weren’t featured on their regular menu). During that time, it was quite common to see folks from the local Indian community eating there (and rarely more than a few white folk). Unfortunately, they began to cut back on the variety of dishes and then dropped out the buffet. Plus, the times I’ve been to the new location, the spice level definitely seems toned down compared to before.
I recall a time at the lunch buffet at the older, smaller Lancaster location and noticed all the kitchen staff getting bowls of the lentil soup. Oh yeah, that had some kick to it on that day
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boom boom chicken has decent kfc. stick with the wings.
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boom boom chicken has decent kfc. stick with the wings.
it’s on my regular rotation, stick with the KFC and not any of the other flavors.
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Charcoal kbbq in Canyon Country is solid. Not destination worthy but if you’re north of the 5/14 it’ll save you the hour+ drive to ktown. I think I like it better than Gen in Northridge too.
$22 AYCE option comes with boneless short rib + the other usual stuff so that’s good w/ me. No rice paper unfortunately but sliced pickled daikon was on deck today.
It seems that I will need to read this thread with way more interest. We’re coming into town for the State Cup soccer tournament. We’re staying in Lancaster and we’re going to need options to feed 17 teenaged boys and their families.
I hope you like pizza and chain food. Did I mention there’s a Sizzler in Palmdale?
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Totally prepared for that.
No but seriously - bring egg rolls. Only orange chicken here.
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I’m game to mule you supplies since I’m coming from down south.
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I’m in desperate need of cococaine.
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Great soccer, unremarkable food. I’m glad you got a rooom nearby. We were notified late a couple of years ago about where we were playing and had to stay in Tehachapi.
Good luck!
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I think arrangements can be made if you don’t mind pick up from the hotel I’m staying at on Friday night. We have an early morning game Saturday morning, and I don’t want to make that drive at 6AM.
@OCSteve they literally just posted our schedule (we’re in the age bracket where they have to wait for the high schools and CIF to finish before club can restart), we were unable to book our first choice hotel, but I would totally rather have something than nothing.
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Wow, that’s going to be tough to find even chain places that can host that many.
I forsee a trip to the AV mall in attran99’s near forseeable future. There’s also a Costco across the way - AND THEY HAVE A CAR WASH.
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