Chakra Creative Indian Cuisine
2 ratings since posting on Friday, February 18, 2005|
in Irvine
(submitted by
given
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Overall Rating  based on 2 ratings |
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This is a copy from my food blog: I’m not sure where I heard about this place, possibly OC Weekly, but once I saw their website I knew I had to go. I’m not even a fan of Indian cuisine, but the pictures of the interior of the restaurant on the website and--- well, what can I say? I’m a sucker for ambience. My roommate went there before I could and she said, “It was a lot smaller than I would have thought.” Me, too. I wouldn’t describe the restaurant as tiny, but it’s pretty intimate. I imagine it seats about 60 people—it was just interesting because for some reason it looks so much bigger on the website. I suppose if it were a warmer night another 20 or so people could have been seated on the patio. The design of the interior was really quite beautiful: high ceilings, earthy colors, cotemporary, clean, yet very cozy. The crowd was a surprisingly older crowd considering it is located in the middle of UCI. There were a lot of Indian people there—that’s always a good sign at ethnic restaurants. Ok. Now let me talk about the food. I am now a fan of Indian food. Naan bread: I know, you are thinking “Big deal…” but this was the best naan bread I have ever had. It came out piping hot, and tasted like it was just made. A tiny bit crispy on the outside and soft and chewy inside. I think we had to order this as a side for $3, which I initially thought was silly as it is normally complimentary (I think) at Indian restaurants. But it was well worth it not only because it was delicious by itself but because they brought out 4 dipping sauces to go with it. A mango sauce, tamarind, mint and tomato. Imagine them just in that order-- little platters with a bright orange, smooth brown, spotted green and thick tomato sauce. There was really no special presentation—that was it, just the sauce, and it was sufficient to make a beautiful appetizer. We quickly wolfed down one basket of naan with our pomegranate martinis and someone on the staff was nice enough to send over another complimentary basket of naan. We didn’t wait that long until our food came. We ordered the breaded salmon as an entrée and then ordered the chicken tikka masala also to split. This was plenty of food. The salmon perfectly cooked, served in a bowl with a mild yellow curry. This alone could have been a meal. The tikka masala came out steaming hot, the chicken tender and moist. Even the rice that came out, jasmine with saffron, was quite possibly the lightest jasmine rice I’ve had. What I enjoyed the most about our meal is that it was all hot and tasted very fresh in both the sense that it was made to order and it was made from fresh ingredients. I think I didn’t like most Indian food previously because I found it would taste mushy, or like it was a bunch of different foods thrown in a bowl with some overbearing curry. Our dishes all seem well balanced this night—enough curry in the salmon for example for you to notice it but not be like “Wow, that is a lot of curry.” A note about the service—it was great. Our waitress prompt and polite. Get this: our candle went out in the middle of dinner. I was about to state the obvious and go “Aw, our candle just burnt out.” But before it even finished smoldering, one of the waitstaff scooped in and replaced it with a new candle. That’s service, I tell ya. I’m definitely going to have to hit Chakra up at least once a month- if not for a full dinner then at least a $5 martini and some naan bread at their inviting bar. And if you are still reading this, go to their website already! - Kimberly , posted 02/07/06 |
 hola, Last night, Lisa, Sam, Sam's wife Wendy and I went to this indian place across the street from uci which was amazing. There is fantastic outdoor seating with fire pits and stuff - a very relaxed bar area (with a back room or something just off the bar - perhaps a vip room?) - an a very nice dining room. The music in the place was mentionable, because it was Jazz and not the Ravi Shankar greatest hits cd I am used to hearing in places like this. The room was quiet enough to really encourage conversation - a rather dark room with plenty of windows & a high ceiling. The overall decour of the place is really nice. the food is not the usualy indian food either. They do not have somosa (a bad bad sign), but they do have a ton of vegetarian choices - none of which is all that hot, but all of which is totally great. We started with garlic naan (which was way above average), had tomato soup (which was one of the highlights - the soup bowl is asymetrical & appears on the brink of spilling), and then three entrees and two sides - not sure all of what we had but the vegetable stew was awesome. not really a stew at all (it is served on a plate with a side of rice & yogurt) it has all sort of vegtables & peppers. We did get one cheese dish which was too small of a portion to share & not very exciting. Prices were a little high, but not unreasonable - I think we paid ~US$85.00 (including tip - no wine) for diner for four. - given , posted 02/18/05 |
Chakra Creative Indian Cuisine was recommended for:
- Tribe: AMBIENT CHILL