11819 Wilshire Blvd; #206
Brentwood, CA 90025
(310) 268-9100
The Saturday afternoon quiet of Brentwood’s Tandoori Grill was punctuated only by the emergence of stone slabs – laden with sizzling, steaming piles of meat – through the kitchen doors. Such dramatic presentation is inevitable with a traditional tandoor, kept at a temperature upwards of 900 degrees by a charcoal or wood fire within the oven itself. Given the high-intensity cooking method, food can easily be overcooked but, when done correctly, yields the kind of flavorful, tender meats offered by Tandoori Grill.
Perusing the restaurant’s daunting menu, which offers common favorites like chicken tikka masala as well as more unusual items and an expansive vegetarian selection, gives diners plenty of time to enjoy the complimentary appetizers.
An off-the-menu item called “special bread,” which is a blend of a pleasant fluffiness with the smoothness of the paneer stuffed inside, came with three dipping sauces: a type of chutney, a green cucumber sauce and a wonderful spicy carrot dish. All three were left on the table to be eaten with the main dishes, although the carrot dish was so good it disappeared quickly.
Each member of our table of five opted for a different selection from the lunch menu – a roughly $10 bargain that included meat, grilled onions, rice and naan. The range of options, from chicken and lamb to fish and shrimp, was impressive, especially at those prices. I ate both the original chicken tandoori and a lesser-known option called achari chicken masala that was recommended to me based on my love of spice by our extraordinarily helpful server.
The chicken tandoori, cooked in a blend of yogurt and spices, was served on the bone, helping the meat stay tender while the exterior was pleasantly crispy. The achari chicken masala, which had significantly more kick due to its preparation with chilis and pickling spices, paired wonderfully with the cooling green sauce.
Because our group wanted both garlic and regular naan, our waiter suggested he bring out a few platters to share. Naan, with its decadent, pillowy dough, has long been one of my favorite parts of Indian food. In theory, its malleable, absorptive nature makes it the perfect vehicle for the curries and sauces so vital to Indian cuisine.
But on this day, the naan we received was mostly flat and crunchy, as if it had spent just too long in the oven’s flames. By the time we turned our attention to the naan, however, my group was too full with each dish’s generous portion of meat to care much.
Given that the restaurant has been under new and improved management for less than a year, the few lapses – such as the dark, quiet ambiance – can be attributed to a learning curve. With the restaurant’s tasty flavors and generous portions, customers would be well off to take advantage of the top-notch individual attention from servers before the quiet location is overrun with customers.
Story by: Liz Schneider
The Bottom Line: Atmosphere: 2/5, Service: 5/5, Food: 4/5