Tigerlily

Cuisine	Indian / SA
Price	$$$ (31-50)
Rating	5/10
Last Visit	April 7, 2022
Location	SFBA: Berkeley + Oakland

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General Notes

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Tigerlily is apparently a Indian fusion restaurant serving "Californian takes on Indian and other Asian dishes", according to Google Maps. I'm not sure I fully understand the Californian influence (though there are some unusual dishes like Tigerlily Tacos and Sesame Avocado Flatbread). The ambiance is nice (lot of windows to the street, which is always nice). The dishes are a bit weird but the food is decent. Each of their curries is generally served with basmati rice, naan, and roasted vegetables, kind of like western individual plate style. Not exactly my top choice for Indian food per se, but a solid restaurant overall.

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Negatives

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> Random nit: the chairs are normal height, but the seats along the wall are absurdly high ... which makes for a slightly weird experience.
> Because of how heavy the curries are, the ratio of sauce to other stuff (including meat, rice, naan) is a bit off. There's too much sauce, relatively speaking.

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Dishes Tasted

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• ★★☆☆ Malai Kofta -- fried lentil balls cooked in authentic spiced aromatic sauce, served with basmati rice and cilantro-garlic naan. Again, the naan is lovely (and very garlic-heavy). The lentil balls are delicious and it goes well with the sauce. Again, I like the sauce but it's a bit too thick.
• ★★☆☆ Lamb Tikka Masala -- lamb cubes cooked in our signature tikka masala sauce served with basmati rice and naan. The naan is amazing -- fluffy and crispy on the outside. The lamb is meh (I find lamb with tikka masala a bit of a weird combination). The tikka masala had a nice flavor but was a bit too thick for my taste. After a while it just felt heavy and greasy.
• ★★★☆ Samosas -- potato, onion, garlic, ginger, green peas and homemade cheese served with tamarind and cilantro mint sauce. Lovely pastry with the perfect texture, moist inside. The flavors are bold and hit really well.