The Bay (SF, Oaktown and the rest of the bunch) has so much glorious food to offer it's ridiculous. So whenever the FOODBEAST crew can find an excuse to jump on a plane and explore one of the true meccas of US food, uh, duh, we do it. We heard about Curry Up Now through the grapevine -- a popular Indian Street Food Truck that opened a few successful brick & mortar establishments throughout the bay. Definitely old news for NorCal'ers, but whenever a food truck can make a successful transition into not only one but multiple sit-down locations: congrats, you're doing something different and ultimately delicious (tested and confirmed).
Outside of the recent emergence of contemporary and yes, admittedly fusion (hate that word) Indian cuisine that seemed to derive from the once bubbling market of gourmet roach coaches, I would venture that most Americans know of Indian food through a slow food/traditional setting or an Indian lunch buffet. That view, while limited in objective perspective since it is my own, seemed to be verified by Curry Up Now management during a lengthy post-meal discussion.
The same conversation affirmed a belief that of the many successful pan-asian restaurant models - a notable and dominant Indian-restaurant brand has never been established across any major category, including fast food, QSR and fine dining. This creates a unique opportunity for a rising restaurant star to experience exponential growth if they can finalize a mainstream menu that works for metropolitan and suburban audiences. Curry Up Now is an eatery vying for that chance in the national spotlight with an awfully affordable menu ($10-$15, a head) and new twists on food that maintains traditional Indian roots.
Now to the important part addressing the headline that brought you here -- the food. Here's the best of what we had.
Guac Sev Puri - An Indian Street Food take on Chips n' Dip -- a small, unleavened, deep-fried piece of bread topped with guacamole, lightly fried chickpea noodle and a housemade pepper sauce. The sauce was most similar to Sriracha but packed more flavor and heat.
Tikka Masala Topped Waffle Cut Sweet Potato Fries - Roasted chicken in a masala sauce, four types of cheese, crispy waffle cut fries and onions.
Lamb Naughty Naan Open Faced Flatbread (Pizza) - Naan topped with halal lamb, cheese, sliced jalapeños and mixed greens. They didn't call it a pizza, but when they cut it into 5 slices, I had no choice but to call it such.
Pork Belly Burrito - Soft Chunks of Pork Belly, Garbanzo Beans, Brown Rice, Onions, House Veggie Filling in a Flour Tortilla.
Gulab Jamun on Kulfi or 'Hot Balls on Ice' - Pistachio ice cream topped with lightly fried dairy-based dough and garnished with almond.
If you've been to the eatery, let us know what your favorite menu items are in the comments. And if I've glaringly missed any mainstream Indian food restaurants that have had large regional or national presences -- let us know!
Check out Curry Up Now here.
