A hidden treasure A hidden treasure (July 23, 2004)

El Camino strip mall home to remarkable Indian Cuisine

By Grace Rauh

Some of the Bay Area's best Indian food is found in the most unusual places. In San Francisco, those seeking flavorful fare head to the seedy Tenderloin district to order from Shalimar's counter.

And you'll need an inside tip to locate Vic's Chaat House, the bustling Indian restaurant in Berkeley that's adjacent to a large parking lot and near Route 80, several warehouses and little else.

So I shouldn't have been surprised to find that Amber India Restaurant, one of the most beloved beside the Bay, is tucked in a Mountain View strip mall on El Camino Real.

It wasn't easy to find. Even with the address in my hand, I drove past the parking lot once. For some reason, Amber India's name -- tucked between signs for The Gorin School of Music and Videoscope -- just didn't jump out at me.

The high-end restaurant also does little to impress from the outside. Heavy drapes cover the windows, and it appears uninviting. Only when you step inside are you transported to another world, where fragrant Indian dishes and innovative flavors reign.

The extensive menu has all the familiar favorites, like dal, palak paneer, tandoori meats and a host of unusual specialties. But unlike other well-regarded Indian destinations in the area, Amber India's prices are significantly higher.

Diners hoping to go easy on their wallets should check out the lunch buffet -- an incredible deal at $11.95 per person ($12.95 for weekend lunch).

On my first visit, a friend who grew up in Saratoga joined me for dinner. When she heard we were dining at Amber, she vowed to do everything in her power to arrive with a hearty appetite -- Amber India is one of her favorite places.

I jumped right in with the restaurant's signature cocktail, Indian Rain ($7), made from Whaler's pineapple rum, Hypnotiq liqueur and lime juice. The blue beverage arrived in a martini glass and was sweet, but not syrupy.

I regretted not lingering over it longer before ordering my meal. The cocktail was not well paired with the vegetable samosa ($4.50) appetizer. I sipped my friend's Kingfisher beer ($5) instead. The light Indian beer was crisp and matched well with everything we ate.

The samosas, filled with potatoes and peas, were crispy on the outside and slightly spicy and soft inside. Much lighter than the fried patties served at most Indian restaurants, they were an excellent excuse to soak up some of the sweet, dark tamarind sauce at our table.

On our waiter's recommendation, we tried the butter chicken ($14.95) and frontier kabab ($21.95). Amber is famous for its butter chicken dish, shredded tandoori chicken in a rich tomato-based sauce. The hunks of moist meat were flavorful and the sauce creamy and smooth. Like nearly all the dishes we sampled, it was lightly spiced.

The frontier kabab is a rack of lamb marinated in yogurt, ginger, garlic and an array of spices. The sizzling tandoori meat was divine. It was cooked medium rare and arrived on a platter with onions and lemon slices. I pulled the rack apart and after slicing off what I could, I chewed on the bones as well. Unlike tandoori grill meats at other restaurants, Amber's offerings were moist and flavorful, and not dried out in the slightest.

The palak paneer ($9.75), spinach with cheese, rounded out the meal. The spinach was smooth, almost like a thick soup, and the hunks of soft, mild farmer's cheese was a treat. All this we mixed with saffron rice ($1.50). I also dipped pieces of warm naan bread ($2.25) into the butter chicken sauce and the palak paneer to savor each drop.

Unfortunately, the portions at Amber aren't very large, and I was disappointed we didn't have more leftovers at the end.

Throughout our meal, the wait staff was professional, polite and eager to make recommendations. We solicited our waiter's advice again for dessert and ended up with two unique dishes I may not have sampled on my own. The kulfi falooda ($4.95) was rich pistachio ice cream on top of clear vermicelli noodles with rose syrup on top. The ice cream tasted subtly of pistachios and wasn't sweet. I enjoyed a few spoonfuls of the unruly noodles as well.

The rasmalai ($3.95) was a mound of spongy farmer's cheese topped with saffron-flavored milk. The creamy sauce was mildly sweet and the cheese soft. A few bites sufficed. I preferred the rich kulfi falooda.

I also sampled Amber's chai tea ($2.75). It was unsweetened and milky, a more sophisticated version of the sugary beverages sold elsewhere.

When I returned for the lunch buffet, I was impressed by the array of hot, fresh dishes lined up along the wall. It made me want to kick myself for not having tried Amber sooner.

I grabbed a plate and hit the line. At 11:45 a.m. the restaurant was surprisingly busy. By noon the queue extended into the front waiting area. The buffet is heavy on the vegetarian options, but a few chicken selections were available at the end.

I skipped the salad bar and dug into the pot of dal, which was the best I've ever tasted. I've never been a huge fan of the lentil dish, but Amber's version was flavorful, spicy and hearty. The cauliflower pakora, battered and fried pieces of the white vegetable, were tasty and light.

I tried the mixed vegetable curry, diced carrots and peas in a light curry sauce and then sampled some tandoori chicken. It was tasty, but didn't compare to the butter chicken right beside it. I couldn't resist another few bites of my favorite dish at Amber.

By the time I sat down at my table, a basket of naan was waiting. My only complaint is that it wasn't very warm. I sipped a mango lassi ($2.50), a yogurt-based fruit drink. The thick beverage tasted of plain yogurt with a hint of mango and was an excellent palate cleanser.

As I settled in for my second meal, I couldn't help but eavesdrop on the conversation at the next table. The diners were swapping stories about their favorite hole-in-the-wall places, culinary gems tucked in the unlikeliest locations.

As I sopped up the creamy butter chicken sauce with a bit of naan, I knew I had found a treasure myself. I just wish I had spotted it earlier.

Dining Notes

Amber India Restaurant

2290 El Camino Real, #9, Olive Tree Shopping Center
968-7511 www.amber-india.com

Hours: Daily from 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m., 5-10 p.m.
Reservations: yes
Credit cards: yes
Parking: yes
Outdoor seating: no
Alcohol: yes
Booster seats and high chairs: yes
Private dining and banquet facilities: no
Catering: yes
Takeout: yes
Noise level: moderate
Bathroom cleanliness: excellent

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