Rate-A-Restaurant, #22 in a series
Restaurant: Tantra
Location: 3705 W. Sunset Blvd., Silver Lake
Type of restaurant: Indian
They stipulated: That you wait in the bar for a table. We had finally found a table at the bar, had decided on a drink and had opted to just eat in the bar when a table suddenly opened up in the main dining room. So we moved over there and started over.
What we ordered: Samosas with spinach and tofu; Bheghan Bertha (eggplant); chicken bherg
High point: The presentation of the food was much more elaborate than what you would find at most Indian restaurants. Also, Tantra competes with Electric Lotus for the hip factor--there's a thriving bar scene, video screens silently show clips of Bollywood flicks, and KCRW-like music plays over the speakers.
As for the food, the chicken in particular was delicious: Moist, tender meat with a green sauce. And the eggplant was much spicier than expected -- a bonus in our book. It was probably the best eggplant dish we'd had in a long time. Oh-- and naan bread comes automatically with the meal (although we had to order rice.)
Low point: On the other hand, we weren't sure what to make of the samosas. They were made with filo dough, as opposed to the usual fried dough of most samosas we've had. They were also much smaller-- perhaps not worth the price.
Overall impression: Nice environment-- it's cool to see this portion of Sunset Blvd. and Silver Lake boasting some sort of life on a Friday night. The staff were all very friendly-- particularly the host, who went table to table thanking people for coming. He was also at the door when we arrived and when we left, so I believe I shook his hand at least three times.
Chance we will go back: Possibility... mainly to have more of the spicy eggplant dish. Otherwise, we have Electric Lotus much closer to us, so it's a tossup.
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