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Amber Cafe (Indian cuisine) $$

7.75
JaT Rating

600 W El Camino Real, Mountain View, 94040 (Directions)

(650) 968-1751

Website Menu vCard

Indian bits and bites at reasonable prices and speedy service
Reviewer: Jason Total Reviews: 992 Reviewed: 3/27/2007 Rating: 8 My photo gallery	Amber Cafe has been on our wish lists for a long time and glad to make the visit. The cafe is an offspring from the popular Amber India. I'm guessing Amber Cafe is suppose to be fast food approach without breaking the wallet. As Terry noted in his review, the parking lot is backasswards with 1 entrance. You have people entering and leaving, going in reverse, people stalling, the horrrroor. If the lot looks full, do yourself a favor and park on the street. Ordering process is fairly easy with menus posted on the wall and orders taken at the counter. Visit their web site for more information on interesting dishes served. I went with the lamp wrap combo (images 10,11,12) which comes with a samosa and salad at $8.99. Taking a quick glance, it sure looks like a 2 roll taco plate with a southwest corn salad. The 2 tacos are actually roti filled with the spicy lamb mixture. Roti tasted like wheat tortillas and the lamb filling had an overwhelming tomato paste flavoring to it. Meat was in smaller clumps and kinda skimped on portions. The overall experience was like eating chunky spicy spaghetti sauce rolled in tortillas. A sloppy joe + mexican wheat tortillas + indian flavorings = a dish to my liking. The samosa (image 7) was cooked to perfection with a flakey outer shell leading way to mixture of peas, potatoes or chickpeas?, and other spice enhancing ingredients. Definitely worth ordering as an appetizer. Be sure to pick up your chutney next to the counter. An interesting lunch and I can see why it's a popular place. In comparing to other chaat houses, Amber Cafe is cleaner and offers a modern dining approach. As for being authentic Indian food, some say it's been Americanized and if it is, doesn't bother me enough. I would make a return visit with no hesitations.

Reviewer: Terry Total Reviews: 724 Reviewed: 3/27/2007 Rating: 7.5 My photo gallery	I must preface by stating that I am more of an indian buffet eater than the order and wait at your table for the food to arrive eater. I am not a huge indian food connoisseur so I prefer the ability to look at the offerings and make my own selection. Still, it was nice to just walk up to the counter and order the veggie combo (with naan), pay, and sit at the table. The price for my selection was about $8.50 (equivalent to a typical buffet) so had high hopes. I also bought a canned soda. Sadly their selection was very weak. No diet sodas, and only 2 cans of regular coke today. They had plenty of canned iced tea. The food arrived rather quickly and I was immediately a little let down as the portion size was a bit on the small side. I wasn't terribly hungry today, but still for the price I paid I was hoping for a bit more. The naan was VERY tasty. Among the best I have had. Unfortunately I only had 3 pieces of it. The daal dish was largely forgettable, I ate about half of it. The eggplant veggie (in the red bowl) was nice and spicy. I polished this off, dipped my naan in there frequently as well. The tomatoes in it were fresh tasting, and while a bit greasy, it went down well and was quite enjoyable. Sadly, the portions were really small, so afterwards I wasn't completely stuffed. I found the place to be very clean and actually quite popular. The crowded parking lot was a madhouse of cars waiting to park, people walking to the entrance, etc. Overall, I was impressed, but not overly so. Prices were high for what I received. I would return with people who want to eat here, but I probably won't return on my own.


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budbandit ate...

What dish did you eat?

“For the same price you can hit a buffet and get food just as good but with greater variety and speed.”

4/10/2007 11:46:42 AM