525 Haight Street
San Francisco, CA 94117
(415) 255-1625
wine: $8
food: $25
people: 2
BYOB: very friendly
The interior is pretty bright but this affect is accomplished with multiple small hanging fixtures (two different pyramidal luminaires and some intensely ugly blown glass things that look a little like squid-parts) so the light is even and indirect. The decor is vaguely Indian and seemingly a pastiche of vestigial intentions from all the previous establishments that have occupied this rather central storefront in the Lower Haight: post-industrial-art-nuevo-neo-hippi-cross-culti... as envisioned by a short attention-span college freshman on a budget. The room seats about 32 and was about 1/3 full but the raised dining area, one step-up on the left side of the space, was packed. People love to be high and also to feel like they are in a fort, if a restaurant can approximate this in any way patrons will gravitate to that spot. We sat ourselves in un-stepped, un-cozy space and found the eponymous chutney (mango), that familiar minty green sauce, as well as a dark substance we were unfamiliar with, which turned out to be tamarind syrup... I will say it now, this is not a great restaurant, but they seriously nailed the condiments; perhaps best route is to just bring a 40oz and get the crazy combo stack of stuffed Naan for 8bucks and do your best to consume as much of those sauces as possible. The stuffed Naan was unfamiliar to me, we got the potato one, but there was also beef, and a cheese option and some other delightful additions; clearly the establishment name is an ordering hint. We watched two former frat brothers take this route and they seemed very satisfied.
In addition to the Naan we go the chicken-garbanzo curry special (Choley) and the eggplant (Bengun Bhartha). It was all fine, a little skimpy on the meat but that is to be expected in an Indian place and the right way to eat meat anyway, we managed to finish everything that was ordered. Aside from the aforementioned combo the only other stand out was the little bowl of lentils (Daal) they gave us with the special. They were rather "al dente" for an Indian place and had this rich nutty undertone. Maybe the scheme is to get the Daal with the stuffed Naan and call it a day. We both suffered some serious stomach knots and rumbles, perhaps even a little wave of Nausea, after the meal. The thing about Indian/Paki food is that this happens to at least half the people half the time no matter where they go... it did seem a little extreme but I'm not gonna hold it against them.
And finally, the wine, the Maison Kuentz-Bas mentioned in the previous post was tragically lost to a freezer disaster and we had to get another bottle on the way to the restaurant, The only bottle that I could find in the Safeway fridge that fit within the stated goals of this blog was this one: Pacific Rim. OMG it was so boring! I mean everything about the presentation hints at that but I held out hope. Perhaps I will develop a more refined palate for these grapes but this was ridiculous in its flatness... it tasted like wine at a wedding. However, the BYOB policy at N&C is totally laissez-faire and we saw many different demographics move through the space all with their own bottle of whatever sitting on the table and consumed freely.
