OUR DINING EXPERIENCE: KHAKI, SAN RAMON, CA

 OUR DINING EXPERIENCE: KHAKI, SAN RAMON, CA

A general observation. The number of restaurants that offer Indian cuisine in the United States- and more so in California- has grown exponentially over the years. Prem remembers when he first visited the US back in 1992, Indian cuisine was a rarity. No longer so. These restaurants are filled not only with people of Indian origin as one would imagine but also by many local Americans.

We dined at Khaki Indian Bar and Canteen, a modern Indian dining  favourite in San Ramon, CA last month. It is located at 6000, Bollinger Canyon Road, City Centre Bishop Ranch, one of East Bay's premier dining and shopping destinations. Their operating hours seem to vary depending on the day of the week, so it is better to check their website . However, please remember they are closed on Mondays! You can order food online or make a reservation especially if it is a weekend. 

The restaurant gets its name from the popular Indian fabric of that name. Khaki was a long time mainstay of Indian clothing, typically used in different types of cotton-based uniforms. The staff were wearing khaki aprons. I guess the name was adopted for this restaurant to signify its Indian roots and heritage. 

Khaki has a well stocked bar with a wide variety of alcoholic drinks, cocktails and mocktails. We examined the many options before selecting our drinks.  

Prem chose the James Bond Vesper, made with gin, vodka, vermouth, and orange bitters. Being an avid James Bond fan he could not but help saying it should be "shaken and not stirred" ! 

I had a Gymkhana Gin and Tonic- made with gin, house spices, lime and tonic. Cheers!! 

For starters we had the Cauliflower Koliwada- crisp fried cauliflower with a chilli garlic marinade- modelled on the fish dish from Mumbai's Koli community of fisherfolk.  

Another starter was the Malvani Kolambi: made with prawns, roasted coconut, dried red chillies and stone ground spices.

Tandoori Salmon Tikka- fresh Atlantic salmon marinated in tandoori spices and mustard oil- served with red onions, cilantro and green Indian chilli chutney

For the main course, we had the Meen Pollichathu: fresh whole butterflied branzino, cooked with a coconut, kokum and tomato masala, wrapped in banana leaf. 

Butter Chicken : tandoor charred boneless chicken with creamy tomato sauce, white butter, tree nuts, and dairy 

Chicken Chettinadu- bone in-drumstick, black pepper, fennel, curry leaves and roasted spice blend

These dishes were had with hot steamed rice as well as Indian breads like naan and lachha parathas.

For dessert, our party of four shared Verandah Orange Juice Cake; Ras Malai Tres Leche; Gulab Jamun Creme Brulee: and the Canteen Pudding.

In my view the best items were the Butter Chicken and the Tandoori Salmon Tikka. The Meen Pollichathu was pretty good too but the Chicken Chettinadu was rather disappointing.

The vote for the best dessert goes to the Ras Malai Tres Leche-an interesting play of the Indian old favourite Ras Malai with tre leche which is the popular Latin American ' Three Milks" cake . 

Overall, we enjoyed our dining experience at Khaki Indian Bar and Canteen, San Ramon. and I would heartily recommend this to foodie friends.