Lahore Tikka House (updated)
I've been by LTH many times, it was easily the coolest or funkiest lookin' place on the Little India strip (Greenwood & Gerrard), since the parking lot is decorated with lights and the outdoor patio used to be lined with shiny silk. When the chance to go there tonight came up -- I was all over it.
Right now it's being renovated, it'll be huge when it's done.
From the outside it looks like nothing right now. The (temporary) entrance is tiny and totally unassuming, just chipboard and two-by-fours:
Inside, it's HOPPIN'. It FEELS like *INDIA*, bright walls, x-mas lights and loud Bollywood music and more than a hint of sweat. For the full effect you need to listen to *THIS* (1.4mb mp3) while looking at these pictures. This is where you order, right at the front counter inside the door, when you place your order you get a holder with a number which you put on your table. Somehow it's coordinated so that your order is tied to this number and then the waiter with your food has to find you. This sounds like a chaotic system because it is.
Indians like to cultivate chaos, and Lahore Tikka Hut does this successfully. The temporary digs is basically a maze of portables connected with halls and passageways. It's packed with shouting waiters who are shoving you out of the way to get around and yelling orders and numbers to each other. This "dining area" is situated in the spot between two portables.
If you walk to the can you go through a passageway which splits the kitchen, so the grills are on one side and the tandoori ovens are on the other. A dude actually invited me in to eyeball the tandoor, but I didn't grab a picture since it was more packed than a New Delhi communter train.
We ordered chicken biryani (lower), a kekbab dish (upper) and I had a kebab wrap and extra naan. The biryani was pretty good -- satisfying. Despite lookin like turds on rice the kebab stuff was very tasty. The meat in the wrap was okay but what made it was the nice fresh, fluffy and toasted naan (not pictured). Next time I think I'll spring for the curry type dishes and naan. Overall the dished were pretty good and better than your typical Indian. The selection was a bit limited, but in fairness this is only supposed to be a Tikka (aka Barbecue) House.
There a line out the door and to the street by the time we were leaving; and as a bonus you get to go home smelling like a spice rack....Good times !
PS. I updated this posting to include a scan of the menu:
Right now it's being renovated, it'll be huge when it's done.
From the outside it looks like nothing right now. The (temporary) entrance is tiny and totally unassuming, just chipboard and two-by-fours:
Inside, it's HOPPIN'. It FEELS like *INDIA*, bright walls, x-mas lights and loud Bollywood music and more than a hint of sweat. For the full effect you need to listen to *THIS* (1.4mb mp3) while looking at these pictures. This is where you order, right at the front counter inside the door, when you place your order you get a holder with a number which you put on your table. Somehow it's coordinated so that your order is tied to this number and then the waiter with your food has to find you. This sounds like a chaotic system because it is.
Indians like to cultivate chaos, and Lahore Tikka Hut does this successfully. The temporary digs is basically a maze of portables connected with halls and passageways. It's packed with shouting waiters who are shoving you out of the way to get around and yelling orders and numbers to each other. This "dining area" is situated in the spot between two portables. 
If you walk to the can you go through a passageway which splits the kitchen, so the grills are on one side and the tandoori ovens are on the other. A dude actually invited me in to eyeball the tandoor, but I didn't grab a picture since it was more packed than a New Delhi communter train.
We ordered chicken biryani (lower), a kekbab dish (upper) and I had a kebab wrap and extra naan. The biryani was pretty good -- satisfying. Despite lookin like turds on rice the kebab stuff was very tasty. The meat in the wrap was okay but what made it was the nice fresh, fluffy and toasted naan (not pictured). Next time I think I'll spring for the curry type dishes and naan. Overall the dished were pretty good and better than your typical Indian. The selection was a bit limited, but in fairness this is only supposed to be a Tikka (aka Barbecue) House.
There a line out the door and to the street by the time we were leaving; and as a bonus you get to go home smelling like a spice rack....Good times !PS. I updated this posting to include a scan of the menu:
Labels: indian, restaurant review
posted by Amit @ 7:25 PM
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