Pavani

Ghopaul and I (Rani) had been curious to try Pavani's as it had been recommended by several of our friends. So one night we braved the spaghetti bowl of roads around HWY 59 & BWY 8, crisscrossing various feeder roads, until we found ourselves standing in front of – what looked liked – a very closed Pavani’s.

However once we entered, the aroma of curry leaves and mustard seeds welcomed us to stay. It was one of the "ahhhhhh" moments… like when a bright light suddenly shines down on you while a chorus of angels sings above. As we walked into the main dining area we discovered an impressive dinner buffet of mainly Southern Indian food that stretched along the entire length of the back wall!

Daal fry, spicy okra, fried potatoes, sambar, idly, pokora, briyani, chicken tandoori, chicken tika masala, goat curry, and on and on!

The food was excellent, especially the fried potatoes and the daal! The simple vegetarian dishes were definitely Pavani’s strongest suits. The naan was fresh and flavorful and the Tandoori chicken was perfectly cooked and not dry. Pavani’s also featured a couple of great Indian beers to complement the meal.

With all of these strong points, it was hard to find something less than stunning on the buffet. Two items seemed to be lacking: the chicken tika masala was too heavy with cream and the ground lamb dish seemed to have lost its flavor… or perhaps the lamb flavor was lost among the other spices of the dish.

But most of all, we loved the unpretentious, warm atmosphere at Pavani's. Their focus was definitely on serving up good, fresh food. And the matronly woman in the sari working the front just added to the authenticity of this eatery!

If this restaurant were a Bollywood movie, it would be:
Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge ~ A romantic anecdote of second-generation Indians living in Britain who are strongly attached to the traditional values of Indian culture.

Pavani Indian Cuisine
10554 Southwest Fwy
Houston, Texas 77074
(713) 272-8259

Kiran's

While the days when Bombay Palace ruled Houston as the premier Indian restaurant have come to an end, several new contenders have made a run for the top spot of Houston’s upscale Indian dining experience. One of these contenders is Kiran’s.

For starters, the food is fabulous. It's not all straight-forward Indian cuisine, however even the "fusion" dishes remain true to their South Asian core. The traditional Indian dishes are done to near perfection. It is clear that owner and head chef Kiran Verma has poured her heart, soul, and imagination into her food.

However, it's everything else that we weren't so impressed with. For an upscale restaurant, the service staff was unprofessional if not slightly disorganized. The hostess kept us waiting unnecessarily during a relatively slow time and our server exuded a flippant attitude. During the course of our meal, another server started yelling at two of the patrons. The restaurant looked very upscale (as did our bill), but the service certainly was not.

As for the clientele... Hare Ram! How can I say this nicely… perhaps the fantastic reviews for Kiran’s gets is due by the fact that most people who eat there wouldn't know the difference between a Thai curry dish and an Indian curry dish. We noticed several patrons were puzzled by simple traditional dishes (one woman didn’t know what paneer was) and others ordered whatever the waiter recommended. The distinct snooty, uptight atmosphere generated by the somewhat stuffy, mostly anglo diners detracted from the dining experience.

Let’s get back to the food. Again, the flavors were outstanding, but the portions were small and the dishes over-priced. Kiran’s has done well with building their wine cellars as we enjoyed some distinctive varietals at reasonable restaurant prices.

Here is what we ate:

• Halibut with watermelon curry sauce ($28). A hint of watermelon that was surprisingly not overpowered by the spices. Recommended dish to say the least.
  
• Bitter melon, Karela ($12). Great flavor that went perfectly with the kulcha naan stuffed with goat cheese ($4). At least three other varieties of stuffed naan were available.
  
• Masala chai ($7) was too heavy with cardamom as it overpowered everything else... disappointing.
  
• Saffron crème brulee ($8) was just plain, unremarkable crème brulee.

If this restaurant were a Bollywood movie, it would be:
Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna ~ A major production with lots of great stars, but leaves one wanting something more authentic.

Kiran's Restaurant
4100 Westheimer Road
Houston , TX 77027
(713) 960-8472