Trader Joe’s frozen Cheese Filled Fiocchetti with Pink Sauce are little egg pasta sacks filled with cheese served in an extraordinary not-really-pink cream sauce. The fiocchetti themselves are OK. Heated per instructions in the microwave, they were a little al-dente, and the cheese inside them felt liked hard, grated cheese rather than melted one. But this dish is not about the pasta, it’s about the sauce. And oh, what a sauce it is.
The sauce is a combination of cream, tomato puree and butter, seasoned with garlic, lemon juice, basil, parsley and salt and pepper. It’s bright and light, slightly acidic and just vibrant. It’s a perfect summer sauce. There is too much sauce for the included pasta, and I literally licked the plate when I was done eating.
From a nutrition point of view, this dish is as bad as you’d imagine. The whole 1lb package has 870 calories, 51g of fat and 78g of carbs. It’s supposed to be three portions, but that’s unrealistic. At best, consider it could serve two for lunch when paired with a salad. All in all, I’d see it as an occasional indulgency.
Trader Joe’s also sells a jarred pink pasta sauce. It has different ingredients than this one – it lacks lemon juice, for one, which I feel is an essential ingredient -, but I will give it a try and see if it approximates the amazing flavor of the one here.
This upscale bistro is a favorite with San Leandrans, but does it meet my standards?
Paradiso has been occupying a corner location on Bancroft Avenue for as long as I’ve lived in San Leandro, over 24-years now. It’s only one of three upscale restaurants in our little town and it is immensely popular, at least with the gray-haired crowd. It’s hard to have lunch or dinner there and not run into a friend or acquaintance. During a recent lunch visit the place was popping. I noticed that more tables had been crowded together than in the past and our weekday at 12:30 PM reservation landed us on a small table near the front door – not ideal. Business clearly is booming.
I’ve never been a huge fan of Paradiso myself, I’ve found the food solidly tasty but overpriced. San Leandro commercial rents are absurdly high and that makes most of our restaurants more expensive than similar ones in adjacent cities. Still, when a neighbor in a local forum claimed that Paradiso had the best burgers in town, I thought it was worth checking it out again. Looking back at my Paradiso reviews, it seemed that I was of the same opinion circa 2012, but that’s a long time ago.
Paradiso’s lunch menu offers a selection of starters, salads, wood-fired pizzas, pastas, and entrees. Prices are high, with most dishes starting in the $20’s and reaching into the $50’s. Bread is included, but you have to ask for it. Drinks also seem overpriced, a simple Coke is $6.50 – a price I haven’t seen even at Michelin starred restaurants. I drank water – served in a carafe and promptly replaced as needed.
Lunch started with focaccia and olive bread served with olive oil and balsamic vinegar (don’t forget to request it). This might have been my favorite part of the meal. The focaccia was fresh and tasty, spongy and soft. The country bread was also flavorful and I liked the occasional pieces of olive. I was less thrilled about the olive oil and balsamic vinegar combination. They were both good quality, but there was too much of the latter for my taste. The flavor was very intense and it actually burned in my throat. I’d had preferred the olive oil on its own. It might be worth seeing if you can just order that. Mike, however, loved the combo. Different strokes for different folks and all that.
Mike started with the New England clam chowder ($16). The presentation, with the clams in the open shells, was very nice but Mike didn’t like having to actually dislodge the clams from their shells. He did like the soup, which had a subtle flavor and a creamy composition. As much as he enjoyed it, he wouldn’t order it again simply because he doesn’t like dealing with shells.
I had, as expected, the half pound Paradiso burger ($22), which is served with parsley parmesan fries. As much as I have lost my taste for French fries in the last few years, these ones made the best part of the dish. They were thin, with the perfect consistency (neither too crispy nor soft) and the parsley parmesan combination was perfect. They were a tad in the dry side – this has become my main issue with potatoes, I think – and while they were served with ketchup, I don’t like ketchup with fries. I wish they had also included an aioli, which is what I’d expect of a restaurant of this caliber. Still, the fries were very good and I, surprisingly, ate them all.
The same cannot be said of the burger. The burger came with American cheese, lettuce , shredded lettuce and some sauce and was served in a potato bun – so it was a high end classic burger. The patty had a nice, if subtle, wood-smoke flavor that I really liked. This was the same thing I’d liked over a decade ago. Unfortunately, the burger was very dry. I had ordered it medium-rare, but it was served medium, there were barely any hints of pink inside. I can’t imagine the dryness was only the result of being overcooked, however. Though it was supposed to be a wagyu beef, I’m going to guess it was low on fat content. That might make it somewhat healthier, but much less pleasant. I would be hesitant of ordering it again, even if I ordered it rare, hoping to get a medium-rare burger instead.
Mike had the prime rib sandwich ($21) which comes with pepperonata, provolone and horseradish aioli in focaccia bread. It’s also served with parsley Parmesan fries. I have always been sort of annoyed that Paradiso uses the same side dishes in multiple entrees, and I’m sad to see this continues to this day. A restaurant this expensive should be able to pair the sides to the mains, rather than simply use the same for all.
Mike was happier with his sandwich than I was with mine. He thought the meat was flavorful, tender and not too fatty. He liked the sauce and found there was a good bread-to-meat ratio – the spongy, light focaccia complemented the meat. However, he probably wouldn’t order it again because he didn’t find the sandwich that compelling. Pleasant but not super exciting.
On a recent visit to Paradiso, Mike also had the crispy Brussels sprouts ($18) appetizer and the slow braised short ribs ($41). He liked both of them and would order them again.
For dessert, we had the banana foster bread pudding ($14). It was a good dessert, nothing to write home about, but satisfying. The bread pudding had large pieces of bananas, a boozy sauce and wasn’t too sweet. The ice cream was good quality and went well with the dessert, though a larger scoop would have been better. Still, no complaints from either Mike nor I. That said, I wouldn’t rush to order it again.
Mike had a lemonade ($8) with lunch and it was very good, though a bit too sweet – I think because the lemons were particularly sour. Still, I felt it was overpriced.
Service was fine, our waiter was pleasant but he never came back to check on our meal – so no opportunity to tell him my burger was over done – and he only brought Mike one refill of lemonade. He did not offer a second serving of bread, but the carafe of water was refilled before I needed it to.
The restaurant looks very much like it has for the last two decades, with a large open kitchen in the center. It now has a couple of other dining rooms. It’s a nice place, good for a lunch date and very safe. Just very, very expensive for what it is. Still, I’m sure I’ll go back before the decade is over.
Paradiso 685 Bancroft Ave San Leandro, CA (510) 430-9310 S - Th 11:30AM – 9:00PM F - Sa 11:30AM – 10:00PM
I love beef bulgogi. It’s delicious, easy to make (if somewhat laborious if you cut your own beef), and quick to cook by sautéing it. BUT, I am in a cooking strike until I get a new kitchen, so I haven’t made it for a long time. I decided to give Trajeder Joe’s beef bulgogi a try for one reason only: I didn’t look at the price. At $12 for the 16-lb package, it’s far beyond what I’d have comfortably pay for a frozen meal. However, now that I try it, I’m pretty sure I’ll get it again.
The plastic tray comes with one thing only: beef bulgogi in its marinade/cooking sauce. No rice, no veggies. If you want them, you’ll have to add them. At 40 grams of carbs and 27 grams of sugar for the whole package (which is enough food for two people) this is not precisely low carb, however.
But, and here is the but, it’s just delicious. The tender (but not too tender) beef has a smoky flavor that elevates this dish to the stratosphere. It really made me realize what I’d been missing by sautéing my bulgogi instead of grilling them over a wood-chip smoking box (given that I have a gas grill). Of course, it’s possible you could achieve the same flavor with just a dash of liquid smoke – I might try that next time too. Liquid smoke is not listed on the ingredients, however, so I’ll assume the meat achieves its smokiness naturally.
Spaghetti carbonara is yet another of my favorite dishes. Made with butter, cream, egg, bacon and cheese, it’s heart attack inducing. For the calories, the carbs and the fat, it should be delicious. This one wasn’t.
The pasta and the sauce were good enough, the pasta was soft and the cheese sauce was smooth and flavorful. The pancetta, on the other hand, was horrible. It was fatty and it had a weird, off-putting taste. Fortunately, there wasn’t much of it. I know that pancetta is traditional, but this dish would have been far better with bacon. I would not get it again. Instead of getting it, make my recipe for carbonara.
This dish is easy to heat in the microwave. It’s made in Italy and currently sells for $4.30 at the Castro Valley Trader Joe’s. It’s supposed to serve three people, but only if you have a Lilliputian appetite or serve it as a side. The whole 16-oz package (which granted, it’s too much food for just one person) has 860 calories, 42 grams of fat and 78 grams of carbohydrates.
As far as microwavable tikka masalas go, this isn’t bad.
I love chicken tikka masala, but I’m pretty particular about it. I haven’t found many commercial versions that I like. Trader Joe’s tikka masala sauce and frozen chicken tikka masala entree are OK, but just that. This refrigerated version was better, it wasn’t as acidic and tasted closer to what you get at a restaurant. But it wasn’t quite there. The sauce wasn’t very complex, the chicken didn’t really have the smoky tikka flavor and I didn’t find myself licking the bowl as I otherwise would. It’s better than the Sukhi’s Chicken Tikka Masala you find at the supermarket – but that’s not saying much.
It’s also not a particularly great value . It’s $6.50 (at the Castro Valley Trader Joe’s) for the 16 oz package, but half of it is rice. The 15oz package of Sukhi’s chicken tikka masala is $11 at Safeway (and it goes on sale occasionally) but that’s all chicken. And you can get a far better chicken tikka masala at Shef, for $11.50 for a 16-oz container.
This refrigerated ready-to-heat meal is convenient, but not the best value.
Chicken marsala is one of my favorite dishes. The dish of lightly breaded and sautéed chicken served with a Marsala wine cream sauce can be absolutely delicious, if you follow the right recipe. It’s not complicated to make, but many restaurants manage to get it wrong. Perhaps for that reason, none of the ready-to-eat meal services I’ve tried seem to have it.
Trader Joe’s version is OK, perhaps a tad better than I expected, though nothing to write home about. The chicken was tender and well seasoned and the mashed potatoes were generic, but this dish is all about the sauce. And the sauce was just OK. There needed a little bit more of everything: more mushrooms, more cream, more chicken base, more Marsala and longer reductions. The dish also needed more sauce, period. There was enough of it for the chicken, but not for the mashed potatoes.
It comes in a plastic tray and it only takes a couple of minutes to microwave, so at least it’s very convenient. It’s possible that if you reheated it on a pan and allowed the sauce to reduce some more, it might be better – but I don’t buy ready-to-eat meals because I want to take out my pans.
This meal is supposed to feed two people, but the whole dish is only a 17 oz, which makes it too small of a meal for anything but the lightest appetite (unless you add a salad or something else). However, it is too big of a portion for just one person. All in all, I think it’s a bit overpriced and not tasty enough to get it again.
It was $8.50 at my Trader Joe’s in Castro Valley – but I think it might be cheaper at Trader Joe’s in other locations.
Sons of Liberty Alehouse is a puzzle. A restaurant that gives it the good old college try – though maybe not too hard – but doesn’t quite deliver. The space is nice, but not nice enough. The food is good, but lacking. Service is competent, but unenthusiastic. It’s a restaurant that seems to go through the motions, rather than reach for heights. I like it well enough, but only well enough. It’s not compelling, it’s serviceable, but you feel it should be more.
Located in the San Leandro plaza downtown, Sons of Liberty occupies that homed Sergio’s Pizzeria (another disappointing restaurant) for decades. Despite my many visits, I’ve never actually eaten inside, so I don’t know how they transformed it from the booths-and-formica-tables decore of years past to one fitting their upscale cuisine (next time I’ll have to look in). Instead, I always eat in the patio they cordoned off in front of their restaurant – facing the busy parking lot. The space is comfortable enough, but I can’t feel helping that it could be spruced up with plants, which might also help isolate you a bit. They now have a second location in Livermore, which I haven’t tried.
Sons of Liberty serves modern California cuisine with an emphasis on high quality and organic ingredients. They consider themselves a tavern and offer elevated versions of popular dishes such as tacos, salads and fish & chips. Their menu is rather brief, however. On Sundays, they also offer brunch. As fits their name, they have a pretty extensive selection of beers as well as cocktails, though I haven’t yet tried them.
Over the years, I’ve gone to Sons of Liberty several times, and tried most items in the menu – though my recollection of them is hazy other than being underwhelmed. Originally, I felt they were overpriced, though prices elsewhere have risen so much that they now seem to be more competitive. I never feel compelled to go to Sons of Liberty, but it’s near my house and has outdoor dining, and the food is dependable if not exciting. Thus when my friend Maximillian asked me to lunch and I couldn’t think of anywhere I wanted to go, Sons of Liberty came to mind. We were lucky enough to find parking – that shopping mall is pretty busy.
The restaurant wasn’t too busy that Tuesday, though we were late enough to miss the lunch crowd. We sat outside and were immediately prompted to use a QR code to look at the menus. I don’t carry a cell phone with me (thus the lack of pictures this time around), but they do have paper menus if you ask for them.
I had the smoked brisket nachos ($20), which came with “smoked Brandt farm beef brisket, housemade nacho cheese sauce, house crema, pickled jalapenos, pico de gallo, fresh guacamole, cilantro.” They sounded better than they were. There was nothing wrong with the nachos per se, I liked them well enough, but the beef had a discordant flavoring that clashed rather than complement them. The guacamole was pretty good, however. It was a large portion and I had looked forward to eat the leftovers. Unfortunately, the dog got to them before I could.
Maximillian was luckier. He got the blistered shishito peppers and loved them, he ended up eating every last one of them – I, personally, don’t like peppers. He was also quite fond of the duck carnitas tacos ($19). I’ve had these in the past and didn’t feel the duck meat stood up to the other flavors, but maybe it’s time for me to try them again.
As I mentioned, I don’t recall any of the dishes I had before enough to explain what underwhelmed me about them. One exception are the chilaquiles verde ($18.5) from their brunch menu. It’s a vegetarian dish with corn tortillas, refried beans, tomatillo salsa, onions, eggs, avocado, queso fresco, crema and cilantro. Here, I felt that the tortillas were too crisp, that there wasn’t enough salsa and that the flavors weren’t quite there. However, afterwards I kept craving them. I tried to make some myself, but all my hatches were very unsuccessful. I’ll have to have them again and figure out what exactly the deal with that is.
I have no doubt that I’ll go to Sons of Liberty again for the reasons I mentioned. I just wish they would get some energy going, spruce up their menu and introduce new dishes from time to time, and figure out how they can add those extra elements of flavor that I crave.
Sons of Liberty Alehouse San Leandro Plaza 150 W Juana Ave San Leandro, CA (510) 352-7652 M-W 12 - 9 PM Th 12 - 10 PM F-Sa 12 - 11 PM Su 10 - 9 PM
Living in San Leandro, I have easy access to a lot taquerías, so it’s probably not surprising that it took me years to finally try Chipotle – which has been occupying the old Copymat space in downtown San Leandro for over a decade now. I finally did several years ago (and you can read my review of their quesadilla), at my daughter’s urging, and I wasn’t impressed. Still, she likes it, so we get it once in a while. My last order reminded me of why it’s not more often.
Chipotle has an easy online ordering system, which allows you to customize your order, and it’s usually ready before you can get to the store. Their prices vary significantly between locations – with the Chipotle in San Leandro having some of the highest prices in the nation. Alas, they haven’t gone up as much as prices at other taquerías. Chipotle has its own frequent user club that allows you to very slowly accumulate points that you can exchange for free food. After this order, I’ll be able to get some free tortilla chips. Yippy (/s).
I ordered a steak burrito ($12.50) with cheese, sour cream and tomatillo-green chili salsa. As usual, I skipped the rice and beans. I was disappointed. Not only was the burrito fairly small, but it was cold. That’s because the cheese, sour cream and salsa are all added cold and very quickly cool down the beef. I suspect the tortilla is not steamed hot before serving it either. I was able to microwave it and melt the cheese as I was eating it at home – but I’m not sure if you’re given that option if you eat it at the restaurant.
I wasn’t thrilled by the flavor either. The tomatillo-green chili salsa was very strong and pretty much overwhelmed all other flavors. The burrito was too salty as well. The meat, cut into cubes, was OK but not particularly flavorful or tender.
In all, there isn’t much to recommend these burritos, other than the fact that I can order them online – unlike the much better ones at Taquería Los Pericos, half a block away.
I also got a large guacamole ($5.90) and a regular order of tortilla chips ($2.10). There are more than enough chips in the regular order to consume the guacamole – and this way I saved 65 cents over the “large guacamole and large chips” item. Yes, I know, it’s not much, but I hate giving any extra money to large corporations.
The guacamole was quite good. It was a little salty, but it tasted quite fresh. The chips are pretty light, a tad greasy, but good as well. Still, they do seem to be on the expensive side given that taquerias usually serve them for free.
My daughter got the chicken al pastor burrito bowl ($11.75), which she gets with extra black beans, extra cheese, extra rice, extra lettuce and extra sour cream. She really likes it, and given that she’s not a huge meat eater it works out well for her. A bowl can work out to two meals if she’s not particularly hungry.
In all, Chipotle is a mixed bag. It works out for my daughter but not for me. I prefer Los Pericos and other local taquerias, but I do like their convenient ordering method. I don’t like that they prompt you to tip for a take out order – but that’s become standard nowadays.
Chipotle 1505 E 14th St San Leandro, CA (510) 667-1003 Daily: 10:30 AM–11 PM
A not-so-great meal at this usually reliable Vietnamese restaurant
Last Sunday, my oldest daughter graduated from college – and them promptly left for a camping trip with her father. My other daughter had plans with her boyfriend, leaving my friend Elektra and I to celebrate the graduation on our own. I suggested lunch at Lotus Leaf for the most trivial of reasons: it has parking. Finding parking in downtown San Leandro on a Sunday which also happened to be Father’s Day can be pretty challenging.
Beyond parking, Lotus Leaf tends to be a pretty dependable place for lunch. It’s nicely appointed, it’s one of those “Asian bistros” that appeared in California in the early ’00s, offering classy, minimalist and yet still somewhat-ethnic decore and nicely presented dishes, and a comfortable place for a nice-but-not-extravagant meal. You could have a business meal here, a celebration or just a casual lunch. I’d been several times in the last year or two, precisely for this reason and because the food is generally very solid. They also have an extensive vegetarian menu. After this experience, however, I doubt I’ll be rushing back.
First, service was problematic. The waiter was a young man who seemed to have very little experience serving tables. He forgot my drink, our main dishes came only a few minutes after our appetizers had arrived, he never checked on us and we had to chase him to get us the bill. Of course, this was Father’s Day, so perhaps he was covering for someone else – and he was pleasant.
We started with the grilled lemongrass pork spring rolls ($10.5), which are served with peanut sauce. These were very good. The lemongrass pork itself was very flavorful, and it went well with the lettuce, mint, lemongrass and carrots. The peanut sauce was also very flavorful. I’m not a fan of bean sprouts myself, but I didn’t mind them in these rolls. These, I’d order again.
More problematic was my grilled beef short ribs with pineapple rice ($18). The ribs were very tasty, they had a good marinade with bold flavors. Unfortunately, they were extremely chewy and fatty. That meant that I couldn’t eat much of it. The pineapple rice had such tiny pieces of pineapple that you couldn’t taste it at all, it was just bland. And the same can be said for the vegetables. I was left hungry, which I shouldn’t have been given the hefty price of the meal.
My friend Elektra had the ginger salmon ($16.5), which also came with pineapple rice and steamed veggies. She agreed with me as to the sides, and liked the sauce on the salmon. However, it was dried and overcooked. It was also too small a portion to warrant the price.
Elektra had a fresh squeezed limeade ($5.5) which she liked, as it wasn’t very sweet.
In all, we were disappointed, with so many other restaurants in San Leandro, I don’t think we’ll rush to Lotus Leaf again, unless we have a vegetarian on tow.
Lotus Leaf 277 Parrott St San Leandro, CA (510) 877-2601 M-Th 9 AM - 9 PM F-Su 9 AM - 9:30 PM
This ready-to-eat serviced has changed its model and no longer delivers restaurant-made dishes.
Note, as of March 2025, Locale has ceased to exist as a service that delivers ready-to-heat meals produced by local restaurants. Instead, it’s moved to a new model of producing its own meals.
Old/outdated review
Locale is a new-to-me meal delivery service operating in several areas in California. Their hook is that the meals come from well known restaurants in the area and that at $11 each, plus $5 delivery fee, they are more affordable than actually getting take out. They are priced, however, to compete with other similar services like CookUnity and Shef. They only deliver on Mondays, but you are able to order up to the Friday before, which gives you far more flexibility than the other services. I first subscribed to Locale with a discount offer I found on Facebook and later got a discount for a second and third week. Since then, I’ve paid full price on the weeks when I’m subscribed. Due to their limited offerings, however, I don’t usually order from there every week and instead I alternate between them and Shef.
Some of the meals are the same that what you can get at restaurants, but others seem to be particularly prepared for Locale and may be smaller than the restaurant offerings. Most are perfectly portioned, however.
Locale’s website is sparse but it’s easy to use. You can only order one week in advance and you can decide how many meals you want to order each week. You can also pause the service quite easily.
Like the other services, meals come in an insulated bag, this one with cooling packs, and they will pick them up when they deliver your next order. They are very diligent about texting you with updates on delivery.
Each meal comes in a cardboard tray, sealed with a transparent plastic film. The meals are usually good for 5 to 6 days, which gives you some flexibility on when to eat them. Most can be microwaved, but some need more laborious heating.
You can’t really see how many restaurants Locale has available to you until you sign up, but I was disappointed both on how few there were for me in the East Bay – and how few dishes each restaurant offered. In all, they only had 23 restaurants available now (down from 29 when I first signed up) and several only offered 1 to 3 different dishes. Those who had more often presented different variations of the same dish (e.g. the same dish but offered with chicken or beef). They also have a very limited selection of vegetarian dishes – my vegetarian daughter could only find a couple she was interested in. All in all, Locale wouldn’t work as your weekly delivery service unless you always want to eat the same thing, or have very eclectic tastes and just like everything.
Locale asks you to tip drivers, but I haven’t felt compelled to do so as they are not offering a personalized service – drivers deliver to multiple people in a pre-set, optimized route.
These are the restaurants I ordered from and the dishes I got. Those dishes that I’d order again have a checkmark.
Asian Box is a small chain with seven restaurants in SF and Silicon Valley, including one at the airport, and one in LA. They specialize in “choose your ingredients” bowls (but in rectangular containers, thus called “boxes”), where you choose a base (e.g. rice or salad), a protein, toppers (e.g. peanuts or pickles) and a sauce. Boxes start at $14 and go up depending on your protein, they also have some “signature boxes” at varying prices. Locale offers 4 boxes from Asian box.
Chicken Curry Bowl with Potatoes and Jasmine Rice ✔
This dish was described as having comes rice, six-spice chicken, potatoes, carrots and yellow coconut curry and being topped with herbs, scallion oil, peanuts and shallots but instead of the “herbs and scallion oil” it came with a spicy red sauce which might have been the “fiery red curry”. The bowl was very good. The star of the show was the six-spice chicken, which did remind me of five-spice but also had a nice acidic flavor and tasted grilled. It was just very good. The yellow curry was a standard coconut curry, a bit on the spicy side and competent but not great. The portion give was just enough to moisten the chicken, rice and potato – so make sure to scrape it all off. The peanuts were chopped too finely to add much texture, but the occasional piece of shallot gave it a nice crunch. The portion made for a filling dinner. I’d certainly have it again. This same dish sells at the restaurant for $15.50
The Chef Curry Clutchtime Special with Six-Spice Chicken and Yellow Coconut Curry
The chicken was tasty enough, and the yellow curry was fine, but there was too little chicken and too much rice – the dish just wasn’t well balanced. I don’t think I’d get it again.
Burma Classic is a Burmese restaurant with locations in San Francisco and Santa Clara. Locale offers 7 dishes from this restaurant.
Chili Lamb over Wok Tossed Onionswith Jasmine Rice and Steamed Broccoli ✔
This dish was delicious but spicy! The lamb cubes had a great chili sauce/marinade, which enhanced the flavor of the lamb without masking it. Unfortunately it was too spicy for me, but perfect for my husband. Would definitely order again. This dish is $19 at the restaurant.
Mango Chicken over Jasmine Rice with Steamed Broccoli
This was a boring dish. The chicken was slightly sweet, but wasn’t otherwise bursting in flavor. The rice was just rice. There was nothing wrong with it, but it wasn’t something I’d crave.
Mint Chicken with Coconut Rice and Steamed Broccoli ✔
I had Burma Superstar’s version of this dish before, and while I think I preferred it, this was also quite good. Once again, the key is to eat the chicken and the rice together. The chicken is slightly sweet, doesn’t have a strong minty flavor, but works great with the sweet coconut rice. I’d order it again.
Burma Superstar opened its original location in San Francisco in the ’70’s and has since opened locations in Oakland, Alameda and other places in the Bay. They serve their own version of Burmese cuisine, with greater-than-usual influences of Thai, Chinese and other cuisines. They get fairly good reviews.
Mint Chicken with Coconut Rice and Steamed Broccoli ✔
I didn’t get this dish until I mixed the chicken with the coconut rice. The chicken itself is rather prosaic, it’s spicy, slightly sour and sweet with only a subtle minty flavor. The coconut rice, however, is delicious – not unlike the sweetened sticky rice you get when you order a “sticky rice with mango” dessert at a Thai restaurant. Together, the rice and chicken were very good. It was a good portion. It sells for $20.50 for takeout in SF and $25 at the Oakland and Alameda restaurants, so it’s a great deal.
La Palma is a small restaurant chain in Southern California which gained famed when the Michelin guide gave it its “Bibi Gourmand” designation in recognition of its Zacatecan style burritos, which seem to be tortillas rolled around meat and salsa, with no other additions. They’ve become famous enough to sell their burritos frozen through Goldbelly. Locale is now offering 4 different types of burritos.
2 Birria y Queso Burritos with Crema and Salsa Verde ✔
Despite the fact that I’m still unhappy that Locale has decreased the number of La Palma burritos you get from 3 to 2, I still ordered this again as it’s one of the few things my daughter will eat from here. She was happy with them and did like them with the sour cream. Alas, the second time I ordered them, they forgot to add the sour cream.
2 Burritos de Birria and Refried Beans with Guajillo Pepper Salsa
I didn’t look carefully when I made this order, and I thought I’d be getting 3 birria and refried beans burritos. Instead I only got 2 burritos and a small pot of refried beans and another of salsa. My daughter was disappointed, she wanted the refried beans in the burrito – so she had to spoon them in every couple of bites. She liked them, but not enough to order again – particularly given that there are just two of them. She didn’t try the salsa.
3 Birria y Queso Burritos
Two of the three burritos – delicious!
Quesobirria tacos are all the rage in California these days, and I can see why this burrito version has become so popular. I loved the softness and elasticity of the tortilla after microwaving it. The filling was tasty, and the cheese worked well to mellow the strong flavors of the birria. My daughter also really liked them, so much so that we’ve ordered them three times already. The burritos are $5 each at the restaurants, so you were getting a small discount ordering through here (plus you don’t have to go to LA to get them).
Alas, they are no longer offering the three burrito meal. They are now only offering two burritos, which makes it a much worse deal.
3 Tinga, Potato y Queso Burritos
We’ve ordered these twice and my daughter has liked them quite a bit, though not as much as the quesobirria ones. Alas, like with the quesobirria ones, Locale no longer offers three burritos, but only 2.
Green Chile and Cheese Tamales ✔
This portion came with two tamales, which was very little for the price, but I was actually quite pleased with them. The flavor was there, there was enough filling and while the salsa verde was spicy, it was fresh and tasty.
Tikka Masala over Birria Burritos with Pulled Birria ✔
I’ve already complained about how Locale has changed their offerings of burritos from La Palma from three to two, and I wouldn’t have ordered them again except that this version, which included tikka masala sauce, caught my eyes. The reviews were pretty positive – and I’m a fan. Not necessarily of the combination, but of the tikka masala sauce. It’s just perfect. It tastes exactly how restaurant-quality tikka masala sauce should taste. This begs the question of where Locale is getting their tikka masala sauce – it didn’t taste at all like the one of Zareen, the only Indian restaurant they have in this area.
The birria burritos worked quite well with the tikka masala sauce mostly because they did not compete against it. They provided the substance of the dish, while the sauce provided the flavor. I would order it again, but then again, I’d probably order anything that came with that sauce again.
Comal is a well known Mexican restaurant with locations in both Oakland and Berkeley. It’s a favorite place for events, and we’ve gone to a few there. I’ve very much enjoyed their tacos in the past. Locale offers 7 different meals from Comal, 3 bowls and 4 burritos.
Carnitas Burrito with Pinquito Beans, Rice and Salsa Verde ✔
My daughter enjoyed this burrito. The carnitas were flavorful and the whole combination worked well. It was a pretty substantial meal, which my daughter couldn’t finish. Burritos retail for $13.75 at Comal, but they didn’t list this particular one, so it might be a cheaper version than their normal semi-gourmet offerings.
Mexican Style Grilled Chicken Bowl with Pinquito Beans, Red Rice, and Crema ✔
My daughter was quite happy with this bowl and would have it again.
Dumpling Time has five locations in the Bay Area. They specialize in Chinese dumplings. They only offer one or two dishes through Locale. The one we got is no longer available.
Dim Sum and Garlicky Green Beans with Wakame Seaweed Salad ✔
This dish consisted of one pork bao (aka pork bun), 2 shrimp & pork siu mai and 2 shrimp har gow served with green beans and sea weed salad. Unfortunately, it’s no longer being offered by Locale (nor is this combo in he menu at Dumpling Time). My husband really liked this offering and would have liked it again but it’s no longer available.
El Farolito is a run of the mill taqueria in San Francisco, best known (in Yelp, at least) for its cheap burritos. They offer three quesadillas through Locale.
Mission Style Chicken Quesadilla with Crema and Salsa
This was an overall good quesadilla. It had a nice taste and it was more flavorful than I expected. The portion was probably the right size for lunch. However, I wouldn’t order it again. The first issue was the heating. It requires that you take out a pan, melt a tablespoon of butter and then heat up the quesadilla for a minute on both sides. This gives you a crispy tortilla, but the heat doesn’t go through enough to melt the cheese. I fixed this by microwaving for an extra 30 seconds. I didn’t like, however, that I had to dirty a saucepan to heat this up. I do take responsibility for not reading the heating instructions before I ordered it, they were right there on the page. I also didn’t like that it came with a green sauce instead of guacamole. Price was, it was a tad cheaper than what I can get at my local taquería for a similar size quesadilla, but I can choose steak and get guacamole if I order it there, which I prefer.
This is a soul food restaurant with two locations in San Francisco which seems to get mostly good reviews. Locale only offers this dish and mac & cheese from this restaurant.
Southern Style BBQ Pork Rib with Collard Greens and Mac and Cheese
This consisted of just one spare rib with BBQ sauce, mac & cheese and collard drinks. My daughter enjoyed both the rib and the mac & cheese, she felt they were very good – she didn’t try the greens. It was enough food for her, but she is a girl who can never finish any meal – it really should be two ribs to satisfy a normal appetite. She wouldn’t have it again, however, because most of the meal was the mac & cheese and it wasn’t good enough to be a whole meal. The dish is $21 at the restaurant, but it looks like they serve at least 3 ribs.
Hawaiian Drive Inn seems to be a 5-location Hawaiian BBQ chain in the Bay Area, serving standard Hawaiian BBQ fare.
Hawaiian Chicken Katsu with Steamed Rice and Green Beans
This was a pretty average Hawaiian BBQ chicken katsu, and there is nothing wrong with that. The green beans, however, lacked all seasoning. The heating instructions also had us using the oven for the chicken and the microwave for the beans which is too much trouble – we just heated the whole thing (minus the sauce) in the microwave. The portion size was similar to the mini-meal size at my local Hawaiian joint which is $12, so this is not a great deal.
Teriyaki Chicken over Garlic Noodles
Another very average Hawaiian meal. The chicken lacked flavor and it didn’t come with additional teriyaki sauce. The noodles were OK, but as flavorful as those by other restaurants. The broccolini was OK but it was cut into tiny bits that made it hard to eat. In all, not a dish I’d order again.
Homeroom is a restaurant, with locations in Berkeley and Oakland, which specializes in mac & cheese. I’ve never been as I don’t eat mac & cheese – but my husband has taken my oldest daughter many times. They serve vegan mac in addition to the regular kind. He is not a fan himself, however. Locale offers three flavors of non-vegan mac & cheese.
Homeroom’s Famous Classic Mac
I got this for my younger daughter and she liked it even better than Kraft’s – the first time she got it. The second time, she didn’t like it at all. She found the flavor too strong, almost as if t had blue cheese. My husband tried it and thought it was very rich. The portion isn’t huge, but she’s not a big eater so it worked well for her (the second time she abandoned it midway). Their classic mac & cheese is $12 at the restaurant.
Koi Palace is a local chain of restaurant serving Hong Kong style cuisine and specializing in dim sum, Canton-style seafood, roast meats and wok-fired dishes.
They offer five dishes through Locale, in different combinations of pork buns, siu mai, dumplings and noodles.
Chicken and Mushroom Buns
These were a dud. They had too much dough, the dough was tough and the filling had a very weird, chewy texture. It also wasn’t very tasty. My husband ate one, and gave me the other one as he didn’t like it.
Dim Sum and Noodles Bento Box with House-made Noodles and Wok-Tossed Green Beans ✔
Another winner from Koi Palace. This dish came with delicious garlic noodles and nice sauteed green beans. The dumplings were all good, including the siu mai which we hadn’t had before. My husband would definitely want this again.
Imperial Dim Sum Plate ✔
This consisted of two steamed BBQ pork buns and threepork Peking dumplingsserved with sweet potato glass noodles, mushrooms, and cabbage. The pork buns were pretty standard, nothing remarkable about them. My husband had the usual complaint that there was too much bun and not enough pork. He liked the Peking dumplings more. It was hard to tell what the filling was, but he enjoyed them. The noodles, however, were the star of the dish – though they felt quite heavy (not surprising given that they’re made of sweet potato). He’d have the whole dish again.
This dish is no longer available through Locale and they don’t have a similar combo on their online menu.
Lale is a “family owned Mediterranean-Turkish tapas bar” which serves brunch every day.
Turkish Style French Toast with Maple Syrup and Whipped Cream
I love French Toast but this one was just OK. Don’t get me wrong, “just OK” French toast is pretty good, but it wasn’t as good as the one my husband makes for me (his secret is mascarpone cheese and sourdough bread). The portion of three large pieces of French toast was generous, and they came with butter, whipped cream and maple syrup. The French toast had some savory hints, though nothing I could identify. It’s supposed to have ricotta inside, but I didn’t see it – it could have melted, though. I wouldn’t order it again, but I did enjoy it. The dish sells for $15.5 at restaurant
Mela Bistro prides itself on serving “Modern Ethiopian Food”. From its website, I can see that the restaurant forgoes the traditional art and trappings from many local Ethiopian restaurants and it has more sleek surroundings. The menu is short and filled with traditional items. That said, this is the one restaurant we are happy Locale introduced us to and the one we re-ordered from our second week.
Ethiopian Style Beef Tibs with Brown Rice and Green Split Peas ✔
This was a very good version of beef tibs. Flavor wise, it was pretty much on point for beef tibs but it felt less greasy than usual – quite an achievement for a dish cooked in ghee. It was medium spicy. It’s served with turmeric rice. This dish is $18 at the restaurant, so it’s actually quite a bargain to get it through Locale. The portion was enough for one meal without leftovers.
Ethiopian Beef Stir Fry with Spiced Turmeric Rice ✔
These seem to be just beef tibs, but served with turmeric rice instead of brown rice and split peas. Once again, they were very tasty, only a bit spicy, and less greasy that beef tibs usually are. Once again my husband was happy. It was a good sized portion. He thought the rice was fine, but would probably get it with the brown rice and peas next time for a somewhat healthier option.
NomNom Burger is a burger joint with locations in LA and San Francisco which specializes in smash burgers.
Smash Burger on a Brioche Bun ✔
I have been a latecomer to smash burgers. I don’t know if I had one at a restaurant before, but I did get one from Sumac on Locale a few weeks back. It was a failure. Still, I was still curious so I decided to order what is essentially the same dish from NomNom Burger when I saw it listed. It made me wonder if either burger was made by the restaurants listed.
This time, the smash burger was much better, however. I have to wonder if the difference came in different heating instructions – I’ll confess I don’t recall those from the earlier time. This time you had to heat the patty with cheese by itself in the microwave, toast the bun and then assemble the burger. The results were pretty good. The meat was very well seasoned, had a strong caramelized flavor and even reminded me of lamb. Mike liked it too.
The potato salad was just as plain – it tasted of dill and nothing else.
Noodle Belly was a Filipino restaurant in Fruitvale which opened during the pandemic and closed down a year later. They are now apparently doing pop ups and selling through Korner Kitchen, though it’s not clear exactly when or how. Locale has four of their dishes, consisting of a meat (chicken, shrimp or steak), garlic noodles and a veggie (green beans or broccolini). I’m sad to say that Locale no longer offers food from Noodle Belly.
Hoisin Chicken and Broccolini with Garlic Noodles ✔
The smell of the broccolini was a bit off putting but the whole dish was good, very tasty. My husband really wanted to avoid the carbs in the noodles, but they were so good he couldn’t resist them. He’d order this again.
While I couldn’t find a current price for this dish, it was selling for $20 in 2022-23, which makes it a very good deal now (but super expensive otherwise).
Steak and Garlic Noodles
My husband was disappointed on this dish. While it was flavorful, there were only five or so slices of meat. The garlic noodles were tasty, but they had a little bit too much soy sauce, making them a little bit too salty and a little bit too bitter, in other words, taste a little bit too much of soy sauce. We’d probably not get this dish again, so it’s just as well that Noodle Belly is no longer available through Locale.
Peaches Patties is a Jamaican restaurant operating from the Ferry Building in San Francisco. The owner previously ran a catering business. It specializes in Jamaican patties, which is their version of empanadas. They get great reviews from these, but they are not available on Locale. They have a few other dishes, including two new ones that don’t appear on their menu. Locale has four dishes from this restaurant.
Jamaican Rustic Mushroom Patty with Fried Plantains and Mixed Veggies
I was glad to see that Peaches Patties actually added a patty to their dishes available though Locale. I love mushrooms and overall liked this mushroom patty. Like the name implies, it is pretty rustic. The pastry dough is thick, soft and somewhat flaky. The sort of dough you’d use for a pot pie. It was slightly peppery, slightly salty (more baking soda than salt flavor), but it grew on me. The mushrooms were a tad overcooked – perhaps my fault in reheating. They did have a good flavor.
I was less fond of the fried plantains, which were too starchy (they are plantains after all), and not soft enough for my taste. The sweetish taste just didn’t go with the savory of the pie – but they weren’t sweet enough to constitute a dessert.
I was also not thrilled that to reheat this dish I had to bake the patty for 10 minute in a 350F oven – turning the oven in the summer is a big no-no for me. Instead, I reheated it for 8 minutes at 320F in the air fryer. I’m not sure if that messed up the consistency of either the dough or the mushrooms – which were a tad rubbery. The vegetables and plantains require reheating in the microwave.
In all, I’m not sure I’d order this again. This dish sells for $16.50 at their location in the Ferry building, so it’s a good deal here.
Ginger Tamarind Chicken with Fried Plantains, Kidney Beans and Jasmine Rice
This dish was described as featuring “tender chicken infused with bold ginger and tangy tamarind, served alongside crispy fried plantains and fragrant jasmine rice.” I can’t say it was a success. The chicken was tender, but the thigh meat felt dry. I usually like sweet-savory flavors, but the sweetness here felt out place, it fought, rather than blended with, the spiciness and the smokiness. My favorite part were the pieces of the chicken that tasted charred, unfortunately there were few of them. I usually don’t mind soggy chicken skins, but I felt this one could be crispier. The plantains were definitely not crispy either and they needed more sweetness. I don’t know, this just didn’t do it for me and I wouldn’t order it again. While this dish is not on Peaches Patties current menu, a similar jerk chicken meal that also includes veggies sells for $20.
Perilla is a casual Vietnamese restaurant in San Francisco. It offers a couple of dishes through Locale, consisting of garlic noodles or rice, broccoli and a protein, recently pork, crab or five spice chicken. At the restaurant, these dishes are priced at $14.
Five Spice Chicken with Garlic Noodles and Broccoli ✔
This dish was pretty good, the boneless chicken was was sweet and savory with light soy sauce overtones, and the noodles were quite good, not too garlicky. My daughter, who had it, enjoyed it and would have it again. The portion was more than sufficient for dinner, though not quite enough to have much in the way of leftovers.
Pork Garlic Noodles with Steamed Broccoli ✔
Very similar to the chicken dish, it had nicely marinated pork strips and garlic noodles. The pork was tasty, with only a couple of fatty pieces. The noodles needed a bit more flavor this time, but they were satisfying. There was plenty of food and I’d eat it again.
Sumac describes itself as a “modern Mediterranean street food” restaurant and has locations in both LA and SF. They serve wraps, salads, rice bowls and hummus bowls with your choice of grilled chicken, meatballs, red lentil balls or felafel. Seven of these combinations are available at Locale.
Beef and Lamb Gyro Bowl ✔
I enjoyed this dish, though the parsley salad was a bit much. I understand and approve of a little bit of parsley, abut a whole salad with parsley as its main ingredient just does not make sense. The meat, however, was nicely spiced and it went well with the rice and the tzatziki sauce.
Chicken Hummus Bowl with Roasted Veggies ✔
Both my husband and I loved this bowl of grilled chicken, roasted veggies and hummus. – so much that we had it a second time. The chicken was tender and well seasoned, and worked well both by itself or dipped in the hummus. It was a little weird to eat warm hummus, though. Next time I might scoop it out before reheating. My husband was actually surprised at how much he liked the veggies, but we both skipped the pickled beets. The restaurant version sells for $21, but it also comes with an arugula salad.
Meatball Hummus Bowl with Roasted Potatoes ✔
This was a satisfying dish. The meatballs are nicely spiced, and while having warm hummus is a bit weird, it sort of works. I need to remember to only reheat the meatballs next time. The potatoes were fine.
Smash Burger on a Brioche Bun with Caramelized Onions and Potato Salad
I should have known better than to order a burger to reheat later – but I hadn’t had a burger in a while and I was in the mood for one. Not this one, though. When fresh, it might be good – though with a thin patty cooked medium, I wouldn’t guarantee it. Reheated in the microwave it tasted like every other frozen, microwave burger out there – which is not good, not good at all.
The potato “salad” consisted of boiled potatoes with something acidic (lemon juice) and enormous amounts of dill. I found it inedible – and so did the dog.
I’d definitely not get this again.
Turkish Kofte Bowl with Basmati Rice and Chickpea Salad ✔
These are lamb and beef shoulder meatballs served with rice, chickpea salad and a labneh sauce. The same bowl sells for $18 at the restaurant. This was a good, filling and satisfying meal. The meatballs had that chewy texture of kibbeh – I think it’s achieved by over grinding the meat -, which I’m not super fond of, but they were well seasoned and very tasty. The buttered basmati rice reminded me just how nice buttered basmati rice is on its own. The chickpea salad was fresh and piquant, and I enjoyed it even though I’m not a fan of chickpeas. And the yogurt sauce was thick and refreshing. Everything was slightly spicy, however, But overall a very good meal that I’d have again.
Turkish Red Lentil Wrap with Tabouli and Herb Labneh Sauce
I got this for my vegetarian daughter and she found it edible but unexciting. It was a good portion, at least (the photo shows just half a wrap). She probably wouldn’t order it again. It sells for $16.50 at the restaurant.
Tenderleaf (Ghost Kitchen)
Tenderleaf is described as a “a beloved Bay Area gem, is a cozy, locally-owned restaurant” located in San Francisco. As far as I can tell, that is a lie. A google search failed to find any restaurant with that name anywhere in the Bay Area, much less a “beloved one”. Instead, it seems that Tenderleaf is a ghost kitchen operated by the owners of Locale. To me, this seems extremely deceitful. I don’t have a problem with ghost kitchens myself, but I do have a problem with dishonesty.
The address that Google has for Tenderleaf is in the San Leandro industrial area, and I’ll probably drive by and check it out some time.
Tenderleaf offers 9 dishes through Locale, the most of any restaurants.
Mom’s Meatballs in Marinara Sauce with Italian Sausage and Parmesan
This dish consisted of four medium-size meatballs and 2 sausages, topped with tomato sauce and a little Parmesan cheese. I warmed it in the microwave. There was definitely plenty of food. I liked the meatballs. They tasted very much like the meatballs you can get at your average pizzeria – I’m thinking of Porky’s Pizza Palace in particular. They had a good texture, they weren’t too soft and not too gritty, and a nice flavor. I would imagine that these are not “homemade”, but it’s not like I can get meatballs that taste like that at the supermarket. The sauce was pretty standard marinara, a little on the acidic side. A bit more cheese would have been better, but you can always add your own. I also liked the sausages, which were pretty dense, and smooth, and tasted primarily – but mildly – of fennel. Obviously this would have been better over some pasta, and next time I might just boil some myself.
Mom’s Sunday Sauce Rigatoni with Fennel Sausage and Meatballs
This dish consisted on rigatoni pasta with the meatballs and sliced sausages above. Surprisingly enough, the pasta was a complete fail. It was tough – more undercooked than al dente – and it just didn’t have a pleasant flavor. Normally pasta has a pretty neutral non-flavor, but this one was actually sort of dusty and just not tasty. The pasta and sauce were also too salty. I did enjoy the pieces of sausages and the meatballs were fine, but everything together was too salty.
Steak and Potatoes Plate with Rainbow Carrots and Chimichurri ✔
I was surprised at how good this steak was – often cooked steak doesn’t microwave well. Perhaps the key is to have it undercooked – this one was somewhere between rare and medium rare. It was flavorful, tender, free of fat and grizzle and the chimichurri sauce was bright and summery. All in all a winner.
The abundant potatoes were undercooked – they were fine but not as exciting as the meat. We’d probably order this again.
Trisara is an affordable Indo-Nepalese restaurant that gets 5-stars on Yelp. Unfortunately Locale only offers three of their dishes, the momos below and two biryianis.
Nepalese Chicken Momos with Steamed Broccoli ✔
My husband thoroughly enjoyed these momos – Nepalese dumplings – which were served with a tasty tomato chutney. They were tasty and comforting. The broccoli was just steamed, and he would have preferred it with some seasoning. Still, he’d order this again. The portion of 8 momos sells for $14 at the restaurant, but here you only get 5 momos and the broccoli.
I couldn’t find anything about “Vida Verde” which suggests to me it might be another ghost kitchen like Tenderleaf.
Steak and Fajitas Plate with Bell Peppers, Onions, Button Mushrooms and Chipotle Sauce
This was an OK dish of food, though not a great one. The beef was underseasoned and tough, with some grizzle. I don’t know what cut it was, but it wasn’t flank or skirt. The pepper, onions and mushroom medley was much better, though also slightly undersalted. I particularly liked the flavor of the mushrooms, but the whole thing was good – and there was a lot of it. The chipotle sauce was fine, but I think probably unnecessary. I don’t think I’ll get this again, as I really didn’t enjoy the beef.
Vik’s Chaat is a very well known Berkeley Indian restaurant. It’s a casual eatery, meant for college students. It’s been there for decades and has always been very popular. I went there once, over a decade ago, and I don’t remember loving it, but I didn’t write a review. Locale offers 3 dishes from Vik’s Chaat.
Tandoori Chicken with Spiced Chickpeas and Basmati Rice
This dish consisted of a chicken leg – separated into thigh and drumstick – served with basmati rice and spiced chickpeas. I wasn’t super fond of it. It tasted like the sort of tandoori chicken you can make it at home, in your own over, with tandoori masala. The masala sauce, which was a bit spicy, clung to the chicken, which I don’t particularly like. I much prefer the tandoori chicken found at most restaurants where the chicken skin has been died and the flavor has been absorbed by the meat, rather than resting on a marinade outside. Still, it wasn’t bad, just not as good as the Americanized versions of tandoori chicken you usually get at restaurants. It did remind me of why I didn’t like Vik’s when I went. A similar tandoor chicken dish at the restaurant which is served with dal, instead of chickpeas, and with naan and raita, costs $18.
Zareen’s, along with Burma Superstar, are the only restaurants Locale mentions on their Facebook ads and comments. This seems to be because they were listed in the 2020 Michelin guide. It’s an Indian/Pakistani restaurant with locations in Palo Alto, Redwood City and Mountain View. Locale offers 7 dishes from this restaurant, though two are tikka masalas and three spinach curries.
Chicken Tikka Masala with Basmati Rice ✔
I was underwhelmed by this dish the first time I had it. It consisted of shredded chicken tikka in a masala curry and yellow rice. The chicken was tender and had a nice smoky flavor but was otherwise very underseasoned. The sauce lacked the complexity you look for in a tikka masala sauce. It wasn’t bad, but it was underdeveloped. The second time I got it, it was much better. The sauce was just yummier and your typical tikka masala sauce.
This curry is $16.25 at the Zareen’s restaurant, though I’m not sure if the portion is the same size.
Grilled Chicken Boti ✔
I enjoyed this dish which is very similar to the chicken tikka masala. The chicken boti consisted of a grilled thigh torn into large pieces. It came with the masala sauce on the side, but you pour it on the chicken before heating it up. The sauce was pretty typical, the chicken was moist and it was overall an enjoyable meal. The portion was fine for one person without leftovers.
Paneer Tikka Masala with Basmati Rice ✔
I got this for my vegetarian daughter but ended up eating it myself. I liked it more than the chicken tikka masala. The paneer was spongy and slightly sweet and combined perfectly with the sauce and the rice. The sauce was pretty standard, but I think better than last time. The portion was substantial enough to leave me full. I’d get this again.
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