Though Pioneer Boulevard in Artesia is known as Little india here in Los Angeles, there are
quite a few Indian restaurants on the westside. There are a number of restaurants and stores along Venice Boulevard in
the Culver/Palms area, and even just north in Westwood and Santa Monica. A recent visit was made to Akbar in Santa Monica, a restaurant with four other locations
in LA: Hermosa Beach, Pasadena, Third Street, and Marina Del Rey.
The restaurant is a little different from other Indian restaurants. The chef has a few of his own creations on the menu that go beyond the standard Indian restaurant items from the tandoori grill, chicken and lamb dishes like tikka masala and vindaloo, and vegetables like gobi aloo and benagn bharta. Last night, we tried something called chicken chutneywala, small pieces of chicken in a heavily minted sauce, and something totally brand new to me, gucchi, or mushrooms. Obviously, mushrooms are not new to me, but seeing them on an Indian menu was. The mushrooms were cooked in a heavy, nutty sauce that was mixed with fresh cilantro. I am not a huge fan of cilantro, but the mushrooms were delicious.
Some of the other little less usual menu items of note at Akbar: tamatter naan (naan stuffed with sun-dried tomatoes), cheese naan (naan stuffed with cheddar, mozzarella and parmesan cheeses), chicken aamras (chicken cooked in a mango sauce), and coco lamb (lamb cooked in a coconut-fennel sauce.
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