Clay Oven

This week we will be talking about Indian food and culture. According to the Encyclopedia of Food and Culture, Indian food is influenced by many people such as the Persians, Mongolians, and the British. Year-round their staple diet consists of meat, fish, rice, and vegetables. The types of meat they most commonly eat are chicken and mutton. Their diets change with every season. For example, in the summer, they eat food that is sweet and cold while in the winter they eat food that is greasy and hot (spicy). Not only do they eat specific foods during each season but they also use certain spices to go along with the food. In the wintertime, they use “heat-generating” spices to keep the body warm such as black pepper, cinnamon, cardamom, etc. In each Indian meal, it consists of 3 main foods. The meal is made out of a central starch, a mixture of vegetables, and dal (a purée of lentils). With each serving, you have the option of having yogurt, relishes, or chutneys on the side. As a dessert, you can have something that is sweet and savory. Some traditional Indian drinks you can have are lassi (a yogurt based drink), aam panna (raw mango juice), and jaljeera (tamarind juice with cumin seeds). With this background about Indian food and culture, I hope that you will someday want to try their food and learn more about them.

In San Francisco, one of the Indian restaurants my roommate and I like to go to is Clay Oven. The restaurant is located on 385 West Portal Avenue and .is easily accessible by Muni or car. The venue itself is small with a casual yet fancy dining area. In the back of the restaurant they have a small bar and a couple tables for the lunch buffet. When my roommate and I went to Clay Oven to eat for the first time, we went there for the buffet. The buffet is open daily from 11 to 2:30 with different food selections depending on the day of the week. On the day that we went, there were about 8 to 10 dishes at the buffet table. There were traditional Indian dishes such as chicken tikka masala, chicken vindaloo, dal, and tandoori chicken. Other than the main dishes, there was also rice, salad and an Indian dessert like kheer. When eating at the buffet, they give you unlimited naan (flat bread) to go with your food. But if you just want to order off the menu you have to pay for everything separately. Since we were there for the buffet, I ended up getting about 3 to 4 plates of food. I tried every dish they served and they were all delicious. The meat was juicy, the vegetables were fresh and each dish had the perfect amount of spiciness.

When I talked to my roommate Katerina, who had just tried Indian food for the first time, she told me that it was better than expected because she thought everything was going to be spicy. But, after eating at Clay Oven she said, “The food was very delicious! My favorite food was the chicken tikka masala with naan because it wasn’t spicy.” This experience Katerina had affected her opinions about Indian food and culture. Compared to other Indian restaurants I have been to I give Clay Oven a 3.5 out of 5 and Yelp gives it a 3.5 out of 5 as well. The casual atmosphere, moderate prices and well made dishes make this a great Indian restaurant for families as well as college students. I recommend this restaurant to everyone of all ages and those who are first timers or Indian food lovers. It is a great place to get a variety of traditional dishes for a great price.