Welcome back to my blog and to a new restaurant review post! Today, I have a post regarding a San Francisco spot I will be sure going back to in the future, Tiya. Tiya is a “modern Indian” restaurant located in the Marina neighborhood of San Francisco on the corner of Scott and Lombard. Before we get into the post, I hope everyone is enjoying the summer months and getting outside as much as possible with the beautiful weather . It is so crazy how fast June flew by! Anyways, please make sure to check out my instagram for some cooking reels (chefwalkersworld) as well as my podcast on Spotify (rebranded to Pass the Frisbee, new episode out later this week) and I hope you enjoy this post!
Background:
Tiya opened on May 8th and is a concept from the Sarkar brothers, who have worked on another great indian restaurant in San Francisco, Rooh. While I have not been to Rooh myself, I have heard really good things. One of the Sarkar brothers, Sujan Sarkar, also runs another Indian restaurant in Chicago called Indienne which I have been dying to go to and is on my list of places to go in the future. Their goal with Tiya is to serve a modern Indian cuisine that “encapsulates the vibrant flavors of India” and their menu (both food and cocktails) is very experimental. It is meant to be a modern Indian eatery according to their website.They have a four course tasting menu that is super popular along with an a la carte menu as well. When we had the chance to dine there, we had the a la carte menu so I am looking forward to potentially going back to try the tasting menu. So now that a proper introduction has been made, lets get into the details!
First off, the interior of the restaurant is very vibrant and modern but not over the top, which gives it a nice vibe. When you first walk in, there are tables off to your right and then straight in front is a massive bar as well as more tables towards the back part of the restaurant. The lighting is dim but enough to allow for a chill vibe. Also, the wall paper is very colorful, filled with birds and flowers, which further adds to the good energy.Upon settling in, you immediately notice very attentive service as well as servers who know the details of the menu and what is good. The a la carte menu is perfectly sized with a half page for small plates and a half page for large plates. The cocktails are all named after things related to San Francisco. And the wine list is extensive. For food, our waiter recommended we get three to four small plates and three large plates for our party of four so that is basically what we did (plus a few editions). So here is what we ordered and what we thought:
Cocktails:
I had the chance to try the Embarcadero cocktail which is a mezcal based cocktail with banana, tangerine, apricot, and tarragon. It is inspired by the Farmers Markets of San Francisco that run year round. This drink was fruity and smoky which was a nice balance for the spices of the dishes. And I definitely got the farmers market aspect of it too which was nice.
Before I get into small and large plates, I just wanted to say that each and every one of their dishes and drinks is plated to perfection and truly brings a great level of art to the dish. The people working at Tiya have done a fabulous job figuring out a way to present food in a way that makes it super appetizing and appealing. This also allows for their dishes to shine on another level. Another great thing about each of these dishes was that they all had an incredible diversity of textures, which made each bite unique and fun.
Small Plates:
- Tandoori Avocado:
- The website description of this dish is: green chickpea hummus and a dosa crisp on their menu.
- the chickpea hummus had some fava beans that were left whole which added a great crunch and texture. There was a nice semi mashed avocado which was super fun. And The dosas was light and crispy, the perfect vessel to scoop. Overall a great way to start the meal
- Yogurt Chat:
- The website description of this dish is: strawberry, crispy potato, tamarind and mint. Based on this description, you expect a rainbow of flavors, from sweet, to earthy to starchy which is exactly what you get.
- This dish sounds weird at first but is perfectly balanced and the strawberries add the touch of sweetness that is needed to make this a well balanced dish.
- And again, the textures are just spot on, ranging from crispy to soft
- Paneer Bhurji Roll:
- The website description of this dish is: crispy kataifi and chili peanut chutney
- This was a very unique dish that again you would not consider ordering but the textures mixed with everything make it super flavorful.
- Hamachi Bhel
- The website description of this dish is: young millet, red onion, buttermilk soy kadhi
- This dish could have been one of the highlights of the night as it is not something you expect to get at an Indian restaurant but works really well.
Large Plates:
- Roasted Acorn Squash
- The website description of this dish is: bisi bele bhat, sambar, rice papad
- This was not originally on our list of what to order however our waiter recommended it to us and it turned into a highlight of the night. The squash was roasted perfectly and the rice was the perfect crunch. Everyone I was dining with went back for more of this because it was that good.
- Butter Chicken
- The website description of this dish: smoked red pepper makhani, fenugreek
- This was a dish we just had to get, being at an Indian restaurant and while it was not the standout dish of the night, it was a really solid butter chicken. The plating was again exceptional and this was quite good with rice as well as garlic naan.
- Gun Powder Sea Bass
- The website description of this dish: coconut and green mango curry, bay shrimp, courgette
- Again, you sometimes do not see fish at other Indian restaurants but Tiya has one and its excellent. The spice blend put on it is top notch. The green mango curry with coconut is sweet but not overpowering. And the shrimp provide a great different flavor.
Desserts:
I have no idea what was in these desserts unfortunately and the menu is not online. I was too focused on tasting and enjoying myself. However, the flavors and textures of each were quite different and good. Crisp, crunch, salty, sweet, and tart are all flavors you get in these desserts and they do not make you feel too full after which is great. Overall, after eating all this food, we felt satisfied but not like we ate too much as sometimes occurs after eating a lot of good Indian food.
Overall:
My experience at Tiya was incredible and exceeded my expectations. Going in, I had not done much research into what to expect (which is a little bit shocking for me with my usual preparation, I know). So this meant that I went in ready to enjoy and have a great experience which is exactly what had the chance to accomplish. I definitely want to go back to try to the tasting menu when I am back in San Francisco to see how that compares and which dishes that has on there (as well as seasonal ones). And this makes me want to try Indienne even more now because of how good Tiya’s food was. The flavors and plating were incredible. But what inspired me the most and made me think this is now a top restaurant in San Francisco were the textures of each dish and how many unique textures there were. This is the sign of good food and complexity, so great work Tiya team!
That is all for this weeks post. Stayed tuned for another podcast episode later this week discussing NBA Free agency and the Bear season three. I just binged watched all of season three and have lots of thoughts, so I am excited to record that for this coming weekend. Also as a Warriors fan, the start to free agency has been nothing but pain. For now that is all and Chef Walker Out 🫡
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