Sahib - Only When Everything Else Is Closed
Written: Apr 19 '03
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Pros: Sahib has a dirt cheap buffet.
Cons: The food at Sahib is boring - and you might get funky dreams.
The Bottom Line: Sahib Indian Cuisine isn't the "Best in the Bay" anymore.
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| megugrrrl's Full Review: Sahib India Cuisine |
Sahib is a "last resort" kind of place - it's handy if you were craving Indian food, it's cheap and filling - but it's also the kind of place you wouldn't bring your friends too. The food is just too average.
The Buffet
During the week, Sahib features a super cheap lunch buffet featuring 21 items. (All the salad bar items including the three types of salad dressing and croutons are counted as items. I counted.) There are probably four or five "entree" types, a masala here, dal there, chicken makhni, and saag (creamed spinach). There's a tray of dry tandoori chicken, and of course naan - on the soggy side. It's edible, but I would not recommend the buffet. ($6.95)
Regular Menu
The regular menu is better than the buffet, but not by much. The Sahib Special #1 for $15 bucks is a nice way to try a variety of things... with matter paneer (cheese cubes in creamed spinach), a sabzi masala, and lentil dal. It comes with a garden salad (avec red onions), basmati rice, naan, papadum, and raita. A dessert (gulab jamun or kulfi (ice cream) also show up at your table. Everything in the special is unimpressive, except for the fact that a few hours later, the combination of food led me to dream I was one of the X-Men working in a dental library. The Sahib Special #2, for $2 more is a little bit more exciting with four pieces of tandoori chicken and keema (ground lamb) kabab served on a hot sizzling plate, a chicken kabab masala (just like chicken tikka masala), and saag paneer (creamy spinach and cubes of cheese).
Both Sahib Specials are way too much food for any one person to eat on their own, so share it with someone.
The masalas (in the specials, buffet, and rest of the menu) are boring - not enough spice and the taste of salty tomato sauce reigns. The sauce pours flat and looks boring and unappetizing. The lamb dishes are generally a bit too oily and the dal is dull. (groan) Even the appetizers - pakoras (vegetable fritters), samosas, and papadum were greasy and heavy, although more flavorful than the entrees. The safest thing here is probably the tandoori chicken and keema kababs, which were packed with flavor, although the chicken could have been moister.
Interior
The interior has been neglected; it's dusty and gloomy. It's a casual place and you'll dine with a handful of Alameda locals. (The place never fills up.)
Service
Sure, they're warm and friendly, refill your water glass everytime it's just about empty, and ask you how your meal is, which makes it only more difficult to tell them it's bland and you wished you had ordered something else.
Verdict
Pass this place up for some other place.
Recommended:
No
Vegetarian Friendly: Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
megugrrrl
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Location: Oakland
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