Title: Indus Village
Author: GCS
Last saved by: ENU

Indus Village (Pakistani) in Berkeley, CA – update, lunch
Review date: July 2012
(previous reviews appended below)

Carlos and I prefer to go to certain types of restaurants for lunch without Inez. My MIL doesn't really enjoy Mexican food, for example; nor does she like Ethiopian injera, as she likes to eat her food with a knife and fork.

Nor does she enjoy the various spicy curries we love, with raita and naan. We haven't been back to Indus since 2010. We enjoyed the aggressive spicing, although some of it was too salty and a few dishes were on the scant side. 

After trying several other curry places, we had concluded that Indus was a small level below Kabana Afghani, which is only a block away. Indus has a much prettier dining room than Kabana (although Indus' bathrooms, which they share with their sister Indus Food Market, are on the marginal side), but Kabana's food was more skillfully balanced. 

But two years is a long time, so it was time to swing by again and see what time had wrought upon Indus.

There have been some minor changes since we were here last. Outside of the "combos", where you can choose any two of the curries which are served as a one-plate meal with rice and plain naan, everything is now a la carte. The black faux-leather upholstered Parsons chairs are much more comfortable than the brightly painted but very uncomfortable wooden chairs they have replaced. Chai is now 50 cents for a refill, which Carlos was sad about – he can easily drink five or six cups of it during a meal.

When the food came, we looked at it and wondered if Indus Village had changed hands. Even the appearance of the food had changed. The waitstaff is the same, however, and there's no mention of any ownership change in Google or Chowhound. Previously, even on the combos, the curries came in small oval gratin-style dishes. Now the a la carte entrees come in bowls or on oval platters, and the combos are also one-platter servings.

I picked a combo of tikka masala and palek paneer: tandoori chicken in a tomato cream gravy on one side of a modest amount of Basmati rice. The other end of the platter held a fresh chopped spinach gravy with good-sized cubes of the paneer, or fresh cheese. 

Carlos ordered one breast piece and two quarters of tandoori chicken, along with a side of briaz naan, naan with chopped onions inside. Both of us ordered separate dishes of raita, the yoghurt accompaniment we adore.

We were very pleased that the tandoori wasn't overcooked the way it was before. Now even the breast meat is juicy and tender. The briaz naan was slightly thicker than the plain naan, looking more like a flat cake with the chopped onions inside. The raita is watery but adequate, with a few vegetable shreds in a serving size about half what it used to be. 

What disappointed us was that Indus seems to have lost that vibrant, gutsy edge they used to have. My tikka masala was tasty, but so mild it was like a lightly spiced cream of Campbell's tomato soup. The palek paneer had better quality ingredients than before, but so little spicing it was simply bland.

We finished with cups of chai, which were okay but not remarkable. 

The price point is dirt-cheap, which is certainly appealing. But although we enjoyed our lunch, the excitement we felt when on our previous visits to Indus wasn't there any longer. The food is cleaner-tasting and slightly more generous, but the spicing is homogenized and bland in comparison to what it used to be. 

We don't have any objection to coming back here again, but frankly we're more excited that Kabana Afghani has opened a second restaurant a couple of blocks away from Indus, with a good-sized dining room. Once the initial rush dies down, we'll be going back to Kabana for a toe-to-toe comparison against Indus Village. It will be interesting to see who comes out on top.

Two people, lunch: one combo special, three tandoori items, three sides, two beverages, with tip was a very modest $32.

Indus Village in Berkeley (update)
Review date:  February 2010
(previous reviews appended below)

As we’re leaving on the first of our two March trips, we didn’t want to cook, hence the Layaly for lunch/Indus for dinner combo. With Inez off with her friends in SF, it was time for us to hit our favorite spicy food restaurant before heading off to the more standard bistro fare in Monterey and Carmel.

We’ve written before about the beef jalfrezi and chicken tikka masala, both of which we liked along with the onion naan and spinach-and-cheese-cube palek paneer. We had to restrain ourselves as the No Leftovers Rule was over our heads, so we compromised by trying one new dish, the special of beef nihaari. Carlos also ordered the tandoori chicken tikka and the goat curry, and I threw in the mixed vegetables.

Indus isn’t the world’s greatest ethnic restaurant, we admit. The vegetable curries are few in number, and like Messob they tend to overcook their meats. Their onion naan is excellent although not quite up to Breads of India’s gold standard. The chai is pleasant but not exceptional.

But they grab us every time with their spicy cooking. The beef nihaari special (there is a chicken version always on the menu) was the curry version of the Chinese Star Anise Beef – a nice little beef shank, meat falling-apart tender, in a thick gravy flavored with fresh ginger, star anise, and tomato paste. As many of their curries are dry curries, like the goat and mixed veggie dishes, it was nice to have something with gravy in which Carlos could swish the pieces of onion naan. 

We love their raita, too – it’s still the one of the very few ways Carlos will eat yoghurt. That and the bread tones down the saltiness of their dry curries, making for a gusty, earthy, and satisfyingly spicy meal.

Inez doesn’t like Indian food so we come here only when it’s just Carlos and me. Four dishes, two naan, two raita, two chai, with tip came to $33. These days that’s cheaper than a pizza!

Indus Village in Berkeley (update)
Review date:  August 2009  (first review appended below)

We went back to try a few new things. We were even more impressed this time.

Ordered the palek paneer (spinach and cheese cubes), beef jalfrezi (spicy beef strips with mixed bell peppers) and a goat curry, along with basmati rice, raita, and a fabulous onion naan. 

Washed it all down with cups of chai, which I really liked as it came unsweetened – I don’t like a lot of sugar in mine. The goat curry was mild young goat, with actual cubes of meat in the dish. The beef was fabulous – a different heat than the goat curry, with a fabulous mix of fresh spices, such as ginger, cassia bark and caraway seeds(!). 

If this place was closer to our house, I told Carlos we’d probably be eating here once a week. If only their chairs were more comfortable (sigh)! But the food is wonderful, aromatic and spicy-hot. We love it!

Three dishes, two sides, one raita, two chais, with tip came to only $35.

Indus Village 
1920 San Pablo Ave, Berkeley (no website)
Review date:  May 2009

Indus Village is just off University Avenue, and the Pakistani family runs the Indus Foods grocery store right next door. 

We love Indian food and although Ajanta on Solano is very good, we wanted to try some of the other places we keep passing by as we drive around Oakland/Berkeley.

Indus, a Pakistani restaurant, gave us great, earthy, spicy food. Carlos got the Masala Combo: Chicken Tikka Masala, Beef Jaffarezi, rice and naan. I got the Tandoori lamb chops, mixed vegetable curry, and a garlic naan (all a la carte). We also ordered a double order of raita, which we both love. 

The lamb chops were a touch too salty, and the waiter later apologized when I mentioned it as he was clearing plates. They were wonderful with the raita and naan, however. The vegetable curry was also excellent, a spicy tomato-based dry curry.

Carlos’ beef was tough, but the sauce on the chicken was absolutely wonderful, and we both gave it top marks. We were too full to want dessert, but multiple cups of hot chai satisfied our sweet tooth.

This place is way too spicy for Carlos’ mom, so we’ll only go when we’re by ourselves. But we will definitely be back! And it's cheap, cheap, cheap - the two of us stuffed ourselves for $47.