Clay Oven
78 East 3RD Ave
San Mateo, CA 94401
I am usually shy away from Indian food – because it tends to be on the spicy side and my stomach doesn’t always agree with the spiciness. Another reason.. OK, don’t take it the wrong way, but I tend to liking my food in a pretty bright color while I can see each ingredient – Indian food tends to hold a darker brown color to me each bite consists something I am not sure of and it could be too adventurous for me. 😛
But I do agree variety and to try new things. Plus I know BF likes Indian food – so I was determined to find good eats in this category.
There we decided to try an Indian restaurant in San Mateo – our goal was Bombay Garden although we didn’t seem having the luck finding it. So we landed on Clay Oven – where actually BF has eaten before (not a word he could give from memory about good or bad beforehand though).
Nice clean environment though quite small. This Clay Oven (yes they have other Clay Ovens in SF and other Bay Area places) has decoration on the darker side (yeah, my heart plunged a bit.. wasn’t there a research awhile back saying brighter colors enhance people’s appetite?) with strong spice smell (again, heart plunged a bit deeper). There we sat and decided to try the menu instead of the buffet.
Immediately we got the Papadum – the so famous Indian appetizer – thin like a piece of paper which honestly I loved the texture – I enjoyed the biting part very much. Along side were 3 chutney – mint, hot & sour tamarind, and one that seemed like some tomato stuff. I liked the sweet one (I think it’s the hot & sour tamarind) and BF enjoyed the mint chutney very much.
Papadum & Chutney
For the Entre BF had Chicken Tikka Kabab AND Chicken Do-Piaza. Last time we ordered the Chicken Tikka Kabab and “suffered” pretty severely from the “rubbery dry chicken” meat. BF had to give that another try (honestly it’s bad enough you’d think the chef went out for a break and they had the bus boy doing the dish..) but just for playing safe to have another chicken dish so he wouldn’t get starved like last time. 😛
Chicken Tikka Kabab
Chicken Tikka Kabab
Boneless chicken cubes, marinated in spices and cooked in he clay over a charcoal fire
Ratings: 4 out of 5
I really loved this dish, the chicken was tender and juicy and really tasteful. The veggies that came with were nicely saute but still had the freshness reserved – best of all, they still had the great veggies bright color! 😛 Comparing to the first time’s rubbery experience, I’d say this was such a drastic change (thank God the chef’s back!) and that was such a great dish. I was, though, a bit skeptical wanting to order that again and see if the quality stays.
Chicken Do-Piaza
Chicken Do-Piaza
Chicken cooked with stir fried onion, ginger, garlic, tomato and spices
Ratings: 3 out of 5
The second dish BF ordered to try was not bad… yeah, it did not contain too exciting color for me. 😛 Although again, it wasn’t bad. I liked the slight ginger taste in it. But I felt the combination of the spices did not really stand out – maybe that’s why it got only 3 out of 5 from BF. 🙂
So now may we go into what I ordered? Ahhhh I found my callings this time! I was lucked out, first time I tried this Prawn Goa Curry I was IN LOVE. OH have to mention that I also ordered Garlic Nan with it – that’s a must!
Prawn Goa Curry
King prawns cooked traditional Goanese style with coconut milk and spices
Ratings: 4 out of 5
Garlic Nan
Leavened bread stuffed with fresh garlic
Ratings: 4.5 out of 5
Garlic Nan & Prawns Goa Curry
OK gotta admit that, I LOVE garlic with starch – let it be garlic nan, garlic noodles, garlic bread… YUM!!! Honestly I have no idea what’s considered a good Nan, but I LOVE mine just fine. It’s soft and nicely baked – a bit thinner than a regular pita although I considered them quite similar. And the garlic – you can see their being minced and layered on top – not too much to be over powering but just gave the great taste of garlic. And let me tell you the prawn curry. The taste was divine! I believed it’s the yellow curry and the mix with the coconut. That is always my favorite. I wouldn’t say it’s the “king prawns” though that’s one thing I felt the menu was a bit misleading and I would probably prefer those little guys being cooked a bit less – could be more tender if you ask me. The curry sauce was PERFECT for the garlic nan – layer but no dip! I think the spices and the garlic created such a harmonic combination that’s just what my stomach needed! (Well, I feel hungry just now by thinking about it!)
So say Clay Oven was a success? Oh Ya!
Bodacious Eatin' Ideas 
Like a Phoenix – figuratively and quite literally – Clay Oven arose from the ashes of our last outing. Our first Chicken Tikka Kabob experience was like the proverbial “dinning on ashes”… the dish had the feel of old leather horse saddle left too close to a campfire. If you could manage to chip and hack your way deep enough to find anything resembling meat, it was dry, and devoid of taste.
I’ll admit that the only thing that compelled me to attempt a second visit to Clay Oven was GF’s remarkable experience with her Curry Prawns. In the spirit of ‘compromise’ I thought I’d tough it out, and search for something palatable on their menu. Just exactly what made me give the Chicken Tikka a second try is still a mystery, but my foray into dangerous culinary territory was rewarded with a redolent, succulent, gastronomic delight! A faint sizzle hearaled its arrival at our table, followed in close order by a warm wonderful aroma wafting into the air and tempting the taste buds even further. Though the presentation was regretably a bit prosaic, the chicken and vegetables were prepared perfectly – with a rich, savory flavor, these morsels of goodness melted in the mouth and caressed the tummy.
The jury is still out on Clay Oven (well, not jury so much as this lone ‘judge’), but if they can consistently serve up food on a par with our most recent outing, I’ll no longer have to use the word “compelled” to describe my visits.