On the sparse south end of Broad Street, loud music welcomes patrons to the club–like atmosphere of Tashan. The trendy decor hardly meshes with the traditional Indian cuisine, but the restaurant, which opened just over a month ago, boasts a classic menu that might inspire fans of UCity’s New Delhi to drop a little extra on dinner once in a while.

The excitement of an open kitchen serves as encouragement for the menu’s higher prices. While the waiter recommends three to five small dishes per person, many were priced like entrees. This could be perfectly acceptable for the occasional splurge, but none of our shared seven dishes wowed my date or me.

Our first dish out, Mangalorean sausages ($8), set the example for the rest of the meal. The sausages were dry and had very little flavor — unexpected from a cuisine that prides itself on spices. The next, clay–baked potato chaat ($8), came as sticks of white sweet potato topped with a mint, tamarind and cilantro puree. The flavorful potato and nice garnishment was a welcome change from the unexciting sausages.

As more food flowed gradually from the kitchen, we realized the true downfall of Tashan — despite an extremely attentive waitstaff, a lack of seriousness on the part of the servers with respect to their product was hugely distracting. The young waiter who delivered our food set down each dish with a detailed description of what we were eating and what the flavors achieved; however, unenthusiastic speech and lack of interest detracted from the intricateness of the dishes.

A few items, however, managed to grab our attention. The first, king crab tak–a–tak ($14), was a delectable medley of king crab, scallions and ginger spices, producing the tastes one expects of Indian cooking. After, the tandoor chaamp ($18), the waiter’s personal favorite, impressed us in showcasing traditional Tandoori cooking.

The lamb chops were cooked perfectly medium rare and maintained a crispy outer layer. The ginger, Cashmere paprika and honey–mustard–papaya marinade that topped  off the dish added a sweet compliment to the taste of the meat; still, it lacked flavor. Finally, the ornately described Tashan paneer pizza ($12) came as fenugreek dough topped with tikka paneer sauce and buffalo mozzarella. Though unexpectedly delicious, this dish seemed more of an attempt to use leftover Tikka Masala sauce than an actual culinary success.

Despite attempts to rebrand Indian dining in Philadelphia, Tashan is for now unfortunately unimpressive in the execution of its too–large menu. With University City spots that charge half of the price for plates like butter chicken ($16 at Tashan), it’s hard to make the case for this new restaurant..

TASHAN 777 S. Broad St. (267) 687–2170 Don't Miss: king crab tak–a–tak Skip: Mangalorean sausages $$$$$

 

This review has been altered from its original version to state that Tashan is not a BYO establishment.