Imli Indian Kitchen

769 E Passyunk Ave.
Philadelphia, PA 19147
(267) 858-4277
Website

A recent invite to Imli on Passyunk meant a dinner out with some local food writers, and a chance to eat somewhere I haven't been. The result was some of the best Indian food I have eaten in the city, and putting some faces to names of the Philly food scene.

Imli greets you with a waft of delicious Indian aromas, and the bright interior is quite inviting. As a bonus, they are BYOB, so you can match some big wines with big flavors.

We were brought out the samosas first, these were large, deeply fried and packed with flavorful curried potato, peas, and served with mint tamarind sauce.

The butter naan was another crowd-pleaser. Nicely browned, and the perfect vessel to scoop up the remnants of the various sauces.

The rashmi kebab presented charred chunks of chicken with sugar threads on top for effect. Served on romaine with red onion, this dish was visually appealing, and interesting, but it was lacking any discernible flavor profile.

The chicken Seekah kebab packed more memorable flavors, including I believe coriander, and garam masla. The textures were nice on this minced tandoori dish, with tender meat and crunchy specks for contrast. It was a sort of chicken sausage, but not really.

Kalmi kebabs were yet another tandoori favorite, with tender chicken thighs.

The baingan bhurta, an eggplant dish stewed with tomatoes, offered a rich repository for wayward naan.

My favorite dish of the bunch was probably the shrimp aachri, cooked in  rich spices and loaded with snappy acidity.

Lamb korma was right up there, though it did not photograph quite as well. If it isn't apparent by now, I got to taste just about all of it. Pure sensory overload.

Let's be honest, there isn't much Indian food that photographs well; it's too bad most dishes look like a thick, monochrome soupy blob. However, looks can be deceiving and the flavors here at Imli really surprised me.

Chicken tikka masala had the smooth consistency that makes it an intro to Indian food winner. The rich gravy perfectly suited the tender chicken morsels.

Basically, you will be hard pressed to not have a good time at this place, no matter what some of the finicky reviewers may say. I really loved the food, and would put it above Tiffin based on my experiences that night. As always, your mileage may vary.

Plenty

1710 E Passyunk Ave
Philadelphia, PA 19148
(267) 909-8033
Website

"House-smoked Tasso ham in Philly" was all I needed to hear to make a bee-line to Plenty. I had the pleasure of meeting the man responsible and shot the meat breeze for a couple of minutes.

Plenty has a variety of house cured/smoked meats, and they offer sandwiches and pre-made meals on Passyunk. This is a much needed concept, as I have often walked the Avenue wanting a bite, but not ready to commit to a bar before five o-clock, as I am susceptible to temptation.

They smoke their meat using hickory, which lends a deep, rich smoke flavor to the various proteins. The Tasso is dry rubbed, cured for a day and then smoked. The cajun rub is perfect - spicy, peppery and packed with flavor. The panini is served with all natural pork shoulder, gruyere, and creole mayo. I have to say, this is possibly the best Tasso I have had. The cure is deep, invoking thoughts of pastrami (which I am almost always thinking of anyway) and the meat is remarkably tender. I was thinking of having a go at homemade Tasso before eating this, and now I have no choice. This panini is simple perfection. My main issue now is how I can try all of the other sandwiches, knowing that I will be forgoing the ham?

Royal Tavern

937 E Passyunk Ave
Philadelphia, PA 19147
(215) 389-6694
Website

Royal definitely has one of the best burgers in the city, but I often forget to mention it because it's the kind of place you need no special occasion to stop by. Not to mention, some of their other food is just as good if not better. The Royal is a great place to drink a couple of reasonably priced craft beers and grab some food. One of my favorites, actually. There are plenty of menu items that I could talk about in a glowing light, but that is for future posts. Right now, I just want to encourage you to go try the angus burger. Bacon, grilled onions, smoked gouda (which I LOVE), pickled long hots and chili mayo. Nothing too out there, but everything works perfectly together and the kitchen is always on point. Also the french fries are absolutely delicious, and downright dangerous when paired with their complementary malt vinegar mayo. That mayo alone is worth a trip.

This is also one of the few places I will ever order a vegetarian entree. The special "wild mushroom seitan cheesesteak" was one of the best non-carnivorous sandwiches I have eaten to date. The mushrooms were smothered with prov, and upon request, fried onions. The meaty chunks of seitan gave it the requisite chew, and the wild mushrooms lent it "umami" (yea I hate that word too) that most meals without animal fat seem to lack. Delicious. Most other things on the menu are also winners, but I will let you decide what to enjoy for yourself.