by Stett Holbrook
I read about Spicy Leaves on Chow.com and was attracted by what I
heard were the restaurant’s Sri Lankan specialties. As far as I know,
there are no Sri Lankan restaurants in Silicon Valley,USA so I was keen
to sample its wares.
While the owner and one of the chefs are from Sri Lanka, there are
only three items on the menu from the island nation.
The rest of the menu trots all over India from north to south. Oh no,
I thought, another scattershot restaurant that’s seeking to please
everyone by offering a little bit of everything. Turns out, my fears
were unfounded.
 Two of the three Sri Lankan dishes were very good, especially the
fiery chicken-curry drumsticks ($13.95). While the salt level was a bit
too high, the thick tomato - and onion-based curry that covered the
juicy chicken was superb.
I also enjoyed the wattalappam ($4.50), an uncommon, flanlike dessert
made out of coconut milk, honey and cashews that offers a break from the
same old gulab jamun and halwa that dominate Indian dessert menus.
The Sri Lankan fish cutlets ($5.95) were not as memorable. Made with
mackerel and potatoes, the little fritters were served with a
spicy-sweet tomato sauce that was nothing special. But elsewhere on the
menu, I found several other regional-dish standouts.
The Goan scallops ($16.95) come from the tiny southwestern State of
Goa. The delicious fat scallops are slathered in a shimmering,
delicately spiced curry based on long-cooked tomatoes and onions. The
sweetness of the shellfish is good match for the rich sauce.
Spicy Leaves offers an array of tandoori meats, and one of the best
is the North Indian reshmi tikka ($10.95), intensely spiced kebabs of
minced chicken blended with cilantro, cashews, onions and saffron.
The chicken is rubbed with an aromatic yogurt- and ginger-based
marinade and blistered a beautiful golden brown in the tandoor oven.
Chicken korma ($12.95) is a Indian classic dish that’s particularly
creamy and rich here. Made with a luxurious cashew-based sauce, it was
comforting and satisfying.
Bhindi masala ($9.95) was another of my favourites. While the
advertised green mangos were really quite ripe, the combination of sweet
and salty flavours and the blast of dry spice aromatics were great.
I’ve never encountered pumpkin and carrot soup ($3.50) at an Indian
restaurant, but it was great here, silky, creamy and delicate.
I almost passed on an order of daal, but I’m glad I didn’t miss the
yellow daal ($8.25), a trio of lentils simmered with the distinctive
flavour of curry leaves and tiny dried chiles. It was quite spicy, but
the richness of the lentils helped round it out.
There’s the regular lineup of naan, which is quite good, but what
really stood out were some lesser-known breads like the ajwain lachha
paratha ($3.95), a light and flaky North Indian bread sprinkled with
ajwain seeds, an aromatic seasoning with a flavour similar to caraway
seeds.
Best of all was the outstanding Peshawari naan ($3.95), fresh and hot
naan glazed with honey and butter and layered with cashews, raisins and
dried cherries. It’s too sweet to eat with your meal, but save it for
dessert and a cup of chai. It’s outstanding.
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