The space was bare bones with exposed ducting, virgin concrete, work lights diffused by sheets and fireproofed I-beams. Glossy artist renderings and a slideshow showing the concept in final design stages were displayed on the walls. But the food was delicious as usual. A full buffet was laid out in the southeast corner of the space (where the offices will be once completed) with a dozen bins full of delicious treats and a side of familiar accompaniments.

But this being an unveiling of the space to be, this event wasn't simply about the food. Architect and principal at the high profile firm Archi-Tectonics [warning, full on flash pop up site], Winka Dubbeldam, was on hand to talk about the space to be. That's Dubbeldam on the left and the man behind Tiffin, Munish Narula [and his son], on the right. Dubbeldam presided over a quick slideshow of the highlights of the space. Her favorite feature is the unisex bathroom which will have a large sink where people will not be separated by a mirror, but instead, will face each other before heading back to their tables.

Back to the line of food…

Picky went down the line and picked up a little of almost everything: mustard chicken tikki masala, chicken mali kebob, chicken corn tikki, haryali chicken kebab (it was green!), shaslik chicken grill tikka and lamb chops. Messy went with the veggie options: Manchurian vegetables, bhinai masala and a bunch of the accompaniments. We stuffed our faces while thumbing through some of the Tiffin press materials laid out in neat binders on a table by the door leading to Broad & Catherine Sts.

Here's a shot [1200px wide shot here] of the final-ish drawings which will fit 110. Note the nice, big lounge, which will seat an additional 30, in the southwest corner next to the central bar. Yep, they'll have a liquor license. They'll even have one of those fancy wine walls people dig. There's also a sectioned off private dining room where you can enjoy dinner with your family with a little privacy. We're excited about the big open kitchen which will have big clay tandoori ovens, a sigri (a char broiler) and a tawa (a cast-iron griddle) for authentic South Indian cooking styles.

So who will be the new chef? Well, all was not revealed last night. Narula said that he [he revealed that much] has worked in top restaurants around the country and has never worked in an Indian kitchen before. Narula was confident that the Tiffin team knew Indian techniques and went outside to get a different area of expertise to infuse new flavors for this to-be trendy spot on South Broad St.

While we weren't able to try the new menu – no new chef present, hence no new menu yet – we did enjoy some of the tried and true dishes we've enjoyed since Tiffin opened up shop in 2006. We, along with the almost 100 people there last night, are very much looking forward to the new space which will hopefully open in February 2011. Narula said there will be another event in November where the new Executive Chef will be present and hopefully serving up new dishes.

[new dining concept by Tiffin]
777 South Broad St

There's ample seating, maybe for 75 or more, and we've never seen the place completely full while walking by. That might be a result of Minar Palace's customers used to delivery or takeout orders.

Messy's Shahi Paneer, from the menu:

homemade cheese cubes cooked w/bell peppers in a tomato based sauce

This dish was absolutely delicious and is now Messy's Minar Palace stand-by (along with the yummy samosas covered in chickpea and yogurt sauce — an appetizer big enough to share with a few friends). However, Messy grabbed a taste of a friends Malai Kofta (Messy's all time favorite Indian dish) and found that it couldn't hold a candle to Tiffin's.

Messy's sister's meal Saag Alu, from the menu:

Creamed spinach cooked with potatoes

Picky's Chicken Vindaloo, from the menu:

Boneless chicken cooked with morsels of potatoes in a highly spiced sauce

Picky's bouts with the vindaloo since the reopening have been varied. In the restaurant, it's been mediocre. Takeout, on the other hand, has been better. It might be his distaste for the unfinished vibe of the restaurant (hello, styrofoam and plasticware?).

The general feel of the sit-down experience, unfortunately, takes away from the meal a great deal. During the day, there is no table service — you order at the counter and bring a tray back to your table, cafeteria style. At night, there is table service but not much else is changed. Opting for the call ahead takeout (or delivery if you don't want to preemptively work off some calories) will allow you to eat on some real plates with real utensils and drink out of real cups. We also felt like our serving sizes were bigger with the takeout. You can think back to their hole-in-the-wall digs at 16th and Sansom Streets from a few years back when others would scoff at ordering from such a dive (and we'd smirk back).

Messy ***1/2
Picky ** 1/2

The final word: Good solid takeout, but where are the good solid plates and forks?

Minar Palace
1304 Walnut St
215.546.9443
Mon – Fri: 11.30am – 9pm
Sat: 11.30am – 7pm
Menu .pdf | flash

If you'd like, you can still make the trek up to 710 W. Girard Ave and buy the same spices from the source, but as of March 2009, Foster's is the exclusive retailer for Tiffin's goods outside of their orange walls. We love Foster's — Messy won a wafflemaker from them in a random drawing and we love that they feature our buddies at Fork You so frequently. However, we highly recommend getting some full meals from Tiffin itself — the malai kofta, in particular, is a must-try. Messy has never had any as good anywhere else in the world!

Tiffin
710 W Girard Ave
Philadelphia, PA 19123
(215) 922-1297
(215) 922-1567
Hours: Mon – Fri: 11:30am – 10pm, Sat – Sun: Noon – 10 pm

Foster's Urban Homeware
399 Market Street
Philadelphia, PA 19106
(215) 925-0950
(800) 734-8511
Hours: Mon -Sat: 10am – 8pm, Sun: Noon – 6pm

Keep your fingers crossed everybody. This place seems to have had more delays than your average opening. But until then, take a look at the new décor which Klein alluded to in his earlier post on Minar. We've got high hopes for this place and lots of friends just itching for an outing once it's ready. Their menu is finalized and available for download here [377KB] as a .pdf or you can click here for a zooming Flash-enabled version Picky just whipped up.

The photos above are from August 27th. We have no idea what the final signage will look like, but we're gonna assume they're going to take the old Time Video sign down at some point. [It's open!]

Minar Palace
1304 Walnut St
215.546.9443

Messy had the Chef's Special, one of twelve "Vegetarian Delights" on the menu (ranging from $7.95-$12.95). The Chef's Special consisted of Indian cheese, spice rounds with tomatoes, cashews, raisins and spices. It was absolutely delectable, but not entirely cheap from our perspective, at $12.95. One part of our meal was a huge bargain, though — Messy's mango lassi was only $3 and the glass was about a foot tall. Seriously, it was enormous. However, everything we ate had an excellent price-to-value ratio, considering how yummy the food was.

Picky had the Mohan's Lamb Niyamatkhani. It was listed on the menu as "our executive chef's special" and when Picky requested that it be cooked extra spicy, it came out a normal level of spicy — which irked him a bit. The portion was right though and the dish very tasty, it just wasn't spicy enough. Next time, Picky will opt for something with some more inherent kick to it.

This was the only time in our three years or so of Philadelphia dining in which the owner of the restaurant came out and asked us how we liked the food. What a nice touch!

Messy ****
Picky ***

The final word: Really good Indian food, but maybe not spicy enough for some.

Lovash Indian Cusine
236 South Street
Philidelphia, PA 19147
T (215) 925-3881
F (215) 925-3882

Restaurant Buffet Take Out
Mon – Thu: 11 AM to 10 PM 11 AM to 2:30 PM 11 AM to 10 PM
Fri: 11 AM to 10:30 PM 11 AM to 2:30 PM 11 AM to 10:30 PM
Sat: 11 AM to 10:30 PM 11 AM to 3:30 PM 11 AM to 10:30 PM
Sun: 11 AM to 10 PM 11 AM to 3:30 PM 11 AM to 10 PM

An affordable, all-you-can-eat vegetarian Indian buffet. Although there isn't a whole lot of variety in the mildly spicy vegetable dishes to choose from, it makes for a satistactory dining experience.

Messy ***
Picky **

The final word: Yummy vegetarian selections, not so great for the meatatarians.

Samosa's Indian Vegetarian
1214 Walnut St
Philadelphia, PA 19107
215-545-7776