Curry Leaf (North Beach)
As a highly recommended favorite by one of my good friends, Curry Leaf is a gem of the North Beach restaurant scene. In his words (he eats here every Friday), Curry Leaf makes some of the best lamb biryanis in the Bay Area, and I have to agree that the food is certainly something worth trying.
Located on the historic Columbus Ave, Curry Leaf has been serving Indian and Pakistani food in its North Beach establishment since 2014. Their entire menu follows Zabihah Halal guidelines, and the menu is quite expansive, offering both meat and vegetarian dishes for all palates and diets.
Karahi chicken with white rice.
But before we get into the biryani, I wanted to highlight a dish that I personally really liked. The karahi chicken is a dish with boneless chicken cooked in an onion-based sauce. The sauce is rich yet smooth, with a complexity that entices one bite after the other. My favorite part is the julienned ginger slices on top of the dish, as it gives a refreshing break from the heavier stew and chicken combo, while also adding a completely unique dimension of flavor and texture.
Chicken biryani.
Moving onto the biryani, the chicken biryani is a great substitute for those that may not want to eat lamb. The chicken is tender and well-cooked without being dry. However, the chicken biryani tastes slightly different than the lamb biryani. The best way to describe it is that it tastes a bit “lighter” in both flavor and texture compared to its lamb counterpart as an overall dish.
Lamb biryani in massive to-go container.
But the star of Curry Leaf is, without a doubt, the lamb biryani. Slow cooked for hours and made with plenty of TLC, the dish is exemplary and memorable. The flavor is abundant with rich notes and it is heavily seasoned with aromatic spices that create a complex sensation of flavors and fragrances. The rice is fluffy and perfectly complements the chunks of lamb scattered throughout the dish. The fried onions give it an inimitable freshness that I’ve personally never experienced before with any other meal.
The best part about this dish though is the portion size. Both the lamb and chicken biryanis are massive, and can really be split between two meals if you order it as takeout. As a note, rice and naan will have to be ordered separately for most entrees at Curry Leaf, unless otherwise stated.
Warm spiced chai.
Lastly, the spiced chai from Curry Leaf is an excellent way to end the meal as its warm, spiced body fades out the more intense flavors of the main entrees. Perfect on its own to-go, or even with the meal, it is a simple delight that should not be skipped when visiting this restaurant.
So, whether it is your first time, or the start of an eventual gateway into a weekly habituation, Curry Leaf is sure to satisfy your cravings for Indian and Pakistani food in the North Beach neighborhood of San Francisco.
