Akbar Ali is located at 240 Bui Vien, in the Pham Ngu Lao (backpacker) area of Ho Chi Minh City.

I have to say, Akbar Ali is our most frequented Indian restaurant in this city. Not too expensive, not too tourist-ized – and by that I mean, the food tastes authentic. There’s enough spice, and it’s not all hot, which wins a point, especially from me.

The chicken do pyaza, I must say, is my favorite dish at Akbar Ali. Chicken do pyaza is a spicy chicken curry made in yogurt, with lightly sauteed onions for texture. Every single time I’ve had this dish at Ali’s, I’m left smacking my lips and licking my fingers clean in my mouth.

The tandoori roti here is cheaper than most Indo-Pakistani restaurants in Saigon, at 14,000 dong per roti. Roti is a healthier alternative to naan, which is intensely popular among most non-Indians/Pakistanis that I know. Even at 14,000 dongs, I think breads are way more expensive than they should be, especially at $ restaurants such as Akbar Ali.

I wouldn’t really advise you to venture into the kebab section of the menu here. Despite Ali’s experience (he’s been in the restaurant business for more than 20 years), he hasn’t quite mastered the art of a melt-in-the-mouth kebab. We tried the chicken tikka here and were sorely disappointed. The meat inside was as white as the day it died (sic). With the marinade barely having kissed the outer layers, there was really no flavor to talk about.

On a vegetarian note, there are plenty of options here, and some really delicious ones too. A personal favorite is navratan korma, a healthy preparation full of colorful vegetables (always good to get a dose of vitamins) and enough spice to sate my palate. The vegetables are never too mush, which would really spoil the fun.

Another vegetarian dish, which is actually quite a difficult one to make, is Kashmiri dum aloo – a mildly spiced dish of baby potatoes cooked in a yogurt based curry. Ali adds his own twist to the dum aloo, stuffing the potatoes with crushed dry fruits and spices – not bad at all, but not really what I was looking for.

The ambience works for us because P and Ali chatter on in Bengali about life in Vietnam, but it’s not chic at all. Good value for the money though, and good food for the most part. And they deliver!

3.5 stars I’d say. (the food deserves a four, but ambiance matters too)

Shahi Quila is located at 226 Bui Vien, in the Pham Ngu Lao area of Ho Chi Minh City.

The chicken tikka kebabs were so good, they inspired (sic) me to write a review. Soft and succulent, marinated to perfection, and flavor even in the aftertaste. Not something a lot of restaurants can boast of in an area choc-a-bloc with budget restaurants with 18 page menus!

Shahi Quila, incidentally, is owned by the same guy who made Mumtaz, the other Indian/Pakistani restaurant on Bui Vien, such a fixture in guidebooks such as Lonely Planet,  Let’s Go Vietnam. Two years ago, he sold the restaurant to another guy, South Indian Christian apparently, who expanded the menu to include South Indian specialties such as Dosas and Idlis, while the quality of food did a nose-dive.

Anyway, this is not a review of the Mumtaz, which I will write soon..

We ordered a large meal – mutton biryani, raita, chicken tikka and namak parey. On the side was lassi and watermelon shake. I’ve raved about the chicken tikka kebabs already. The namak parey (flash fried, small flat pieces of dough) were excellent too. It’s important for the dough used in namak parey to have texture but be light. I hate it when namak parey leave an oily residue on my fingers, and these did not.. so 10/10 again.

When we ordered the mutton biryani, the manager warned us not to expect the same quality as great Indian or Pakistani biryani, because the rice used in good biryani is not available in Saigon. No problem, we said.. let’s give it a shot. True, the Vietnamese rice used in this biryani killed its flavor somewhat, but the mutton piece were cooked to perfection and made the whole dish a very pleasant experience.

The raita (runny yogurt with a hint of spices) was good too but diluted the flavor further. I presume the taste of raita and biryani (a traditional combination) would please a spice-sensitive palate but it wasn’t meant for us. There was a complimentary side of curry too but it really wasn’t much to talk about and is best avoided.

The day before, we’d tried the lassi at Shahi Quila. Lassi (Luss-eee) is a cool yogurt drink which can be salted or sweetened, or both, depending on your taste. If made with stale yogurt, lassi can leave a bad taste in the mouth. The lassi here was fresh, sweetened with just a hint of sourness, perfect for a hot day (which is really, everyday in Saigon) and a great way to hydrate your system.

Oh, and I was also impressed that the tables are spaced far enough that you aren’t compelled to hear the details of the conversations to your left and right.

All in all, 4 stars to Shahi Quila. (Taking the one star off for mutton biryani)