Pre-Opening Party for Curry Up Now - San Jose

DISCLAIMER:

I received an invite to attend Curry Up Now's pre-opening party. Every food and drink item in this post was complimentary. I will not review service because it was also a training event for their new staff and hiccups are to be expected. This post will show some of their food and drink offerings.

Grand Opening is on Thursday 9/24/15
http://www.curryupnow.com/san-jose

Curry Up Now started out as a food truck and has expanded to 3 brick and mortar locations, 5 trucks, a catering business, and a bar. Their latest location is in San Jose off Zanker Road. It's in a small retail strip below an apartment complex. The location is spacious. Parking is limited to a few spots out front, in the garage, and the rest is street parking which is hard to find.

($3) Mango Lassi, also available was Rose Lassi

($8.25) Deconstructed Chicken Samosa

Lots of chickpeas, chutneys, and mini samosas. This thing is much larger than expected and I enjoyed it. One of the chutneys has a very distinct taste so it might not be for those who don't like spices and herbs.

($8) Dynamite Tangra Wings

smothered in Indian-Chinese spicy sauce and dusted with ghost chili powder. That ghost chili powder will really get you. But if you let it cool a bit and rub the powder around in the rest of the hot sauce, it's not as spicy with some white rice.

($9.50) Sexy Fries
Indian inspired poutine (but it doesn't have gravy) with sweet potato criss-cut fries and lamb dopiaza. The lamb is quite good and it's the same one that comes in the Thali dish. I personally enjoy sweet potato fries vs regular. I wish the cheese was a melty kind and that there was some sort of gravy or more sauce. Otherwise this is just fries underneath a scoop of lamb.

($6) Itsy Bitsy Naan Bits

Chopped up naan with tikka masala dip. Tasty but not worth the price. No meat in the sauce.

($13) Thali with Meat Sweats option for $1 extra

Turmeric flavored brown rice was dry. It comes with butter chicken, ground beef keema, and lamb dopiaza (same as on top of the fries) which was all good. There's also a side of some strongly salty and sour eggplant(?) pickle which I hate but I see it served at all Indian restaurants. Someone explain to me what this is and how it's eaten (top left in small bowl). Naan was rather oily and not quite authentic but still tasty.

($9.50) Tikka Masala burrito

Whole wheat tortilla, turmeric and fenugreek white rice, chicken tikka masala with onions. This burrito really says fusion food truck - something wrapped and convenient. It was good and filling, I would order again.

($6) Hot Balls on Ice

Gulab Jamun (those sweet milk balls in syrup you often see at Indian restaurants) and kulfi ice cream. This ice cream had a strong pistachio taste. Very strong. The gulab jamun was good but I wasn't a fan of the ice cream.

Half of the restaurant is a bar called Mortar and Pestle. It's a full bar with beer, wine, and spirits. 

($14) Green Isaac's Special
Bombay Sapphire Gin, coconut water, Demerara and LN2. I don't recognize those last two ingredients. rum and liquid nitrogen?! This drink is too strong. Phil agrees. This isn't just a female opinion. The drink is so strong. I guess if you can get wasted for $14 then it's a good deal for you.