Big news – Brad graduated from his master’s program on Friday! In a few short weeks, we’ll be moving from Berkeley, which has been our home for the past year, to Oakland, CA. We are incredibly excited for this next phase in our lives (and exploring a new part of the Bay Area) but I couldn’t leave Berkeley without doing a tribute to one of our very favorite restaurants – East Bay Spice Company!
Berkeley is filled with awesome restaurants (the food scene is definitely my favorite part about living here) but East Bay Spice Company is one we come back to again and again. In addition to incredible modern Indian food, they have an amazing cocktail selection – not something you usually think of in conjunction with chicken tikka masala, right?? It’s our favorite date night spot for incredible cocktails and food all in one.
Let’s start with the cocktails and drinks. East Bay serves my favorite cocktail of all time (seriously!), the Last in Translation – a combination of rye whiskey, chartreuse, lemon juice, and a stout reduction. It’s so incredibly delicious and wayyy too drinkable! Brad loves the Bombay Castle, which is a non-fruity tequila drink with vermouth and bitters. They also always have my favorite beer, Ballast Point Sculpin, on draft or in cans, so I always have something to turn to when I can’t handle another strong cocktail!
For appetizers, you cannot miss the samosay cholay. These pictures don’t begin to do it justice because, as is often the case with Indian food, it is not exactly a beauty queen. Indian potato samosas are topped with an incredible curried chickpea mixture, a dollop of yogurt, and the most delicious mint sauce. The whole shebang is creamy, crunchy, and filled with incredible spices – I could eat a whole plate of this for my meal for sure! We also always get the Indian street salad, which is a straightforward medley of veggies with a few dipping sauces that totally fits the bill to balance out all the warm, rich Indian dishes.
After some hearty appetizers, we usually opt to split one entrée – the tandoori tikka kebab. Spice-rubbed, incredibly moist chicken is baked to order in a small cast iron dish with onions and comes out absolutely bubbling and sizzling. Served with tikka masala sauce and incredible warm pita bread for dipping and scooping, it’s one of my very favorite things. A must-order!!
Next time you’re in the Bay Area, you must make a trip out to Berkeley for East Bay Spice Co.! And I’m sure I’ll have tons of new local loves in Oakland as well, so stay tuned! 🙂
Restaurant Information:
East Bay Spice Company
2134 Oxford St.
Berkeley, CA 94720
http://www.eastbayspicecompany.com/
