Boston Restaurant Blog >> 2009 archives >> October, 2009 >> blog entry
Boston Restaurant Blog -- October, 2009
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
First Time at Kabab Corner in Medford
The Chowhound site is a terrific place to go to if you like to find little-known restaurants. I try to go there as often as I can to learn about restaurants that I may not have heard of, and one such place popped up on the site over the past few weeks. And after reading some great reviews for Kabab Corner on Chowhound, we decided to check out this Indian restaurant on the edge of Wellington Circle in Medford. The verdict? Well, it was very good, though the food we had generally seemed a small notch below some of our favorites (Shanti in Dorchester, India Quality in Kenmore Square, and Kebab Factory in Somerville, to name a few).
Kabab Corner is literally a "hidden" restaurant, as it is located toward the back of a strip mall and wedged into a bit of a no-man's land between the Mystic Valley Parkway (Route 16) and the Fellsway (Route 28). The sign out front is bright and colorful, almost to the point of being festive (it looks a bit like the type of sign a toy store might have). The inside of the restaurant is pleasant enough, with attractive hanging lamps and sconces, a wooden floor, warm yellow walls, and granite tables. You never forget you're in a shopping center, however, as the space itself is perfectly rectangular and has a rather generic feel that has fortunately been dressed up a bit with the aforementioned touches.
The food we had at Kabab Corner was good overall. There was one real standout, namely the item that came to us first - the aloo naan, which was basically a baked flatbread stuffed with mashed potatoes. There was something about this dish that was perfect for a chilly night, as it had just the right amount of warming spices and potatoes to make it a terrific comfort food item. The garlic naan was nearly as impressive, with a good amount of pungent garlic (but not too much) added to the bread. We also tried a pleasant tasting vegetable soup that had plenty of lentils, giving the soup a nice texture. It also had a slight bit of heat, but it really wasn't all that noticeable. One appetizer that didn't seem up to par was the aloo chaat, which was a plate of chickpeas and potatoes in a sour, fruity, and tangy sauce that unfortunately was also very runny and inconsistent in texture and quality. Our entrees were better, though, with the chicken dosa (which was actually listed in the appetizers section) having a perfect mix of potatoes, onions, and meat stuffed inside a tasty rice and lentil crepe, and the chicken tikka masala featuring a light and creamy tomato sauce and an abundance of tender white meat chicken. Our server was friendly, low-key, and helpful, and the prices were about where they should be for this kind of cuisine.
So would I go back to Kabab Corner? Certainly. Would I pick it over most other Indian restaurants I typically go to? Maybe. It is admittedly tough to judge a place on one meal, but based on what we had at this restaurant, it seems like a solid, decent place that might be just a shade under the top-tiered Indian spots in the Boston area. I do plan to try Kabab Corner again in the near future, and when I do, I'll definitely report back on this place.
If you would like the address for Kabab Corner, here it is: Kabab Corner, 4110 Mystic Valley Parkway, Medford, MA, 02155. Phone: (781) 395-3310.
Related Blog Entries: Indian restaurants, Medford restaurants
Posted by MH, Boston's Hidden Restaurants, on October 6, 2009.
RSS | Post A Comment
2 COMMENTS:
Grubdude said:
Good review, thanks for it. I have a question in regards to your ranking it as a notch under some of your favorites. How do you rank this will something you would get at a mall? Such as the Gourmet India at the Burlington Mall? Now, obviously, people say mall food and think it is not great, however I think it is not bad at all, and quite tasty. In any event, I am looking forward to your response.
Posted on 2/2/10
MH said:
Interesting that you bring up Gourmet India. I've been to the one in the Prudential Food Court a couple of times, and I really like it. Definitely better than your typical food court restaurant, and pretty close in quality (in my opinion!) to a restaurant such as Kabab Corner.
Posted on 2/3/10
Note: Comments have now been closed for this blog entry.