Northern Liberties’ Indian Surprise
Rolling down Girard Avenue on the edge of Northern Liberties, we weren’t sure what we’d find when we arrived at Tiffin. Tushar was particularly interested in checking this place out; being Indian, he’s always ready to sample the foods that he’s most familiar with. In addition, we all wanted to see how this experiment conceived and developed by a Penn Grad student is progressing… Apparently, the original idea of offering takeout Indian food ordered by telephone and internet morphed to include a dining room based on customer demand.
Entering the dining room, we were surprised to find a modestly-sized restaurant with an open format. I always enjoy open format restaurants because I like watching the activity in the kitchen. After being greeted by our server, we were ushered to one of the five tables in the brightly colored dining room. As we took our seats, we noticed three employees in the kitchen with the addition of one character that appeared to be suspiciously managerial. The Managerial Guy stood out from the rest of the staff in both his manner and dress: First, he appeared to be directing the staff in a loud, animated fashion; Second, he sported a blue suit, shoulder-length hair tied in a ponytail and a Bluetooth ear bud. Regardless, we weren’t sure about his role at the restaurant…
Once we settled in, the three of us were faced with a number of delicious-sounding food choices. The menu offers a variety of different regional cuisines without being overwhelming. 
See the entire menu here. After some discussion, Patti and I deferred our selections to Tushar, who went with a variety play; Fish Kali Mirch (Western Coastal Cuisine) and Peshawari Naan (Northern Indian Mughlai bread stuffed with dried fruits & nuts) for appetizers and Badami Chicken Tikka (Northern India), Dal Makhani (Northern Indian street food) and South Indian Shrimp Curry for entrees. As we finished placing our order, Managerial Guy continued to direct/afflict the staff from the very center of the small kitchen…
Even with a busy kitchen, our appetizers arrived without delay. Now, some may abuse me for considering the Naan an appetizer, but I do. It was unique; a traditional Indian bread served warm and filled with a mixture of yellow raisins, nuts and spices; it was also accompanied by both Mint and Tamarind chutney. Excellent! The Fish was equally good. Served in five to six pieces, this app was sautéed and had a unique flavor that combined spicy black pepper and a spice that I later I learned was called “adjwain.†The Fish Kali Mirch was both Patti & Tushar’s favorite item of the entire meal.
Shortly after our appetizers evaporated, the mystery of the Manager Guy was solved. As we chatted, we watched as an order for delivery was 
readied for transport. In no time, Manager Guy appeared, scooped up the order and bolted out the door. We had to laugh when we realized that our initial impression was wrong; Manager Guy was actually Delivery Guy. Well, I guess Tiffin’s customers had their orders delivered by one of the best dressed deliverymen in the city!
Soon after our appetizers were cleared, the entrees arrived. Served in communal bowls, they were accompanied by Basmati rice and a complimentary Lentil Curry. Personally, my favorite was the Dal, which was rich and flavorful. The Badami Chicken Tikka (Kebabs) featured flavors of anise and almond complete with that delicious tang that often comes with grilled meats. The South Indian Shrimp Curry was also a winner, which included a loose sauce of onions, tomatoes, green chiles and coconut milk.
Overall, we felt the meal was very good and we will certainly go back. The service was good and our server was friendly, but food is definitely the strength here. Tiffin is a great place for a casual night out with friends or even a date. I wouldn’t suggest it for parties larger than four, since seating is limited. In addition, this is a BYOB, so bring your favorite alcoholic beverage with you, although I’m not sure that you’d find a good match for your favorite Tequila on the menu. Regardless, if you enjoy Indian food, this would be a great pick.
For more information, check out Tiffin’s website here.
TAGS: Philadelphia, Philly, Northern Liberties, Tiffin Store, Indian Food, Podcast
Foobooz » Blog Archive » Tiffin Store on 27 Mar 2007 at 8:53 am #
[…] Northern Liberties’ Indian Surprise [PhillyFoodGuys] […]
Caroline on 28 Mar 2007 at 2:38 pm #
Tiffin is quite the favorite, I’m learning:
http://www.uwishunu.com/2007/03/02/finally-indian-food-where-you-want-it-at-home/
Welcome to the Philly blog world, guys (and gal)!
Jim Davis on 07 Apr 2007 at 10:27 am #
Hi,
Thanks for the review on Tiffin. I am the delivery guy of whom you spoke in your Podcast and online review. We all enjoyed a good laugh at the restaurant including me
Tiffin delivers to Fishtown, Northern Liberties, Art Museum, Olde city, Center City, Queens Village, Italian Market and West Philadelphia (University City). Although we have Tom Tom’s to guide us, it doesn’t always give the best way to deliver orders that take us delivery guys to two or more sections in the city per delivery run. We’ve had some issues getting the orders to their destinations within the hour of the customer calling in to place their orders. Unfortunately, you saw me trying to correct the problem with two of our new trainees with my usual animated style.
The GPS units don’t help you find the quickest route or even where in areas such as Center City and University City. It’s been my job to find the best way to avoid parking tickets delivering Tiffin. Often the loading docks of the large buildings in Center City have a specific approach that is need to actually find the entrance. These have been one of the biggest issues delivering to some areas and it can become costly.
Luckily, these problems have lessened since I have been recording the delivery information for all the drivers to use but at times it is difficult to communicate. Our Mongolian driver, Gabby (I call him Genghis), actually speaks 7 languages, however, his 8th is English and we are working on that with him. At times, it requires me to physically show the drivers where and how to go in order to best serve our customers but also to avoid the wrath of the Parking Authority. We have been successful in this and our customers are quite happy about the delivery service.
I found that Tiffin is an event for people. Our customers want to speak to us about the food and how much they are glad we deliver to their area. Our professional dress sets us apart from the normal food delivery. The professional dress was my idea since Munish Narula, the owner of Tiffin, wanted us to look better than pizza delivery guys. All of our drivers are now required to wear a shirt and tie. This not only makes us look better, but the tips have become very good.
The staff at Tiffin is very colorful and I am not the only character there. I sure hope I wasn’t disruptive to your meal. The food should have been the highlight of your visit to the restaurant and not me. Tiffin is a great place to work and the best PT job I have ever had. I took the job before Christmas for extra money but the people and the food has kept me working there. The place is small and there isn’t much room for the driving staff in the dining room. We have space in the rear of the store and we have been waiting for the good weather to move the drivers back there. Everything is still very much a work in progress.
I hope you do come back to Tiffin or place an order for delivery. I suggest the M-F Tiffin.com menu for lunch and dinner. There is a new menu everyday. The executive Chef Raju and Munish try to come up with a unique menu of items that aren’t normally offered on the TiffinStore.com menu (the regular delivery menu). Meals start as low as $7.50 plus tax per person. Orders must be placed by 10am for Lunch and 2pm for dinner. Perhaps, this Tiffinwalla will deliver your food too you :), but you are welcome at anytime at the restaurant and we look forward to seeing you again. You have been Tiffin’s best review yet and we are all happy about that.
Thanks,
Jim Davis
Tiffinwalla #1
urban vegan on 30 Apr 2007 at 2:18 pm #
I loved it, too, as you know. One thing I forgot to mention was the weird acoustics. I felt like an old lady b/c I could not hear my husband and kept saying “huh?”
Bill on 01 May 2007 at 1:07 pm #
Unfortunately, that open format design is great for watching, not so great for hearing
sarah on 29 Sep 2007 at 4:33 pm #
Tiffin’s a wonderful spot– we had them cater our wedding! And at the wedding, some friends of ours from Bangalore liked the food so much that they asked us to drive food from Tiffin up to New Jersey for their anniversary party. (And they live a few minutes from Edison!) We all stopped in to eat in the dining room, and my friends declared it the best North Indian food they’ve had in the US (and they’ve been here for about 15 years). I’m addicted.
Bill on 30 Sep 2007 at 9:54 am #
Sarah,
Congratulations on the wedding! I can’t think of a better testament for Tiffin than the one you offer. Thanks.
Tanya D on 23 Oct 2007 at 12:45 pm #
the best dressed delivery guys in Phila are here! very polite too. they deliver to my work place all the time,The lamb Vindaloo is pretty good, sometimes can be a little fatty, but taste is amazing, very Hot!
otherwise they popped up just in time when Minar Palace disapeered. I highly reccomend.