This past week, my colleague and neighbor (and prolific angel investor) Rajeev Motwani suggested that we lunch at a place he'd tried and liked, the newly opened Junnoon restaurant in downtown Palo Alto. Neighborhood historians will recall that this particular location, 150 University Avenue (at High, across from Miyake) has been a bit star-crossed of late. After hosting the gut-busting all-you-can eat sushi smorgasbord Minokichi for many years, the site has recently been the home of a couple of short-lived Asian restaurants. After enjoying a great lunch there, I'm hopeful that Junnoon is here to stay.
According to the restaurant, junnoon is a word in Hindi and Urdu which means "passion, energy, obsession" and reflects a desire to leverage the best of California's fresh produce to create inventive renditions of Indian cuisine. The interior is stylish and modern, very nicely done.
Amongst Indian restaurants in Palo Alto, Junoon is intermediate between the traditional style turned out by places such as Darbar and Hyderabad House, and the "Indian influenced" California cuisine one finds at Mantra. With Rajeev's encouragement, I tried two dishes I'd never had before (I was generally pleased that many of the dishes were unfamiliar): Sprouted Mung Bean "Chaat" salad, and Junoon Chicken Kaathi Roll. Both were delicious. The salad had complex flavors with a pleasant fiery kick, healthy yet tasty. The Bakarkhani bread on which it was served was a bit too heavy for my taste, though. The Kaathi Roll, billed as a house specialty, was a successful marriage between a pan-fried, egg-crusted paratha (soft bread), rolled around chicken tikka and mint chutney. A match made in heaven!
Junnoon
150 University Avenue
Palo Alto, CA 94301
(650) 329-9644
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