Sweetbriar
Welcome to the Sweetbriar Directory.
based on 40 reviewsAddress
105 S 13th St
Philadelphia, Pa 19107
(215) 922-6061
Welcome to the Sweetbriar Directory.
105 S 13th St
Philadelphia, Pa 19107
(215) 922-6061
27 Comments
Terrific food and loved the mixers (we used vodka; all good!)
A little pricey, but we thoroughly enjoyed the evening
Definitely not the best Indian food I've had, but hey not bad either. The pork chop vindaloo was way spicer than I expected. A good surprise though since I like food that's got a little kick in it. The pork could have been a little more tender and the chard more crisp. I had the warm cardamom cake as well. Only get this if you're a huge fan of ginger b/c that's all I could taste in the cake. There's barely any chocolate to this dessert. The restaurant is very small and the tables are only inches away from each other so be prepared to be intimately close to your neighbors.
The food was good and well prepared. I enjoyed the ambience and the service was very attentive. I was not blown away but I definitely enjoyed myself and may return again...
I would say this is indian food that is good for people who are afraid of trying traditional indian food.
My girlfriend and I came here for Restaurant Week.
Started with the Nimbu-Pani and added a splash or two of the rum we brought. $12 is a bit steep for a pitcher of something with no booze in it, methinks... but good nonetheless.
For the appetizer course, my girlfriend and I shared the samosas and the pumpkin chaat. I LOVE CHAAT and I LOVE SAMOSAS so I was happy with these 2 dishes, particularly the chaat because of its interesting mix of flavors and tidbits. Seemed more beet than pumpkin, but as a fan of beets I was rather happy with this surprise.
We shared the vegetarian version of the almond chicken curry (they sub really fantastic paneer for chicken) and the dal and wild rice dishes for our entrees. Perfectly portioned and again, full of interesting tidbits of flavor.
For dessert, we (again) shared both dessert dishes. By then we were stuffed and couldn't finish either, but I loved the cinnamon puri used as a garnish on both desserts and although I am not a cake lover, I thought the coconut cake was delicious!
Service was OK considering how busy the restaurant was- I assume it's much more attentive when it's less busy and crowded. My two specific complaints are that we had to wait about 10 minutes for them to notice we were done with our entrees and another 10-15 minutes were spent waiting for dessert.... AND we never got our pappadums everybody on here seems to be raving about. Maybe I'll get better service next time I go- the food more than made up for it.
If you're looking for "traditional" Indian, Tiffin or New Delhi would be more your speed.
The food here is delicious, fresh, and innovative; it's not traditional Indian fare by any means, but rather more "inspired" by the spices and flavors commonly found in the cuisine. Being a BYO, we brought our own bottle of red which went very well with our meal.
The complimentary starting pappadum with tamarind sauce was strangely addictive. I've had pappadum at other places but the ones here were fried to a perfect airy crisp and were very aromatic and flavorful. We just couldn't stop and ended up begging our waitress to take them away so we could have room for...
The appetizer! We started with the Sindhi Eggplant, which was phenomenal. The semolina polenta cake was crispy on the outside, creamy and buttery with the perfect amount of chew on the inside. The eggplant sauce was flavorful and went very well with the whole baby eggplants and mushrooms. Then there was...
The entrees! We got the Pork Vindaloo and the Grilled Mahi. Both meats were tender and cooked perfectly. What I liked most was that each entree came with a generous serving of side items incorporated into the dish itself. The pork dish was served atop a bed of sauteed kale, potatoes, and a spicy red curry. The mahi came with lentils and sweet potatoes. The pork dish was apparently supposed to be the spiciest dish in the restaurant, however, it was fairly mild compared to Indian food at other places. Again, while lacking the true spicy kicks of more traditional Indian dishes, the dishes were still flavorful and rich. Speaking of delicious, I can't not mention...
The sweet goat cheese paratha which came with a side of slightly sweetened cardamom yogurt for dipping. The bread was flaky, creamy, with a slight tang from the goat cheese and a syrupy sweetness from the honey. This would have made for an amazing dessert but we ate it happily alongside our meal.
After everything, we were stuffed! All in all, it was a great experience. The restaurant is dark and small, but nicely decorated and romantic. I found their cash only policy to be slightly strange for an upscale restaurant but apparently it's quite normal in Philly.
Was a bit worried after seeing a few really bad reviews here but we had a really wonderful time here last night.
You should note that it's a bit loud and very cozy (you will rub up against other diners getting to your table), but that's all ok since the food is really great. We found the service to be quite good as well.
Things to note :
* It's cash only.
* It's a BYO. Bring a nice chilled bottle of Vodka and get the mango mixer pitcher (it's $12 and serves about 4 glasses). Perfect complement to the food.
* The Samosa app is awesome (there are 3 on the plate) as is the sweet goat cheese paratha (which serves enough for about 2 ppl)
* The Lamb Shank is amazing but pretty big. It simply falls off the bone.
* The vegetarian thali was pretty good as well, but a couple of the parts were very spicy!
I took my three aunts, visiting from out-of-town, to Bindi for Thali Tuesday and it was a great experience. Coming from the Midwest and the Southwest, they were looking for a cool city experience with good food they couldn't get at home, and Bindi delivered. The Thali experience was great - just enough of many dishes, so they felt like they had tried a lot of things, and no one got disappointed by dish that just wasn't to taste. The lights were dim, and after a large group left, the evening was quiet. I can't say that the waitress was all that helpful (or fast on the water-fill service) but we had a great, affordable time and a special night.
This place is great. I'm totally into it. I would go here on a romantic date or with friends and family. I think anyone would like it here. The atmosphere is cool and the food is great. The only thing that I will say is that I predict it will always be perceived as expensive because the bar for Indian restaurents in this area is set so low, that most of them are dirt cheap and this place is not. I don't think it's overpriced because I personally think it's worth every penny. But I could see people comparing it to other Indian places in the city and complaining that the bill is twice as much. Oh well. It's higher end I think. Center city. Try it out. I have been several times. I always look for the spiciest things on the menu because that's what I'm into. Oh and also every one is super nice. You can tell they stress friendliness and it's a nice treat.
I have gone to this place several times and the fact I am originally from india is telling -- I do not like most Indian food places in US since they do not do justice to the indian cuisine and sophistication that some believe does not exist in indian cuisine.
Bindi definitely stands out as a contemporary twist to indian food. There are certain dishes that are too crafty and lose their meaning, but overall it is a place where you can go with a group of people and enjoy the food, a bottle of wine or vodka (its a cash only BYOB place) -- Their Thali Tuesdays is also a successful venture -- you need to call ahead of time on most Tuesdays.
Didn't get to eat the food, because we left as soon as we were seated because our initial service with the host was TERRIBLE.
Bindi, you might want to get your employees attitudes in check before you have them interacting with customers.