Adam Erace tries out the pizzas at Tiffin Etc. hoping for a food epiphany like he had the first time he tried Tiffin’s Vindaloo. Unfortunately he finds that pizza and Indian toppings aren’t the amazing partners he had hoped.

I can respect appetite outreach programs. But I wonder if it isn’t better to charm virgins with introductory-level dishes like murg makhani, rather than recasting the recipes in an adulterated form. On one pie, the butter chicken—Tiffin does it 
extraordinarily well—mingled with mozzarella and subcontinent-spiced tomato sauce shining with ghee. On another, cilantro-mint pesto was a green lawn for gingery minced lamb interspersed with more mozzarella and peas. The ingredients worked, and the crust was fine if a bit oily, but with each slice it became more evident: Pizza just isn’t the best vehicle for these flavors.

Tiffin Etc. [Philadelphia Weekly]
Tiffin [Official Site]

Trey Popp is disappointed by the pizzas and parathas at Tiffin Etc and he isn’t even sure if the pizzas are worth trying to fix.  At least there are the kati rolls.

The kati rolls are Tiffin etc.’s best bet. The marriage of griddle bread and fried egg gives you something substantial to bite into, and caramelized onions played a pleasantly sweet supporting role to spiced minced lamb and chicken kebabs in the two versions I tried. Yet I wished for a little more zip from the underapplied chutney in the latter — especially since pickles and chutneys are one of my favorite things about Tiffin. Both kati were also too small to be a meal on their own.

In a Tiff [City Paper]

Craig LaBan enjoys Tiffin Etc.’s unexpected but tasty fusion of Italian pizza dough combined with ingredients from India.

My favorites so far have been the creamy tomato curry and tender meat of butter chicken (”Murgh Makhni”), the cuminy crumbles of ground lamb over minty cilantro-almond pesto, and the spicy creamed spinach of the saag paneer. Wash them down with a lemony nimbu pani soda (or better yet, mango lassi spiced with green chiles) and give the old pizza party a taste of Bollywood.

A slice of India in these pies [Tiffin Etc.]

City Paper rolled out their CP Choice Awards today although with a bit of a different approach, this time they honored the individual with the most promising big vision for Philadelphia in a variety of categories.

In Food and Drink the award went to Munish Narula of the rapidly expanding Tiffin empire.

Honorable mentions went to:

Jose Garces (Amada, Chifa, Distrito, Tinto, Village Whiskey)

Aaron Ultimo (Brew)

Philly Kitchen Share

Leigh Maida and Brendan Hartranft (Local 44, Memphis Taproom, Resurrection Ale House)

The Naantrepreneur [City Paper]

Tiffin Etc., the Indian pizza spot on Girard Avenue next to the hugely successful Tiffin has been open just about two weeks now, plenty of time for ambitious bloggers to get a chance to check it out.

Phoodie tries the savory shakes out as he waits for the Keema Mattar pizza.

I tried the Keema Mattar version, which consists of minced lamb, English peas, cilantro mint pesto, and Ricotta cheese. The crust is absurdly thin and hefty enough to hold the toppings above, yet still supremely tender and flavorful. The lamb is so juicy without being greasy, and the toothsome peas add the needed texture to the pie. The Ricotta is lightly kissed atop the meat in an organized mess, and the whole pizza itself is quite the looker. Oh yeah, the pie is only $5. Deal with that.

Indian Summer Eats And Treats at Tiffin, Etc. [Phoodie.info]

Unbreaded takes a look at the kati rolls. Wraps stuffed with chicken lamb or vegetarian offerings.

The brilliance of Nayak’s kati rolls lies in the egg-coated flat bread, which is cooked in the tandoori oven, giving it a flaky consistency that is strong enough to hold together until the last bite.

Tiffin Etc. Brings Kati Rolls to Streets of Philadelphia [Unbreaded]

We’ve been intrigued by Indian pizza since Tiffin announced they were going to be opening the cuisine merging Tiffin Etc. next to their highly successful Indian spot on Girard Ave. And now that we’ve seen the menu, drool!

Thin crust pizza with Indian inspired toppings and homemade sauces. Murgh Makhani & Lal Mirch combines Tandoori grilled chicken, “Makhani” – home made tomato sauce, red chili flakes and fresh mozzarella.

There’s a party this weekend if you’re lucky enough to be on Tiffin’s mailing list. The pizzeria opens to all next week.

Peek Tiffin etc.’s menu [The Insider]

More than you might think. It would seem Girard Avenue’s Ekta failed to renew its domain name as the old site now loads up midget porn.

The new site is http://ektaindianrestaurant.com/, adjust your bookmarks accordingly!

Ekta Indian Cuisine [Official Site]

Tiffin owner Munish Narula is hoping to open Tiffin Etc. by the end of July at 712 W Girard Avenue nextdoor to his original Tiffin Store. It’s menu has been defined as Indian pizza with Indian inspired toppings. There will also be Kati Rolls and stuffed parathas. It’s rare that Wikipedia gets us salivating but include us among those counting the days till Tiffin Etc.’s opening.

Tiffin Etc. will have dine-in, takeout and delivery service.

Tiffin [Official Site]

The Center City District’s mid-May email arrived today with a swell coupon. No, we’re not talking about the free lip balm from Kiehl’s, although maybe we just did. What we’re trying to focus on is the Bindi coupon for a free pitcher of Indian-inspired mixer. Bring your own vodka, rum or tequila and mix it all together.

The current mixes mentioned on the web site are:

• nimbu-pani - Indian style pomegranate-ginger lemonade
• mango sharbat – mango puree, lime, green cardamom

Each is a $12 value.

Bindi Coupon [Center City District]
Bindi [Official Site]

In today’s Metro, The Bite explains the key to keeping New Year’s resolutions, make them about eating delicious food.

This year resolutions include expanding boundaries when it comes to eating Indian food and dining out on the 700 block of Chestnut.

Resolutions that you’ll definitely want to keep [Metro Philadelphia]