Orange County Blog

The chicken tikka masala at the Olde Ship in SanTana? Two moist, slightly grilled chicken skewers coated with a thick tikka masala sauce. On top of a large mound of succulent jasmine rice with peas. Ramekins of a curry sauce that worked this time and yogurt more sour cream than raita. As good as you'll get with Indian food in a stateside English restaurant.

But...the naan. The menu stated that a buck extra would get me some of the subcontinental bread standard. What the nice waiter brought out though wasn't naan--it was pita bread. I didn't expect the Olde Ship to keep a tandoor oven among the Guiness and Newcastle, but pinche pita bread??? You can go down to Trader Joe's, buy a bunch and reheat actual naan for eaters instead of buying pita bread and reheating it. Or do the Brits call pita bread naan, kind of how they call Indians and Pakistanis Asians and East Asians Orientals?