Restaurant Review: Mama Testa Tacqueria and Surati Farsan Mart

Last night, I picked up Badge from the airport and we stopped at Mama Testa Tacqueria in Hillcrest for dinner. Badge originally heard about this restaurant from one of his band mates. Apparently, the owner was on Throwdown with Bobby Flay (Food Network show) and his fish tacos won. We were intrigued.

Surprisingly, parking was no problem. The restaurant was cute - bright colors and festive decorations. Badge ordered the Mividita tacos (catfish) and I had La Tuya Tinga tacos (shredded stewed pork). Both came with beans and rice. Both were quite tasty and well priced. We also ordered micheladas (of course) which were much better than I expected. Definitely on par with the micheladas we recently had at Cantina Mayahuel. As a bonus, there were many salsas to sample at the salsa bar. Certainly as many combinations of tomato, chile, tomatillo, and cilantro as you could ever desire. I especially liked the tomato mango salsa. Very refreshing. All in all, a great spot for mid tier Mexican food. Will definitely be back.


Today, I was resolved to cook a healthy dinner at home, but after a long day at work, I had no will power to follow through. Once Badge come home, I convinced him to go to Surati Farsan Mart, an Indian quick spot on Black Mountain Road (conveniently located next to our favorite Indian sit down restaurant Ashoka the Great). When we arrived there were many people, both dining in and taking out. Badge and I split an order of pav vada and dahi sev puri. Pav vada are spiced fried potato patties served between buns, almost like a hamburger. Very good. Something I can imagine eating at a food cart on the streets of India. Dahi sev puri are hollow puffy shells filled with beans and topped with yogurt. It was ok but didn't send my taste buds into a frenzy. It was reminiscent of a snack I had at Monica's wedding. The snack was a hollow puffy shell dipped in cold broth water, which to me tasted like rank rainwater. Bad memories.


And because we LOVE our dosas, we each had a masala dosa. If you've never had a dosa, they are delicious. It's like a stuffed crepe accompanied by lentil soup and dipping sauces. These were quite yummy. The crepe was thin and crispy, the lentil soup hearty and very spicy. Perhaps not as good as our old favorite dosa spot Saravannas in New York, but definitely up there. Overall, Surati Farsan Mart is a great find. Many things to try at cheap cheap prices. Everything is vegetarian. Can't wait to go back.