Shor

Hawaiian Gardens. Close your eyes and the oversized satellite dishes on every other roof top somehow become Palm Trees. That's about it for the extent of the tropical feel in this community. But wait, suddenly you are in an oasis of new bright shiny mini-strip malls lined up cheek to cheek featuring Jewelry Stores and fast casual eateries lining both sides of the street. Ashora is archaic Hindi for "noise" (Indian Music?) Here, it is the pleasant sound of plates clattering and diners chattering. In ancient Persian shor means "flow" as in the "whole meal flowed" (and hopefully not my G. I.) Shor, once a Bank, is now a temple of fine Indian/Afghani cuisine beckoning hungry seekers of fine food with a promise of "inspired bazaar flavors" which is a whole lot better than expired bizarre flavors.The Decor: The entry must have been the vault door. Put your shoulder into it and pry it open to reveal a lovely dining room done in tasteful dark muted tones punctuated by softly illuminated colorful artworks on the walls. There are no windows. Hey, nothin' to see outside, Homey. The feel is a womb with no view. No matter, you came for a sumptuous repast. Mercifully a background music loop of traditional Indian hits (an acquired taste for Western ears), melts away as your food arrives. Who goes there? At 4:00 PM not too many. Just me and the wonderful staff. The Bar: Make that Bar none, as all the signature drinks are non-alcoholic. Better to be perky and alert at the Sobriety Checkpoint. There are many non-alcoholic choices to consider, so it's not Craft Beer, its a crafty beer. There is a curated Water List with 12 different varieties. Just ask the Water Somm. And here I thought water was just clean or not, hot or not. I must be all wet. The Staff: Even with only half the staff Shor runs a tight ship. So, ship to Shor. The Great Dinish (my Server) was very capable and so pleasant it added to the evening. The Food: Kamaal Ka. (Terrific). Every dish from the lengthy menu is prepared to order although it may have taken a day or two to prep.Mantu was plate of little Appetizer Dumplings. Think deconstructed Lasagna. A meaty Ragu with six small packages of Lasagna like noodles draped over mildly spicy ground Beef like Trump's combover. This dish had a quick kick of heat. Soothing Yogurt encircled the plate and balanced the spice nicely. Order two of these and call it your main dish if you wish. Momma said "Eat Your vegetables" and here is an opportunity to give her one less thing to be disappointed about you. The Aloo Gobi was Roasted Heirloom Cauliflower and Potatoes before being gently sauteed in a pleasing Tomato Glaze. Eat this. The Saag Paneer was a rustic tangle of Chopped Collard Greens with House made Farmer's Cheese Cubes redolent of Garlic.The descriptions of the food on the menu are more accessible than other Indian/Afghani places where the dishes read like assembly instructions for the China Cabinet you bought at IKEA. everything you ask for will arrive as described. The Lamb Rogan Josh was puppy tummy tender and I ain't joshin'. Chunks of meaty Lamb were nicely sauced with a thick and mild Kashmiri Chili Gravy. Yup, this was tender as the night and a perfect platform for the House's signature Green Raita with a hint of mint. The Chicken Biryani was magisterial in it's presentation and was like the Stripper who jumped out of the Cake the office hired for your 30th Birthday. The slightly spicy Rice and moist Chicken came inside a bowl the size of wash tub and was covered with a non-Naan pastry cap. Biryani=Yummy. Dessert? No room for an eyedrop of Simple Syrup. Next time. Shor...I'm all for more Shor for sure.

A lovely restaurant from the renowned chef of Khan Saab. Expectations were high considering Shor's hype and price point, however it was a terribly disappointing experience.It took almost 30 minutes after arrival to be seated despite having a reservation. Once finally seated our drink orders were taken and we received them promptly. The "mocktails" were not to our liking and quite expensive considering they were non-alcoholic. After that it took what seemed like forever to order and receive our appetizers. Then we waited, waited and waited. Finally I had to ask if our table was forgotten. Then slowly over the course of almost 3 hrs all our courses were served. We could not enjoy the meal because of the immense amount of time between each course. The server acknowledged the less than par service and was apologetic however nothing was done or offered (even charged a total of $12 for water!).Considering the price point, the service should have been much more attentive with warm food served in an appropriate amount of time.In short, I left hungry (time between each course was WAY TO LONG), feeling unvalued and unattended to.Chef Imran Ali Mookhi...please do better.

Terrible experience on Valentine's Day. Underwhelming is a generous description. My boyfriend called the experience criminal. The interior is nicely decorated but is very dim and only lit by artificial light. Had a reservation and had to wait awhile before we could be sat. The staff was obviously overwhelmed and underprepared-they had a set menu so they should have been prepared. It took 2 hours and 40 minutes to receive all of our 5 small portion courses. There were people who were left because they were waiting too long to be served their food. For two people it was $200, definitely overpriced for the quality and portions. The first round consisted of what was basically 3 dumplings. Mine did not have the yogurt topping like my boyfriend and we ordered THE SAME THING. The second round was maybe 5 bites worth of food and inconsistent in temperature. The third round was 1 kebab, maybe 2 brussel sprouts and Greek yogurt/cilantro/lime/garlic sauce. The 4th round was 1 piece of naan and 2 terribly cut tiny chicken wings. This course was messy and difficult to eat and I definitely accidentally ate some small bits of bone that were in my chicken. The dessert was the worst. One option was just homemade whipped cream topped with chopped pistachios and a weird edible $100 bill and the other was maybe 4 bites of a crème brûlée on top of a small hard cookie with 2 blueberries and 1 strawberry - the topping on the brûlée was burnt. It was $12 for a mocktail, which tasted good and may have been the best experience of the night as it was brought out in a box full of smoke. Water cost $6 - for a bottle that was already opened when it got to us (probably being reused). When we saw they were charging for water we should have left. They didn't even give ice for the cups. When the bill came. They had already added 20% for a tip.....I am usually a generous tipper but this was an experience that I did not want to tip for. For the cost and time - my boyfriend and I could have made and properly meal prepped very similar, if not better dishes for the week. This experience was a waste of time and money. We received a meek apology from the waiter (that came to our table to take the order, when a meal was brought out, and for the check) at the end of service. Did not offer any discount of the inconvenience, etc. Will not be going back.

Had a really nice lunch at Shor last weekend!Ambiance is nice and modern. The restaurant was quiet for a weekend lunch but it started getting busy around 3pm.Service is excellent and friendly, and also accommodating!Food is delicious. We had two types of lamb, aloo gobi, dosa, brussels sprouts, naan, roti, rice, and eggplant. The aloo gobi didn't blow me away but I think everything else was pretty good.Prices are a bit on the higher side, and food is spicy, so be prepared for that. We'll definitely return!

Let me start by saying this place had a doorkeeper. I was already impressed and I hadn't even been inside. What an Incredible experience! It's highly underrated.It's located in a shopping center; you wouldn't even think it's there. But boy, it's a gem! The doors to the restaurant themselves are pretty neat. It had a beautiful ambiance, was dimly lit, and was spacious. The restrooms were very nice and clean, and there was also a large private dining area. They had a full non-alcoholic bar with various mocktails and even a water bar! Yup, that's right. Water from around the world right there at your convenience. Our server was the best. He suggested his favorite dishes and made recommendations since it was my first time having Indian/Pakistani/Afghanistan fusion cuisine. When I tell you how amazing this dinner was, I am not exaggerating. My favorite dishes were the montu and the Chapali kabab. Items ordered:Chapali kabab 10/10Mantu 10/10Pappadum & chutney Prawns Kabuli pulaoRoi water Lali berries Sunset I highly recommend it for dinner dates, family, or friends. Thank you for the excellent dinner experience Xoxo

This restaurant is beautifully decorated seriously I haven't been to many desi restaurants like this where the decor is as well done as here. It adds for a really great ambiance here. On top of that the service is also pretty good with coming and also explaining the menu items here if you have any questions. We had celebrated a birthday here so they were also able to provide a cake service for us which was nice. However, I think when it comes to the food it is nothing mind blowing. It's definitely good don't get me wrong but I think if you are strictly trying to get the best desi food this isn't the place its more for an upscale feel and ambiance which I think it absolutely nails. The price to quality ratio just seems a little off to me, but like I said its a good place to take someone for a special occasion.

This is the most INTENTIONAL restaurant I've ever been to. I can guarantee you haven't heard of this literal hidden gem that's tucked away in an obscure plaza which doesn't even look open from the outside, but once you step in, you are immediately transported to the vibrant bazaars of India.Every detail of the restaurant itself and its dishes are thought out meticulously--from the ambiance and mood lighting meant to simulate a spice market to completely 100% spirit-free cocktails, down to its chef-driven menu.And they even have a $1000 bottle of water from their specially curated list of waters from around the world! It has Swarovski crystals and is designed by Christian Dior. I didn't get it this time but when I win the lottery, there will be signs...Grab a seat in the bazaar and this is what we ordered:- Dahi puri- Chennai chicken- Aloo gobi (cauliflower & potatoes in tomato glaze)- Lamb chops - only one that was meh- Chicken biryani - great presentation!- Nihari osso bucco (fall-off-the-bone veal curry)- Butterbeer (non-alc cocktail)- Roseberry mule (non-alc cocktail)- Chocolate truffle cakeThis was such a wonderful experience and you can just tell that everything was so well thought out.Thanks for reading! ^-^

Ambiance and Decor - 5Service - 4Food - 3Value - 2I'm torn on Shor. It's a beautiful restaurant and very fitting for a nice night out. But we tried calling and they didn't pick up the phone at first and wouldn't take reservation. Most mains are fairly priced, maybe a couple of dollars over an average Indian restaurant but some items on the menu seemed pricey. A soda was $5, but a craft soda was $10. Spirit Free Cocktails are $15 (no alcohol). Limca (bottle soda) - This was really flat with no carbonation. It's like a cross between Squirt and 7 Up in taste. I would not get this again.Dahi Puri - I haven't had this dish before at other places so I won't compare it. It came in a crispy edible cup that had a plop of yogurt with tamirand, chutney, cumin seeds and spiced potatoes. There was a lot going on here and it was balanced. Fun to eat but can be messy if you bite at the wrong angle and the yogurt starts flowing out. Handle it, you can do this!Mantu - This was a dumpling/rice paper roll dish that had spicy ground beef in the middle. The dish tasted good, but nothing that necessarily distinguished itself as must get. Goat Cheese Kulcha - Loved this one. Naan that has goat cheese inside, grilled with parmesan cheese on the outside all with some truffle oil and butter sauce. A sinful cheese pie. Garlic Naan - It is a thicker naan served whole and uncut. Cooked perfectly, crispy and chewy. Could use a little more garlic oil sauce on it. More garlic please!Chicken Tikka Masala - The sauce base on this was rich and slightly creamy with good spiciness. The chicken in this dish was dry and probably overcooked. This is something that can be easily fixed to make this a very good dish.Paper Dosa ($16, add masala potato +4) - Full size large dosa was cooked right, crispy but not burnt. I love dosas and this one was good, but most places charge about $12-$15 for this dish with the curry potato filling. Here that will set you back $20. Friends in my party ordered other dishes but I didn't get to try them all. The food quality is fresh and good and presentation is great, but does not differentiate itself enough taste wise for me to point people here as a destination restaurant over your local favorite Indian sit down place. If you want a great ambiance and are in the area, give Shor a try. Do also know that they automatically add 20% service charge to your bill so no need to add extra tip unless you want to.

Was in the area seen Instagram ads for it so stopped by to grab dinner . The restaurant is new has a nice decor seems fairly new . Service is great the staff is super nice friendly and cared if the food was not upto mark which was the reason I gave it a three star and not a 1 star . We ordered to begin with a Diet Coke and instead was bought a replacement called keto coke which tasted nothing like coke was horrible we were told that's what they serve . Just wanted a Coke!!! Tell me you don't have it instead giving me a drink I don't want .Upon my order I distinctly asked for mild spice the biryani came out which was extremely well presented and professionally served we couldn't wait to dig in . It was loaded with heavy heavy spices cayenne pepper and black pepper gram masala I could feel it making a whole in my stomach as it was going down my mouth it was over dose of spices and chilli I was in pain till the next day dealing with it. Same was with shanawri Karahi dish it was swimming with oil which the waiter promised me it was not . It was a bad night. I would never try this place .

The food was amazing! I came during the DINE LA week as a recommendation from my friends parents! The service was good, they even took our photos at the end & we came on a Wednesday night and made reservations through open table for some points. The ambiance was nice , the lights aren't bright and the decor was simple and cute! I love the non alcoholic bar they had and it still made us feel like a couple girls getting some cute drinks