Good Taste: Fishtown's sizzling skewers

The latest branch of Tandoor India, beneath the El tracks along Front Street, seems to be in the middle of nowhere and in the middle of it all.

Just a few years ago, this industrial landscape at the northern edge of Fishtown was relatively obscure.

Today, it's on the cusp of major gentrification, and, just a half-block from the Berks station on the Market-Frankford line, it's almost convenient for a midday kebab run from Center City (there's also a parking lot).

It may be worth it. Shafi Gaffar and his partner, Ray Ibrahim, who last year bought and rehabbed University City's somewhat tired Tandoor India, have given a smart makeover to the lofty warehouse space of this seven-month-old Fishtown location.

And the kitchen's takes on some familiar Indian classics are among the freshest and most carefully cooked I've tasted in a while, from delicately crisped gobi Manchurian cauliflower in a spicy sweet and sour Indochinese sauce to an aromatic biryani studded with tender lamb.

Most impressive, though, were the signature tandoori dishes, which take longer because, unlike many competitors (who precook for speed) they're roasted to order - and resultingly juicy.

The chicken tikka was very good.

But our favorite was the minced lamb seekh kebab, which arrived on an iron skillet sizzling with onions and smoke, the ground meat vividly spiced with cumin, fenugreek, ginger-garlic paste, and green chilies for a flicker of fresh heat.

- Craig LaBan
Lamb seekh kebab, $16, Tandoor India, 1832 N. Front St., 215-423-4354; tandoorindiapa.com