I find it difficult to even type the words “India Gourmet” without my stomach gurgling. Their chicken tikka masala naan wrap is probably in my top 10 favorite foods of all time. I say “probably” because I am not organized enough to actually have put together such a list, so we’ll never know for sure.

Neener neener. You guys are still waiting in line, but I have my wrap already.

” More meat, less feet. That’s my kind of bird.”

India Gourmet – *gurgle* – is a food vendor that shows up at various farmers’ markets around the Bay Area. They currently attend Santa Clara’s weekly shindig on Saturdays, and they can also be found at the Campbell farmers’ market on Sundays; they have also been known to make a showing in San Francisco, San Leandro, and San Jose. Whatever you have scheduled for this upcoming week, cancel it. It’s well worth the effort to seek this place out, trust me.

One of each please. No really, one of each.

I’ve tried about half the menu at India Gourmet, mostly just to say that I have. Everything they make is great, but the chicken tikka masala… Holy schnikes. It’s an exceptionally creamy and flavorful version of the dish, and not too spicy. I would consider it mild, but some people I know (*cough* pansies) think it’s closer to medium. The chicken itself is absolutely divine. It’s 100% white meat, cooked perfectly, and contains absolutely no unidentifiable chewy bits. More meat, less feet. That’s my kind of bird.

The naan is made to order right on the spot using a gravity-defying cylindrical oven thing. I’ve been told this mysterious appliance is called a tandoor, but to me it will always be R2-D2’s friendly naan-making cousin. This magical flatbread droid makes me very, very happy.

Help me Obi-Naan Kenobi. You’re my only hope.

When you order up a wrap, you get several generous scoops of chicken tikka masala ladled over a heap of lovely rice (to soak up all the saucy goodness) and rolled up in a fresh naan straight out of the robot’s head. Like many other ridiculously awesome foods, this thing is messy. Peel back as much of the foil as you dare, take a bite, and hang on for dear life. You are all but guaranteed to be wearing curry on your clothing within a few minutes, but you won’t care. Once the incredible flavor of the naan wrap hits home you will probably begin laughing and crying at the same time or, if you’re me, you’ll just slump to the floor in a drooling, euphoric stupor.

India Gourmet earns an exceedingly rare perfect 16 out of 16 curry-colored shirt stains. Get in your car, buy a plane ticket… Just do whatever it takes to pay India Gourmet a visit.

India Gourmet
(415) 751-0505
www.indiaclayoven.com

This is bucket list material, no question.