Shosha Redemption

Shosha in downtown Sunnyvale, is the latest installment in Bay Area Indian restaurants that focus on molecular gastronomy. Shosha in Punjabi means "Show Off", and true to its name, every dish is a feast for the eyes. And thats as far as I will go with my praise for this restaurant. A poor imitation of SpiceKlub, this establishment is all show and no substance. None of the dishes we tried tasted as good as they looked. The portions were small for the price. Here's a rundown of our experience at the restaurant.

We went early on a Friday evening when reservations were hard to come by. The restaurant is located in downtown Sunnyvale, on Murphy Street. Although the inside decor seems very elegant, they seem to have squeezed as much seating area as possible, by placing the tables very close to each other. They had even put tables in the lobby/reception area, where we were asked to sit. Being close to the door, we could feel a chill throughout the evening.

The hostess welcomed us with a champagne flute filled with dry ice which sublimated right there and released an aromatic fragrance around our very cramped table. We thought this unexpected display was very cool.

https://video.wixstatic.com/video/4fb2e1_829d22f487bb428dbda3f6c09e750984/1080p/mp4/file.mp4

Next came complimentary bread sticks served with mint mayo in a very cool bicycle serving dish.

The presentation of all the food we ordered was fabulous, but we couldnt say the same for the taste. Here's what we ordered :

DAHI PAPADI CHAAT WITH DAHI BHALLA ICE CREAM - The chaat was a little on the sweeter side for our liking. It was bold of them to call the the scoop of frozen, but bland chutney on top as "ice cream". That really didnt add any flavor to the dish.

PANI PURI SHOTS - the shots consisted of green pani puri water, sweet tamarind water and watery mango juice. You can mix and match the pani as per your taste. Once again, a Kodak moment, but nothing to write home about when it came to the taste.

TANDOORI BHUTTA - This is the chefs take on the desi butta. I give props for using the Indian yellow corn, instead of the American kind. The presentation, once again, was top notch, with the waitress setting the corn on fire at the table. But the chutney that accompanied it was pretty bland, once again.

https://video.wixstatic.com/video/4fb2e1_2eace0516dbe4edea80d5bdb46d86a68/1080p/mp4/file.mp4

For entree, we ordered their special - M4 accompanied by MIRCHI PYAAZ KI ROTI and LACHCHA PARATHA. M4 tasted nothing out of the ordinary, as it consisted of just peas in a creamy fenugreek gravy. I expected Lachcha paratha to consist of layers, but instead, it was made like regular butter naan.

I was so looking forward to trying out their famous dessert, Suhaag Raat. But alas, it is no longer listed on their menu :-(

All in all, I give Shosha 2 Solara Stars out of 5, due to the following reason :

• Lackluster taste

• Very damaging to the wallet

• Cramped seating area with tables setup even in the waiting/reception area

• Terrible wait staff who werent familiar with the menu and had no recommendations.

Give this one a miss, and go to SpiceKlub instead!!