SURMA THE GATE-WAY TO BALTI BLISS IN L.A.

Byline: Larry Lipson Daily News Restaurant Critic

The latest rage in Indian food in Britain has reached Los Angeles.

Balti is at the new Surma Gate in Sherman Oaks in an attractively refurbished space previously occupied by Michael J's (which moved further west). A limited number of off-menu Balti dishes are being offered.

Balti, the shortened form of Baltistan, a region of Pakistan adjacent to Kashmir, describes a tasty, black-iron-pot-cooked onion and spice mixture with some ginger flavoring, much like familiar curry sauces. The finished Balti dish at Surma Gate sizzles dramatically when brought to the table.

When lamb ($9.95) or shrimp ($10.95) is ordered, the Balti-style saucing contains no tomato, according to one of our servers at Surma Gate one day. He said that the chef only uses tomato with the Balti chicken ($9.95) preparation.

Our lamb dish was very tasty, the meat being fairly respectable in quality, not the best possible, but not the worst either.

It would appear, however, that the chicken version of Balti with the added dimension of tomato could be the most desirable of the three.

Unfortunately, this information arose from a discussion after the meal essentially was completed. So it was too late to try the more interesting-sounding dish.

Past the off-menu Balti fare, Surma's kitchen does all the expected Indian dishes pretty well. Unfortunately, some of them arrive tepid, often quickly losing what little heat they possess while on the table.

Soup, a nicely fashioned lentil and vegetable recipe, could have used more fire on one occasion. And the tasty basmati rice was returned twice for heat one evening and still came back lacking enough.

The Balti dish was definitely tops in this regard, and a similar dish called lamb korai ($8.95) presented a pleasing hot, sizzling combination of tandoor-baked lamb with bell pepper and onions, finished in the iron "korai" skilletlike pot, sometimes called a "karhai."

Interestingly, the kitchen here doesn't appear to use as much cumin in its curries as do most Indian kitchens around town.

But it definitely utilizes turmeric.

This becomes obvious in both masala and Madras curry options with chicken ($7.95 or $8.95) or steak ($9.95 either way).

And particularly so with a satisfying vegetable dish called mushroom bhajee ($3.95 or $7.95), a simple but effective serving of crunchy mushrooms with superbly subtle spicing.

The kitchen also refrains from preparing spicy hot curries. Even when hot stuff is requested, you'll be lucky to receive medium-strength pepperiness.

But there are undoubtedly good, deep taste characteristics here. Even the usually routine tandoor-baked bread category yields a delightful Peshwari naan, slightly sweet and studded with crushed walnuts.

And veggie fanciers can have a field day here, ordering from a list of 13 items at $3.95 or $7.95 each. In addition to the nifty mushroom bhajee, similar preparations with eggplant, okra or spinach are immensely satisfying. And so is the combination of spinach and potatoes or potatoes alone called Bombay potatoes and described as cooked in a "dry curry" fashion.

A tantalizing shrimp starter dish called shrimp puri ($5.95) comes with a thin, tandoor-baked dough puff, and is probably the No. 1 choice of shrimp items on the menu. It had a turmeric-toned, rather mild, but still flavorful sauce, plus a reasonable portion of good, crunchy shrimp. The idea is to spoon the shrimp puri over pieces of the puffy dough for optimum enjoyment. And it works.

Freshly painted, mostly white, with clean, uninterrupted lines, the comfortable dining room of Surma Gate and its small front patio provide a welcome restaurant addition to the busy Ventura Boulevard portion of Sherman Oaks, just west of Van Nuys Boulevard.

Remember, though, when you go there, request a little extra heat (temperature and spice), and don't forget to ask for a Balti dish.

THE FACTS

The restaurant: Surma Gate.

Where: 14611 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks.

When: Open for lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and dinner from 5:30 to 10:30 p.m. daily.

Recommended items: Off-menu Balti dishes (lamb, chicken or shrimp), korai dishes (chicken or lamb), chicken tikka masala, steak madras, bhajee vegetables (mushroom, spinach, eggplant or okra), Bombay potatoes, Peshwari naan, shrimp puri, assorted appetizers.

How much: Appetizers from $2 to $6, entree dishes from $8 to $12 (vegetable sides $4 each), breads and condiments from $1.50 to $3.50, desserts $2 and $3 each. Beer and wine. AE, MC, V.

Wine list: Some 30 possibilities, five by the glass or carafe, with a bottle price range from $9 to $40. Of the 10 beers listed, the most appropriate Indian ones, a trio of them, deserve attention. Flying Horse ($4.95 for a larger bottle) appeared to be the freshest and best.

Reservations: Helpful. Call [phone].

Our rating: Three Stars for food; Two Stars for service; Two Stars for wine.

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PHOTO

Photo Surma Gate chef Shajon Miah, left, manager Faruque Ahmed and co-owner Foyzu Subhan display some of the specialties available at the Sherman Oaks restaurant. Tom Mendoza/Daily News