Tikka Benedict

5 star concept. 2 star execution. and i was soo looking forward to this place. it combines 2 of my favorite things (benedict and indian food). i envisioned myself coming here every weekend, but alas, i’ll have to settle for making this at home.
I dont know if this was just an off day, or what, but when Cathy Y. and I arrived here with about 3 other tables of patrons already eating, we were optimistic. We placed our orders and waited. Was anything happening in the back? 15 minutes later, in walks someone with a dozen eggs he had to go buy next door, because they ran out of eggs. Ok, wait awhile longer. Finally, out comes our benedict with a side of rice.
Chicken, actually rather plentiful on my well toasted english muffin, and the tikka masala was really delicious. but the egg! it’s the cardinal sin of eggs benedict to overcook the yolk! Rule number one: runny yolk. it’s a must! and i got the driest poached egg ever seen. i did not order a hard boiled benedict. i was so distraught.
and as cathy mentioned, our brunchmates? a longer wait for their food, a review of the order (which the waiter had written down correctly the first time, so I dont know why there was confusion), and finally cold benedict with no rice on the side. The only thing that made me cry a little was one of our friends actually got a runny yolk! i would have been jealous had they not waited almost 30 minutes for their breakfast.
Alas, I hope this was a one time blunder, but watching them fumble around behind the counter left me unimpressed. Twice they went out to buy more eggs and english muffins, and you could tell the other patrons were getting antsy for their food as well.
If they figure out how to poach an egg in the 5 minutes it should take, and if they don’t completely solidify my yolk, i’d come back… but i make benedict for myself at home, so really, i’m just going to buy my own chicken tikka masala and avoid the long wait at a small venue. So thank you for the concept, and i’m sorry the execution was so awful.

Hmmm… Tikka Benedict came very highly rated (just look at all the reviews before me!) but my expectations were not met. It looks like this place isn’t quite ready for their popularity yet.
Service was kind of painful. There was the guy at the counter who really did not know what he was doing and would sometimes give you blank stares. There were four of us, with two ordering about 10 mins after the first two. The first two benedicts came out after a reasonable wait. The eggs looked like they were boiled in a mold instead of free-​form poached. Kind of strange. Ours came with rice on the side, perfect to soak of the delicious tikka masala sauce. It was, of course, as tasty as all these Unilocal reviews would have you believe.
The other two orders proved quite the challenge. Our friends, between the two of them, ordered 2 palak benedicts and 1 chicken tikka benedict. After a 15 – 20 minute wait they were brought 2 benedicts. We informed him that they ordered 3 benedicts. We didn’t even see what kind they were because he turned around and took them back to the kitchen. Then he went around to every table to be reminded of what everybody ordered. Why didn’t he just leave the two at the table, and then go back to get another? Questions abound.
Then, another 10 minutes later, the right order was finally brought out. Cold. With no rice. And the chicken benedict had one sad little piece of chicken… At this point it really wasn’t worth trying to correct.
I know this place is new and it was clearly only a 2-​person operation. However, there are some growing pains that clearly need to be worked out, and I’m not about to inflate my rating out of pity.
Also, don’t order the latte. Coconut water (in a coconut!) was kind of amazing, though.

Actually, this is more like 3.5 stars.
I really want to give 4 stars, the owner Seema is really sweet, the food awesome, I have been dreaming about their Greek Yogart for the past month.
But…can you please be open a little more consistently? It has been the third weekend that I stop by this month and the it’s not open. I finally realized today that there’s a blog about any updates, and… the place has been closed on average one day every weekend! That makes only 50% chance of us finding it open!
Please Seema, if I can find you open a little more consistently, I’ll change the stars up to 4!

It took a bit of circling around to find Tikka, but I finally did, and I am glad. When I stepped through the doors, I saw there were several people ahead of me, so that gives me time to look at the minimalist décor. Seating is definitely flimited to only 10, and it’s strictly a 1 – 2 person staff.
I ordered the Tikki masala eggs benedict to go. In my eco to-​go box, there were a side of rice, another side of chicken tikki masala sauce, and the main entrée of english muffin smothered with chicken masala sauce and a nice poached egg on top with sprinkles of herbs and spices. The cream sauce was spicy and thick, very flavorful. I wish they gave me more chicken as there were only 2 – 3 cubes of it in my order. The egg was poached perfectly and at only $ 5, a nice breakfast hit.
This place reminds me of a food stand atmosphere, very 1 person manned, so don’t expect ceramic plates and silverware. It’s strictly paper plates and plastic utensils.

There’s not a whole lot that happens on Sundays in the FiDi area. Taking over Rotee is Tikka Benedict. A fusion of Indian with a few other cuisine styles to give you tasty morning eats. Tikka Benedict namesake and the various panini’s were awesome treats. Fresh coconut water to wash it all down. You won’t find many brunches with this type of flair. I hope Seema and Co build up a large repetoire and continue to bring innovative eats to a meal that is not usually all that varied.

For something a little different from your average brunch spot, give this place a try.
Imaginative and tasty twists on some of your old favorites.
And coconuts. From a tree. In your hand.

How many times can you remember stumbling upon some simple new invention or product and immediately saying to yourself, «why didn’t I think of that?» Sadly, the universe doesn’t seem to work for me the way it does for people who have those early visions of brilliance… but really, it’s probably for the better.
I recently had the chance to stumble through Tikka Benedict, the weekend pop-​up brunch spot that takes up residence in Rotee Express when the SOMA lunch scene is out playing golf or spending time relaxing in wine country outside of the work week. With the exception of the Ferry Plaza just a few blocks away, this place is completely desolate on Saturday and Sunday, so it’s cool to see someone taking a chance and offering the neighborhood an outside-​the-​box alternative to weekend breakfast.
Tikka Benedict really specializes in one thing, and if you can’t figure out what that one thing is, well… I don’t know what to say. Apparently, like most great inventions of our time, Chef Seema came across this creation completely by accident. She was whipping up eggs benny at home one day, and realized that she didn’t have the proper ingredients to make a hollandaise sauce. Instead of throwing in the towel and reverting to a bowl of Captain Crunch, she decided to experiment with some chicken tikka masala she had lying around, smother it on top of the English muffin and poached egg, and voila! The first Tikka Benedict ever created (that we know of).
The dish is crazy delicious, and you can wash the goods down with fresh coconut milk, or other fun beverages that she has on hand just a few blocks away from the Embarcadero.
If you’re curious, head to her website and check her availability before you head in. At times she’s displaying her goods at local farmer’s markets, so the best way to ensure she’ll actually be slingin’ these eats on-​site is by following the blog here

This was love at first bite. When I first tried the tikka chicken masala benedict, I closed my eyes because I could feel my eyeballs rolling back from that perfect unison of tikka masala sauce with poached egg… and the way the English muffin just soaks up the sauce. Wow. I feel myself salivating as I am writing this.
Definitely worth trying again (and again and again and again). We tried this dish at their booth at the SF Underground Market and I can’t wait to try this delish dish at their actual headquarters.

YES! The chicken marsala is so creamy and delicious. Tikka Benedict is a clever combination for the brunch menu. Besides her cooking, the owner also does other arts too. Well, 5 stars from me for the taste and creativity :)

Yummmmmmmiie! Fresh Coconut, fabulous hosts, fun and delicious. A great alternative to your average breakfast and a nice start to the day whether it ends up at Waterbar with friends, or a road trip to Tiberon. Tikka Benedict gets a definate A+ and it looks like the menu will continue to expand. The yogert is some of the best that I have ever tasted, with white German chocolate and swirls of fresh berries. A must try!

Total hidden treasure of a brunch spot, right by the Embarcadero. Insanely good tikka masala sauce that imbues everything on the menu with huge flavor. Cool art gallery vibe too with the rotating photos and paintings. Also – the best banana and nutella sandwich in the Bay!

Wow — talk about a «peanut butter and chocolate» discovery. Introducing the «Tikka Benedict,» YUM. Chef Seema Hamid’s take on the classic Eggs Benedict is fantastic. The Tikka Masala sauce is rich, fresh, and the eggs poached just right. I’m excited to know there’s a fab brunch spot in the financial district on the weekends — FINALLY.

Love the little start up spots out there with unique menus. On a beautiful SF day I popped over on my motorbike and had my fill of delicious benedict with «secret sauce» and sipped a coconut. Nice.