Chickpeas with crunchy chickpea noodle, tamarind, and chaat masala
Ezme: savory tangy tomato dip
Eggplant Garlic Yogurt
Manti: lamb dumplings in yogurt with spicy butter
Pita crisps
Carob soda
After waiting months for our schedules to align, I was finally able to try Tanoor, a disaporic Yemeni pop-up that makes its way around Oakland, in early September with my dining companion and a good friend. This time it was held at Tamarack — a collectively-owned restaurant and bar that hosts various food pop-ups and events — on Harrison and 15th in the Lakeside neighborhood. It's run by Ali, who on the associated Substack describes both Yemen the country as a historical nation-state and its "foodstory." A sample: "The most prominent imprints on the Yemeni foodstory undoubtedly came from its place in the Indian Ocean trade connecting the Arabian coasts with those of East Africa, Southeast Asia, and of course, the Indian subcontinent." (I would encourage you to read the whole thing — it's very informative.)
On our visit, we ordered basically everything on the menu to share. Like many, this was our first time trying Yemeni food, but it certainly won't be our last. The first dish was Chickpeas with crunchy chickpea noodle, tamarind, and chaat masala. It was filled with flavor and texture, and was reminiscent of chaat I've had at Vik's in West Berkeley. We then shared the Ezme, a savory and tangy tomato dip, which we enjoyed with the pita crisps and is quite photogenic. The next dish was the Eggplant Garlic Yogurt, which was rich and decadent in the way you want your eggplant (or at least, now you do!). The Manti lamb dumplings were served in yogurt with spicy butter and were quite a treat. I've never had a lamb dumpling, but these were the perfect size and were complemented by the yogurt well. My dining companion also tried the Carob soda, which had a nice, dynamic flavor.
When we arrived, it wasn't really busy and we received excellent service. This was truly one of the most exciting dining experiences I've had recently, where I got to spend time with good friends and catch up over food that was entirely new to us. I will definitely return to the next pop-up and seek out more Yemeni food in the area. Got any recs?
Tanoor
Open: see Instagram for details
Tamarack
1501 Harrison St., Oakland CA 94612
Open: Thursday - Saturday 6 - 10pm
Check out more posts from Oakland.
