Tiffin

The restaurant's many excellent vegetarian selections were also bolstered with a well-rounded tingle, though the chickpeas of chana masala were brightened with pomegranate seeds. And my favorites - the malai kofta vegetarian fritters in cashew cream, and the slow-cooked black lentil daal makhni - were memorable for their luxurious savor.

Such hearty stews are the reason Indian cuisine translates so well in delivery. But some things are still better served fresh in the restaurant dining room. Like the onion bhaji fritters, which are still crisp and lacy inside their delicate chickpea flour crusts. Or the refreshingly crunchy aloo papri chaat salad that layers lentil wafers and snappy chickpeas beneath cool streaks of sour white yogurt, herby mint chutney, and tangy sweet tamarind sauce.

Even the naan flatbreads, Tiffin's biggest weakness, were tender and soft when eaten on Girard Avenue. I loved the Peshawari style, lined with a sweet green paste of pistachios, coconut and raisins. It's as close as you'll get to dessert at Tiffin. But that course is just one of the many works still in progress here.

The tiny mango-colored dining room, for that matter, its 24 seats arrayed around odd, amoeba-shaped tables beside the open kitchen, is expected to shift upstairs to a double-sized space within weeks of this review.

Narula had never anticipated this address to be much more than a home-base kitchen for his delivery empire. But now, he envisions the downstairs becoming a chai salon, cultural bazaar, spice market and take-out lounge, where you'll be able to rent a Bollywood movie with your boti kebab.

And so, this well-curried answer to our home-delivery woes may soon be an even better excuse to eat out, as well.

Contact restaurant critic Craig LaBan at 215-854-2593 or claban@phillynews.com.