With the closing of Alta last year, chef Daniel Patterson partnered up with chef Heena Patel to reimagine this eclectic Indian fusion restaurant.

Located in the Dogpatch, Besharam doesn’t serve your typical Indian cuisine but still boasts those bold intense flavors. Inspired by her childhood memories in India and the bountifulness of California’s produce and ingredients, chef Heena Patel blends the two seamlessly.

Kanji Wada: Tapioca Fritters with Roasted Red Pepper Chutney (8/10).

We started off with these delicious morsels of lemony fried tapioca balls with a vibrant roasted red pepper dipping sauce. These were addictive and I could have easily eaten more.

Paresh’s Fav Paratha: Stuffed Flatbreads with Fruit Cutney (8.5-9/10).

This dish, one of my favorites, perfectly embodies the concept of merging Indian cuisine with local ingredients. Essentially like a piece of warm mini naan bread, these were stuffed with melted Point Reyes blue cheese…so deliciously good.

Honey Tikka Chicken Wings with Heena’s Secret BBQ Sauce (7.5/10).

While the chicken wings were tender and juicy, the bbq sauce was HOT. Maybe I’m just being a wuss but damn my mouth was on fire. These would have been spot on if the spice was toned down just a tad.

Handvo: Sesame Crusted Lentil and Squash Cakes with Sweet Chili Sauce (7.5/10).

Almost like a vegetable patty, these lentil and squash cakes were pretty tasty, especially with the sweet chili sauce. I would have liked a touch more seasoning.

Fish Moilee with Fresno Peppers in Coconut Curry (8-8.5/10).

For our main dish, we ordered the fish moilee. A beautiful piece of cod in flavorful coconut curry sauce. All main dishes come with hand rolled paratha (a flaky flatbread that soaked up the curry sauce), as well as refreshing raita (yogurt sauce), rice, and dal (stewed lentils).

Shreekhand Cheesecake with Parle-g Biscuit Crust (8.5/10).

For dessert, we had their “shreekhand cheesecake” and we had no idea what to expect. In Indian cuisine, shrikhand is a sweet dish of strained yogurt flavored with saffron, nutmeg, cardamom, and even nuts. The crust is made from a popular Indian biscuit called “parle-g”. The subtle flavors of the creamy cheesecake with sweet spices was surprisingly really delicious.

While the flavors at Beshram were successful, the portions were slightly small in comparison to the price point. Also, there seemed to be only one waiter for the entire restaurant (excluding the bartender) so service was a little slow in the beginning. Overall, I had a pleasant experience so my rating is a 7.5-8/10.