As an honorary Indian, I've always had a soft spot for Indian food but in particular South Indian food. Normally when most people think of Indian food, they think of rich heavy North Indian food but South Indian food is just as great if you know what to order. It's all super veggie friendly but you don't even miss not having meat because the spices and flavor really hit you in the face.
Aarti, Mabel and I had a Saturday fun day that started in Chinatown, lead us to The Met and ended in Curry Hill. How can you not love living in New York when you get spend a day full of culture and delicious ethnic food? Whenever I have Indian, I just have Aarti order for me since I trust her taste. We ordered idly, pav bhaji, ghee masala dosa, and the vegetable biriyani. We were on the fence about ordering the biriyani but the waiter told us that it was only served on the weekends, so we figured that we should take advantage and try it out.
We started with the idly - which if you don't know is steamed rice and lentil patties served with a variety chutney dips and sambar. Delicious. It's amazing how much spice one can pack into one small dish. The sambar was so yummy that I was pretty much drinking it directly from the bowl. The biriyani is their version of vegetable fried rice - it was an ok dish, probably the weakest dish of the night but it was worth trying out. Next came the dosa - which is a huge thin rice crepe filled with delicious buttery mashed potato. I could have eaten the entire thing myself and then ordered another one too. I also wanted to slather that mashed potato filling all over everything and stuff my face with it. Next we tried the pav bhaji which is what Aarti calls the Indian version of the sloppy joe. It's a super buttery hamburger bun served with vegetables cooked in a tomato gravy and served with raw red onions. Again - it's amazing how much intense flavor and spice is packed into a small bite like this. So so yummy - it's one of my favorite Indian snacks.
Apparently this place is a famous South Indian chain but there are only a few locations in the US. If you're looking for something different from heavy paneers and curries, definitely check this and other South Indian places out. What's even better is that the food is not only delicious but super cheap. Total bill: $24/pp with tax and tip
Photo Credit: Yelp
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