Posts tagged murray hill

DhaBa Indian Lunch Buffet

Finally tried DhaBa for their $9.95 lunch buffet. Last time I was in there getting the Bhel Puri and Pav Bhaji street snacks, I sat around in the dining room staring at the awesome looking buffet. Yes, it’s as good as it looks. There was a shrimp dish, another one with nice blocks of cheese, and plenty of curries. Waiting on the table for us, was a plate of Baigun Bhaja (fried eggplant slices), which was really tasty with the accompanying chutney. A server came by with fresh naan and another came by with a plate of fresh drumsticks to the table. So good.

DhaBa – 108 Lexington Ave (Btwn 27th & 28th St), New York 10016

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Cinnamon Indian Lunch Buffet

$8.95 lunch buffet at the somewhat newish Cinnamon in Curry Hill. Not bold in flavor or spices. Pretty safe on the stomach and good for teenage tourists. A big group of them showed up. The restaurant reminded me of Copper Chimney, but maybe it was because my eating partner was the same. The best thing was the fried bread.

Cinnamon Indian Restaurant – 106 Lexington Ave (btwn 27th & 28th St) New York NY10016

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Bhojan Vegetarian Indian Restaurant

I tried out the new Indian restaurant that took over Tamil Nadu Bhavan, where I had one of my favorite lunches last year. It was a shame Tamil closed shortly after I first ate there. This new fancier place, Bhojan, is from the owners of Dhaba only a couple doors down and has the same level of trendiness in its decor. There’s a nice looking Indian sweets & chaat counter in the front. In the back, the dining room is dim and lit like you’re eating in the Temple of Doom.

Luckily they have a lunch thali ($8), which is what I loved at the former restaurant. It was quite good. Maybe one or two more sour things than I wanted. I wish they had more of a variety of thalis like at Tamil, even though I didn’t know what the hell any of it was.

The rose lassi shake is awesome. Fragrant and with a bit of a burn, similar to how spicy chili hot chocolate burns the back of your throat like you just vomited a little …this rose lassi has a cooling fragrant burn, rather than spicy.

Even though I wish Tamil still existed, I’m no hater of Bhojan. They are really nice. I was greeted five times on my way to be seated and my glass of water was refilled nearly after every other sip.

Bhojan Vegetarian Indian Restaurant – 102 Lexington Ave (btwn 27th & 28th St) New York, NY 10016

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Kathi Rolls’ Seekh Kabab

One of the boarded up restaurant in Curry Hill finally opened up –Kathi Rolls, where Kabab Factory used to be. Interestingly enough, they kept part of the name “Kathi Rolls by Kabab Factory” on the sign. I’m not sure it is the same people since most of what I read about the new place is that it’s owned by the Bhatti Indian Grill across the street. Kathi Rolls is a clean, young trendy looking place …almost like a Pinkberry version of Kabab Factory.

I got the Seekh Kabab (lamb) Kati Roll $5 with my choice of free vegetable toppings (onions, lettuce, tomato, peppers, egg, etc.) I held back the urge to get everything and just picked a few that I thought would compliment a lamb kati roll. It was nice, spicy and a decent size. The paratha/Indian flat bread was soft and pillowy.

I’m now curious about Bhatti Indian Grill. They have a lunch buffet that I’ve heard they bring to you plated. For the price of two kathi rolls, a buffet is a pretty good deal.

I’m also interested in the future state of Curry Hill and how it plays out. Seems like more trendier places are setting in and taking over the hole-in-the-wall joints. But it isn’t as if the trendier places are any more expensive. I would say it’s like how a lot of Thai places have become trendy looking yet affordable (i.e. Planet Thai, Sea). And with the trendy looking DhaBa taking over the old Dosa Hut next door to Bhatti, the block seems more like a destination for college kids than cab drivers.

Kathi Rolls – 101 Lexington Ave (btw 27th & 28th St) New York, NY 10079

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Tibetan Kitchen’s Sha Momo Dumplings

I wanted to like a place called Tibetan Kitchen. When I entered the empty restaurant during lunch time, I pointed to where I wanted to sit near the window. Somehow the waitress led me to another table. I ordered the Beef Pan Fried Sha Momos (Tibetan dumplings) and waited quite a while for them. Maybe 30mins?  I got pretty impatient staring at the big hanging photo of the Dalai Lama that whole time. The one guy who came in after me was half-way through his meal by the time my food came out.

So what’s the difference between these momos and Chinese potstickers? I don’t know. These momos were really juicy. They’d squirt when you eat them. I ended up putting soy sauce on them. So I wondered more what the difference was. Oh these are $10.95 (So about $14.50 after tax and tip) for 8 dumplings. That’s the last time I’ll bitch about Rickshaw Dumpling prices.

I really do want to like Tibetan Kitchen. They have a lot of good reviews on Menupages and Yelp. There’s a few online mentions that the Dalai Lama’s food is prepared in their kitchen when he visits New York. That must be why his photo was staring down at me and I was staring back during that 30min wait. I hate writing about mediocre experiences, but the Momo photos look good.

Tibetan Kitchen – 444 3rd Ave (btw 30th & 31st St) New York, NY 10016

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Curry Express Indian Restaurant & Sweets

I wanted to take my new camera out and dine-in in Curry Hill (late 20′s of Lexington Ave). There’s a few places that are low-lit and would be great to try out some shots. I was thinking of Kabab House’s unlimited kabab special in their dark dining room. But like several other places on the strip, it’s closed for renovations or a for new upcoming Indian restaurant …including Tamil Nadu Bhavan (Dosa Hut) where I’ve had one of my favorite lunches, which is now all boarded up.

I ended up at Curry Express, which I believe has also gone through it’s own outside renovations. I remember passing this place and thinking it used to be just Indian sweets, but on the contrary as I stepped in for the first time. Steamed trays of Indian food and a flat screen playing an awesome 60′s Bollywood film, where there was a 60 year-old tranny in a choreographed dance/fight scene and the guys were swinging at each other with colored handkerchiefs. It reminded me of the old Batman TV show.

I got the curry goat with two veggies (saag & mixed vegetables) $7. It came with a small salad and bowl of cool white sauce. Pretty good, although I’m starting to think all these places taste about the same.

I’m pretty happy with my new camera. The food pic below has no Photoshop re-touching (which I usually do to all my photos). I have a feeling my camera let me enjoy my meal more. Perhaps the Bollywood movie helped too.

[update on the camera: The new Canon S90 is a tad bigger than my old SD1100 IS. And with the selectable ring around the lens, it gets a little tight in the back pocket of my skinny jeans. I'm afraid to sit on it. I used to sit on my old one all the time ...and slide on the floor during karaoke. but maybe that's why some of the buttons don't work anymore.]

Curry Express – 130 E 29th St (btw 3rd & Lexington Ave) New York 10016
01 Curry Express Inidan Restaurant Sweets Curry Express Indian Restaurant & Sweets02 Curry Goat Saag Mixed Vegetables Curry Express Curry Express Indian Restaurant & Sweets

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Mee Noodle Shop & Grill

This place does a decent job at noodle soups in Murray Hill. I pretty much got what I wanted that time at Planet Thai –wonton curry noodle soup ($6.45). Now I know I don’t have to go to Chinatown for a quick fix. I wonder what was underneath “Japanese &” on the sign.

Mee Noodle Shop & Grill – 547 2nd Ave (btw 30th & 31st St) New York 10016

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Lahori Kabab Restaurant

A tiny looking place with trays of Indian food in the windowed counter. It actually has a dim florescent lit dining room in the back. I asked what the best things to get for the 1 meat, 1 vegetable platter $8. The guy suggested the Chicken Kofta Meatballs and the Aloo Palak (spinach and potatoes) which I ordered. He scooped the stuff and reheated it in the convection microwave, just like at Kasturi. Then another white guy came in and asked for suggestions too. I was curious if he would say the same items he told me …he did. Well played.

I don’t know about the ground up chicken meatballs, but did like the Aloo Palak. All pretty spicy. Mama mia, that’s a spicy meatball!

Lahori Kabab – 124 Lexington Ave (btw 28th & 29th St) New York 10016
01 Lahori Kabab Restaurant Lahori Kabab Restaurant02 Chicken Kofta Meatballs Aloo Palak Lahori Kabab Lahori Kabab Restaurant

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