Indian

The MasalaWala
179 Essex St
New York, NY 10002
(212) 358-9300
Official Site

To find a good Indian restaurant in New York City is easy as there are pockets of areas across the five boroughs. In Manhattan, East 6th St. between First and Second Avenues and in the 20’s on Lexington Avenue is packed with such places. Indian cuisine from the different regions of the country are well represented here. But in the Lower East Side, there is a restaurant called The MasalaWala. Specializing in serving the street food of India and the rest of South Asia, Masala meaning a mixture of spices and wala a person that serves or provides a service, it is a local treasure of the Lower East Side. The MasalaWala inhabits the intersection where Essex meets Houston Street, a miniscule space that is designed to maximize every square foot available packing it with dark wooden tables and hard wood chairs. The restaurants humble décor is designed with a visible open kitchen, walls of exposed red bricks with paintings, and tiny light bulbs hanging from the ceiling.

With a menu that is extensive, and can be overwhelming, with all the goodness it offers at an affordable price range. Separated by vegetarian, meat and sea food choices, starter dishes average in the single digits, while entrées hover around $17 with only a few that cross the $20 mark. For starters there is the Malai Tiger Shrimp Tandoor-grilled Tiger Shrimp marinated in sour cream, nutmeg and sesame. Four pieces of wonderfully grilled shrimp were the second most expensive on the appetizer menu. Chowringhee Pani Puri – Semolina puffs, potatoes, chickpeas, and tamarind are small pastries with a savory filling. Dip it into the tamarind sauce for a nice hint of sourness. Wala Veg Sampler-Assortment of Mumbai Samosa, Dilli Bajji and Paneer Pudina Tikka is a delicious sample of non-meat offerings on one plate. Their watery Spiced Lentil soup has a good nutty flavor while the hearty Aloo Masala Roll- spiced potatoes, tomatoes and cilantro was a generous serving and more than enough as a meal.

The entrées, Chicken Tikka Masala-Tandoor-grilled chicken in fresh tomato cream sauce with fenugreek, a creamy sauce that drowned the grilled chicken with its consistency and traces of sweetness. The intense spiciness of Chicken Madras-South Indian specialty curry with tomatoes, ginger, mustard seeds and curry will be much appreciated by those who enjoy a lot of heat with their food. Jalfrezi chicken- A tantalizing combination of paprika, tomatoes and coriander in a hot and tangy sauce on the other hand had a delightful depth of piquancy while also having the wonderful mixture of spices and herbs in the background. A paneer entrée of Mattar Paneer -North Indian favorite with pressed cottage cheese, green peas, herbs and spices, where cubes of cottage cheese swam in a tomato based sauce seasoned with different spices.

Vegetarian entrees like the Bhindi Do Pyaza (Okra) – sautéed okra, onions, tomatoes, dried mango, had beautiful aromatics with all the ingredients it was sautéed in. The vegetables married well with one another and the okra was not over cooked like it often can be, causing the dish to thicken, but instead it provided additional texture. Baingan Bharta (Eggplant)-Roasted eggplant, spiced tomatoes, cumin. The combination of tomatoes and roasted eggplant mashed together while also having a peppery substance made up a pleasant dish. To soak up the curry sauces plain biryani rice is served with the entrees or different types of roti or naan are available as a side order. I usually prefer the fresh garlic naan as it gives that extra garlicky tang that goes well with the restaurants curry sauces.

]Traditional Indian sweets make up the desserts like the Rabri Ras Malai,cottage cheese dumplings in sweet condensed milk, garnished with rose water and pistachios. The mildness and texture of the cheese prevent it from being overly cloying, instead it creates the right amount sweetness. Gulab Jamun Khoya,dumplings in sweet saffron syrup are round spongy like dumplings that are soaked in a sugary syrup, quite a contrast from the other but nevertheless this gives the palate sweetness afterwards that complements the savory dishes.

Lunch and dinner at The MasalaWala is always pleasing. The kitchen produces good food with straight forward and honest cooking. The mixture of different spices and herbs bring out bold flavors in every dish. There is a great deal of consistency here, on my most recent visit my palate resonated with the tastes that are still familiar from before. The restaurant has a decent list of alcoholic beverages that includes imported beer from India such as King Fisher as well as European and domestic wines at a price with very little mark up.

A family owned restaurant, the owner’s father was always at the restaurant at the times that I visited The Masalwala. With his welcoming nature, he sets the tone for the staff to provide a more personal service. He stops at every table to chat and greets guest as they come in while also thanking them for their patronage as they leave.

The MasalaWala brings locals and visitors together with its delicious and reasonable price dishes in an inviting atmosphere. An all-day dining on any day of the week, this restaurant has never failed to deliver a good meal. This is one of the best tasting Indian restaurants in New York City and I’m not the only one that shares the admiration, a quick search on Google will bring up a plethora of favorable write ups from blogs and other review sites.

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*This restaurant is now closed

Indian cuisine has always done very well in NYC and has been generally well received by dinners and food critics alike. But there are very few well known Indian fine dining establishments in the city other than Devi and Tamarind. Early this year Tulsi opened in Midtown East and became an instant success. The restaurant was awarded a coveted one Michelin Star in the guide’s 2012 edition. It’s Executive Chef/Owner, Hermant Mathur is no stranger to such accolades having earned a star in 2009 for Devi, his other Indian restaurant. The star he earned for Devi was the first of its kind for an Indian Restaurant. So when it came time to partake in some Indian food I chose Tulsi and it meet my expectations and beyond.

Dining at Tulsi is like dining at the Maharaja‘s Palace but instead of princes and princesses, you dine alongside Midtown’s corporate crowd. The restaurant’s Sanskrit inscribed glass façade allows for a sneak peek into the glorious palace. Once inside, you are greeted with the restaurant’s soothing and relaxing atmosphere. The dining experience starts at the bar/lounge where you can have pre-dinner drinks at the lighted dark wood bar which displays a mirrored wall design of the world map; or while waiting for your a table you can sit and relax on cream colored sofas at the lounge area. The overall décor is a showcase of Indian aesthetics. As you make your way to the dining room which seats about 50 guest, the main colors are cream and brown with a touch of basil green. The tiled floors are made out ceramic and steel and the chandeliers provide soft lighting while music from the region plays lightly in the background. The tables are covered with white table cloths paired with beige upholstered chairs creating an elegant look. Along the sides of the dining room are four tent-like spaces with hanging cream curtains. Ornately designed steel jaalis and turquoise colored seats accompany the tent-like spaces which are great spots for a nice intimate dinner.

Tulsi serves regional Indian food. They offer a dinner tasting menu option – 7 courses for $65 (the vegetarian version is the same price) with an additional $35 for wine pairings. Their lunch offering includes a $20 two course menu, and the a la carte is available for both times. Indian cuisine is an acquired taste, it’s full of spices and herbs that give each dish a unique flavor. I will mention a few of the appetizers that I had. The Mixed Sprouts – green moong, bean sprouts, black-eyed peas, potatoes, tomatoes, red onion and mint yogurt dressing, has an initial not so pleasing taste, however the flavors gradually rise and your taste bud come around. I then tried the Chaats – avocado and jhal muri. This was one dish that surprised me; I thought I would not like it. The avocado was combined with unfamiliar ingredients, but the taste was surprisingly delicious. The Black Pepper and Coconut Shrimp papri was spicy and had a tomato and cream taste that I enjoyed. Next are the entrées; I had the Roasted Pesto Portobello Mushroom – paneer-stuffed, tomato-fenugreek sauce and semolina cakes. I loved it, it become my favorite dish. The taste of the fusion of tomato sauce and the mushroom was incredible. Next up was the Stuffed Achari Chicken – paneer and mushrooms, tomato and rice. The chicken was neither juicy nor dry but just about right. The stuffing complimented the chicken with the rice that came with the dish. The most interesting dish was the Lamb Nargisi Kofta – cashew nut sauce with cumin-green pea and quinoa. The cream sauce with the hardboiled egg on top of the lamb tasted very good. And for dessert I had the Raspberry Kulfi – valrhona chocolate cake, berry compote and chocolate sauce; and the Jalebi – Indian funnel cakes, saffron syrup and spiced almond milk. The Rasberry Kulfi was ok but the Jalebi was amazing.

Tulsi has a descent wine list, but I was more impressed with their exotic cocktails. I had the Tulsi Martini, an in house concoction with mystery ingredients. The drink was sweet but not overbearing and a touch Absolute made the drink perfect.

Would I recommend Tulsi? YES!!!! The service was a bit spotty at times but nevertheless it wasn’t that bad. I’ve dined here both before and after it earned a Michelin star; the food was consistent if not even better on my second visit. If you’re crave Indian food and don’t mind shelling out a couple of dollars this is it the place to dine.

Tulsi
211 E 46th St
New York, NY 10017
212 888 0820
Official Site

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