Glenn C.
Yelp
This is a new Indian place in Hell's Kitchen with mostly Northern Indian and British Indian food (With neither being surprising from the known chef.) The place was moderately empty when we arrived but by the time we left it was completely packed. The service was very friendly though perhaps they came over a but too many times but that did mean that the water was refilled constantly which was useful for some of the other people there. Jaz came over at one point and she was very friendly. Anyway, I went there with five others and the food overall was tasting with a few minor exceptions. Why would say the main dishes are definitely cheaper than many other Indian spots, I will also point out that this place doesn't provide rice with your main dish which I'm feeling a lot of Indians will scoff at.
They gave us the drink menu a bit early and it oddly only shows a mango drink as well as wine without listing their beers, the cocktails listed online, and the non-alcoholic drinks. As per usual, I asked whether they have sweet lassi but they only have mango ones so I stuck with water. In terms of appetizers, I started off by sharing the tandoori platter and another person ordered the lasuni gobi.
Tandoori Platter- Chicken Tikka, Ginger Chicken, and Lamb Seekh Kebab (15$)
The chicken tikka was the strongest of the three as it was moist and very flavorful though it was hard to compare to the one I had most recently. The kebab was fine though not as good as most places on Lex and the ginger chicken was good also. This would make a good appetizer to share.
Lasuni Gobi- Cauliflower florets batter-fried, garlic sauce (6$)
This was fine at 6 (for the prices) but the flavors were a little bit light.
For my main dish, I got the lamb kolhapui along with lemon rice and a peshawari naan.
Lamb Kolhapuri- Cubes of Lamb Tempered With Curry Leaves, Dry Red Chili, Coconut Sauce (20$)
I asked for this dish to be spicy though I have feeling that they might have toned it down slightly but the flavors were nice. There was unfortunately one piece of lamb that was quite chewy (perhaps some gristle) but the flavors of the curry were well developed with a coconut but it wasn't overly sweet. Overall it was tasty. I also tried a bit of the chicken tikka masala which was good with a not super sweet sauce and another person had the lamb saag what they liked. The lemon rice was a big enough portion that I think two or three people could share and it was well flavored also. The peshawari naan was not as sweet as I thought it would be with not as much coconut and there were some golden raisins in it which one is nice for the texture and flavor. Another person got the tandoori roti which they liked and I tried a bit of the garlic naan which was also lightly spiced.
We were about to order dessert (primarily kheer) and the maître d' called the waiter over and they provided us with two large bowls of kheer free of charge which was very nice. This was a fantastic version as it was not too sweet and I would recommend it.
Overall the food here was good though I think some people used to spicier Indian food might prefer other places. I would most relate this place to the old school Indian places in the Village for better and for worse. I wish the spices were a little stronger but the Indian food here is definitely better than anything in the surrounding area. Mid 3 rounded up for the excellent service.