Bombay Talkie

Bombay Talkie
189 9th Avenue - Map
Between W 21st and W 22nd Streets
New York
(212) 242-6366
Fine Indian Dining

If you think you've had good Indian food - you haven't! One thing New York City doesn't lack, is its selection of Indian restaurants. Now, I admit that Indian food tends to be a very selective cuisine for most people - some LOVE it, some HATE it, some are scared of it, but very few can just take it or leave it (except, maybe, Indians?). What I loved most about Bombay Talkie was that this was Indian food I've never had before. Their menu carried many recognizable dishes from other Indian establishments, but the execution in the food preparation was superb, perfect, and excellent!

First, I would like to discuss how well Bombay Talkie fits in with the trendy, chic Chelsea neighborhood. With Chelsea's large gay demographic (read: extremely critical and judgemental), it's clear that it passes with flying colors - even the bichiest of them would agree. The restaurant has two levels: the ground level has the bar at the far end, with a white background cocktail menu written out in hot pink, and screens showing various Indian pictures. The wall on the far left is one long mural depicting a bunch of people. In fact, the entire restaurant is adorned with large-scale paintings of Bollywood-esque scenes - all rich in color and detail. The music in the background is upbeat and distinctly of that region, which adds such a nice touch. I totally felt like there was this great fusion with chic New York style and ancient Indian culture. They also have an upstairs section with additional seating, and a nice view of 9th Avenue.

I was meeting a friend for dinner here, and it was decided that instead of ordering entrées, which were undoubtedly delicious, we'd order a number of appetizers, chutney, and naan and that way we'd get the full spectrum and not overeat (which is VERY easy to do here). I would also like to take this opportunity to discuss their menu of Specialty Cocktails. I only ordered one, and I tasted my friend's and they were both really good.

I ordered the "Satyam Shivam Sundaram" which translates into "Truth is Beauty." It was made with jasmine tea that was infused with fresh apple cider, mixed with Apple Pucker, 99 Banana, bacardi and fresh lime juice and garnished with a sliver of "drunken apple." This was a deliciously sweet, not overpowering, and wonderful zing aftertaste cocktail! All the flavors melded well with each other, however, the jasmine undertone was heady and alluring. My friend ordered the "Ankur" cocktail, which translates into "Seedling." This cocktail was a mix of pomegranate juice, tequila, Rose's lime juice, and contreau. Not nearly as sweet as my drink, but deliciously pomegranate - and very in vogue with the new pomegranate juice fad. Me? I like fresh pomegranate, seeds and all - but this drink was a lot of fun, and for pomegranate lovers - this IS the way to go.

For dinner, we ordered their Papdi Chat (Beggar's Purses), and tart lamb Dosa from their "Street Bites" section, and tamarind chutney and grape and mint raita from their "curbside" section. We also placed two orders of naan - one each of cilantro and red chili flakes, and onion seeds and sesame seeds) - and two vegetable dishes: chole peshawari and bhindi. Ok, I know it's a lot, and it all sounds foreign, but don't worry.

Our friendly, cute, and knowledgable waitress was very helpful in taking our order. When the first course of papdi chat and dosa came out, we were eager to dip in to the dishes. The dosa came served with one white coconut chutney and one red coconut chutney. Dosas are a rice and lentil flour crepe that's stuffed, and in this case it was tart lamb. For those of you who are familiar with lamb, you can understand what this may have tasted like, but what I found most wonderful was that the flavor of the lamb wasn't lost in the seasoning, and in fact was enhanced by it. Despite the lamb stuffing being ground, it still had the lamb texture: soft, tender, almost buttery. Each of the chutneys went deliciously well with the dosa.

The papdi chat are these cute little, bite-sized bundles. They're small flour shells stuffed with potatoes and chick peas and individually topped with a tamarind and yogurt sauce. They were easily one-bite servings, but can still neatly be bitten in two pieces. The flour shell was lightly crispy, and the stuffing of potato and chick pea was soft and silky, the tamarind and yogurt sauce gave it a sweet, tangy zing while still not losing the flavors of the potatoes and chick peas.

Once we were done with this course, they brought us the chole peshawari and the bhindi. The chole peshawari is a dish of spicy garbanzo beans in a ginger-garlic paste, green chilies and coriander, and the bhindi is Masala sautéed okra (I happen to be very partial to okra). Both of these dishes were interesting. I enjoyed the complex flavors of the chole peshawari, combined with the simple-by-comparison texture of the garbanzo bean. The coriander definitely had the end-note flavor of the dish, and as for spicy, to my palate I consider it to be moderate. The bhindi, by contrast, was all about the texture, and still had a delicious flavor. The okra was soft, and pasty, but still had distinct-okra shell texture. I also suspect there were pieces of eggplant in it as well, which also went very nicely with the okra.

In true Indian fashion, we ripped of pieces from the naan, dabbed fillings of either the chole peshawari or bhindi, and then topped with either the tamarind chutney or grape and mint raita. The grape and mint raita is essentially a yogurt sauce with pieces of green grape and mint. Almost like a Greek tzatziki - but entirely different in flavor. The tamarind chutney of course had that wonderful tamarind flavor, sweet and tangy, and a beautifully rich amberish-brown color, and also had ginger, crushed red chilies, and jaggery (an unrefined Indian sugar) in it. The naan also deserves special mention. They were light, malleable, very flavorful and almost buttery. Either or both types are an excellent choice.

To end the dinner, I ordered a glass of their Chai which they were kind enough to make unsweetened, to which I added a packet of equal (I know, maybe I shoulda just had it with good ol' sugar, but I was going out drinking after dinner - so I figured I'd save on SOME calories). Overall, I loved this restaurant. The décor was fun, the waitstaff excellent, and the food superb. The thing I enjoyed most about Bombay Talkie is that they didn't fall prey to the same pitfalls as other restaurants serving similar cuisine - they flavors of every dish were distinct, and didn't melt into one of 3 basic flavors. I loved that I was able to discern each flavor and texture, while still appreciating the full experience. Also, the drinks are great too! This restaurant comes highly recommended!

Momofuku

Momofuku
171 First Avenue - Map
Between E 10th and E 11th Streets
New York
(212) 475-7899
Japanese Noodle Bar

Momofuku, meaning "lucky peach" in Japanese is a cute little noodle bar in the East Village. Don't let it's small size fool you though, because their dishes definitely throw a punch! Their rigidly crafted menu is varied, but does not allow for any substitutions - ever. This isn't quite a vegetarian-friendly restaurant, with the exception of one dish, the Ginger Scallion, which I personally cannot attest to. Also, there's a $15 minimum on credit card usage.

Upon entering this almost hidden restautant, the construction is very much that of a bar. There's a long, narrow raised table with stools on either side, that connects to a "bar" area right by the exposed kitchen. There is also some seating along the right-hand wall, and everyone sits next to EVERYONE. Very cozy. This is definitely not considered a fine-dining establishment, but definitely serves up a great experience.

On this particular occassion, I was having lunch with an old friend before having to head to class, and after hearing RAVE reviews from a new acquaintance - Jennifer Lynn Pelka, a personal chef - I came to see that Momofuku really is all that it's cracked up to be.

My friend and I decided to split one dish, and each order our own. So, we ended up splitting their Seaweed Cured Maine Diver Sea Scallops which was beautifully served with a small round of baby arugala, cherries, and a lemon purée. This dish was definitely interesting. Most scallops I've eaten were seared and had a nice brown caramalization on the ends, this, however, was essentially "raw" but it was cured. It had a much softer texture, and lacked the suppleness one normally sees in cooked scallops. They were also thinly sliced, which made it somewhat difficult to handle with chopsticks - FUN, but difficult. They had a very nice flavor, the seaweed imparted that rich umami flavor, and it was surprisingly sweet. Not sugary-sweet, but it had a sweet undertone. Most pronounced about it was its texture which was soft. When I added some of the lemon purée the dish was transformed completely! The zest of the lemon cut into the sweet undertone, and completely fostered and built up the scallop. The arugala served to add another peppery dimension. This was definitely a dish meant to be eaten with all of its components.

I decided to order their Momofuku Ramen (which Jennifer told me must be the first thing I ever eat there), described as their Berkshire Pork combo and a poached egg. This was a beautiful dish! A large bowl filled with broth and ramen noodles, the far end of the bowl adorned with two sheets of seaweed, pieces of brown pork swimming around the warm pool of liquid and a perfectly poached egg at the center, hinting at the rich yellow sauce beneath its fragile white cage. I couldn't wait to dip into that egg! I selected a piece of pork, and dabbed at the center of the egg, and watched as the vibrant orangey-yellow yolk burst out and oozed over into the soup, slowly mixing in and spreading outward. It was delicious! The ramen noodles had a wonderful texture: soft, supple, slippery, fun. The pork was almost overwhelmingly flavorful on its own, but when mixed with the blander broth and noodles, it seasoned the mouthful perfectly. Although in the heat of the summer, it's probably not wise to order a hot soup dish, this was definitely worth it. To accompany it, I followed Jennifer's instructions once again, and ordered their Hitachino White Ale. This went so flawlessly well with the dish, I wouldn't be surprised if they were meant to go together. The ale was light, and had a sweet undertone as well, but characterized by distinct flavors of earthy yeast and hops.

My friend ordered their Chicken & Egg which was served with pieces of smoked chicken, a poached egg, scallions, and rice. This was also a wonderful dish. The rice was light and fluffy, and very flavorful. The chicken was absolutely delicious. They were tender, and flavorful, and not too salty - something I've almost come to expect in smoked foods. I don't have much to say about this dish, other than it's beautiful composition, and delicious flavors. If you're looking for a pork-less dish, this makes a wonderful alternative.

Overall, I enjoyed myself at Momofuku. The inexpensive menu, and the novel experience it affords its patrons is worth at least one trip.