Curry Hill

My hotel in the Fashion District seemed in the heart of things (as apparently every place in NYC does) and yet not close to much. However, I discovered, it was mere blocks from Curry Hill! I researched Indian restaurants on Yelp and couldn't help but choose one with high reviews in the heart of so-called Curry Hill, in Murray Hill. Dhaba struck my fancy when I read their menu featuring street food items like we discovered in London. I went a little crazy, taking advantage of the cheap starter-sized options and the company tab, ordering enough food for two :)

The Paya, or, "goat trotter soup" was not my favorite dish. What were apparently goat hinds or heels had no meat on them but glistened with cartilage in spicy ginger broth. I admit I still ate most of it, though. On the online menu, the most-ordered item was an aloo gobi samosa which sounded promising. Two of the gigantic samosas filled the plate in greasy glory. I could barely finish one! The aloo gobi inside wasn't very spicy and the cauliflower was almost potato-like in its mushy consistency. But who can hold that against them when the whole point is to dunk the samosas in delicious tamarind chutney?

Two Chaat Bazaar dishes sounded especially interesting, one was thinly sliced eggplant in tamarind paste, the other pu-ed rice with tamarind and mint chutnies. Can you tell I like tamarind? The eggplant was succulent; perfectly cooked to soft yet not-mushy goodness with a layer of tamarind sauce and a sprinkle of some sort of puffed grain, almost like what might top a chinese chicken salad. The pu-ed rice is apparently a dish Dhaba has made famous—it was like fried rice in terms of it being a mix of flavors and textures stirred together, but with puffy rice like a ricecake in the making. I poured enough mint and tamarind chutney over this to turn it into a vehicle dish, though the light texture of mashed peas and rice were certainly interesting.

Without a doubt, the dark meat butter chicken curry was the star. Similar enough to tikka masala, (to the point that some restaurants have indicated it's the same thing) I was in curry heaven with this tomato cream stew. I love how the tangy-ness of tomato curries blends with spice and super tender meat. Plus, the bonus of bathing a plate of basmati rice in curry sauce can't be matched.