Bhatti Indian Grill in New York, NY

Bhatti Indian grill is a restaurant located in Curry Hill (Murray Hill but named Curry Hill because of the multiple Asian restaurants located there), where Chef Gaurav Anand serves Punjabi cuisine (Northern cuisine). Ok, I still have a lot to learn about Indian cuisine, this country being so vast. I went there few times and, each time, I discovered mouth watering dishes that I hope to retrieve when I go to a restaurant in NY. 

So yes, I was excited to go to Bhatti Indian Grill because I knew that they were preparing kebabs on a Bhatti, an open fire where they put lava instead of wood and charcoal for safety reasons, giving to the meat or fish a nice smoky flavor. But that's not it: they also have a tandoori oven.

The decor is fairly modern and I always find that the bricks add some warmth to a place, warmth that was only present thanks to the bricks... I admit that the service did not entirely make us feel welcome and the restaurant seemed a bit uncared for (see below - there was also sauce on the curtains), but the food was delicious. 

When we sat, they brought us some papadam that is like a giant cracker that you eat with different sauces that go from mild to spicy. 

As it was some sort of apéritif, I decided to order a mango lassi that was very good and had a perfect thickness.

Then, when I ordered, I saw that they have a Dal Bhatti: you probably know Dal, this lentil dish that you will find in most if not all Indian restaurants, prepared with either yellow or black lentils. The particularity of this one is that it is simmered overnight. 

I loved it, although I would have liked it without this slight kick it had: it was wonderfully creamy, thanks to the cream, butter and cooking process. Bon sang, I hate watery Dal!

I also decided to try the kebabs. So I ordered their sampler. 

I love when restaurant propose samplers. At Bhatti Indian grill, they propose a meat kebab or veggie kebab sampler, in full or half size. I chose the meat sampler that had only chicken and they were not very forthcoming in telling me what was there...So, if I remember, there was Tandoori Murgh (Boneless chicken marinated in yogurt, ginger, garlic & spices, grilled), Murgh Malai kebab (grilled cubes of chicken in a mildly spiced creamy marinade infused with green cardamom and nutmeg) and Haryali Chooza (chicken marinated in a mix of mint, cilantro, green fenugreek, green chilies and hung curd). It was very good, each piece of chicken having a delicious char taste and being perfectly cooked, being still moist. I just wish that they proposed different meats, such as lamb for instance.

We could not leave without trying my favorite Indian dessert: Gulab Jamun:

These were delicious, as expected.

Although the service was disappointing and spoiled a bit the experience, I really liked the food at Bhatti Indian Grill. They just need to fix a couple of kinks to make it one of the top in the area.

Enjoy (I did)!

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