Hoboken Dhaba, Indian street food!

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When Hoboken Dhaba replaced The Hummus Bar, I was thinking: what? Another Indian restaurant? How many do we need? Think about it: we had plenty of restaurants serving Middle Eastern dishes, mainly focused on falafel and hummus and now, only few of them are still standing. So Indian? Ok, India on the Hudson that was my favorite closed recently because of rent increase (hopefully they will relocate!), but there is still Bombay West, Matt & Meera and Karma Cafe. So I was wondering what would make Hoboken Dhaba different. It was time to check that out!

I discovered what Dhaba is after I went for a press dinner at The Masala Wala in New York: it is a street side shed where people can eat some food sold by street vendors. Now, looking at the decor, it make sense! They have the equivalent of booths that are in fact representing dhaba.

It is a very colorful restaurant, with bright colors on the walls, banquettes, pillows, and with tables being used as a display for spices that are pretty common in Indian cuisine.

If you go there, you will also notice the lamps hanging from the ceiling that are made of forks, knives and spoons!

So, there are two things that characterize Hoboken Dhaba: the street food and the all-you can-eat formula of the week end, that is potentially equivalent to the buffet at Karma Cafe and India on the Hudson. We decided to try both at two different occasions. The first time was the all-you-can-eat. 

They propose two versions: vegetarian and non-vegetarian. Jodi picked the first one and me the second. It is not a buffet: they bring you their selection of the day at the table, starting with the appetizers.

The vegetarian appetizer was, besides a small salad, vegetable pakora (fritters) and chili pakoda (green chili lightly battered in a chick pea flour and fried). So, both were fried, but not greasy. The pakora was very good. the chili was good too (a tiny bit spicy), although not my favorite.

On my side, the non-vegetarian appetizer was made of the same salad, tandoori chicken and some chicken smothered in a chili sauce.

The chicken was good! The chili one was not as spicy as I thought when I heard it was a chili sauce and it was both sweet and sour. The tandoori chicken was very good: still moist, with a beautiful red color, a bit of char and the delicious taste of spices.

Then came the main dishes. For Jodi, the vegetarian platter.

It is what is called a Thali, a selection of dishes served on a tray, concept that I discovered years ago in Mumbai and that is also served at Bombay West. It was composed of:

• Rajma (top left): this was a special made with beans that was also on my thali. A bit too spicy, it had the consistency of a thick dahl (lentil dish).
•  Aloo Gobi (bottom left): potatoes cooked in spices (spicy).
• Eggplant with paneer cheese (top right): another special of the day. It was very good and not spicy this time.
• Cauliflower in a chili sauce, very hot (bottom right).

On my side:

It was composed of:

• Rajma, similar to Jodi's dish (bottom left).
• Cauliflower in a chili sauce, very hot (top left).
• Chicken Tikka Masala (top right): this was my favorite! Very creamy, not spicy, I could eat that sauce with a spoon!
• Another chicken dish that was spicy.

What was disappointing is that I asked them to point out on the menu what the items were and they were not that forthcoming, explaining why I could not retrieve the name of the dishes. I think what was a bit disappointing for my thali is that they served two chicken dishes: I would have preferred two different proteins. Also, they served two vegetarian dishes that are not on the menu: I personally would probably serve dishes that people can order when they come back or recommend if they love it.

With the meal, we got some delicious fresh naan:

And they were nice enough to bring us some raita (no charge) to extinguish the fire caused by the spices!

My other weapon against spices is always lassi. This time, I decided to go for a sweet lassi, although it was not on the menu.

Lassi is a yogurt drink where water, spices and sometimes fruit is added to the yogurt. Depending on the restaurant, it has different levels of thickness. The one I ordered was thick, not too sweet and had some cinnamon on top. I really liked it, but it was very filling!  The second time I went to Hoboken Dhaba, I chose the mango lassi.

It was delicious: creamy with this wonderful taste of mango. Again not too sweet but very filling!

Then, we got dessert! And it was my favorite: gulab jamun!

Gulab Jamun is a cheese ball that is fried and then dipped in a sugar syrup. This was fantastic: cooked all the way through, sweet, it was served slightly warm.

Even if my first experience at Hoboken Dhaba did not meet my expectations, we decided to go back, but this time to try the street food!

We started off with the vegetarian sampler.

For $8, there was surely lots of food! It was composed of:

• Vegetarian samosa: light and crispy, with a bit of spiciness.
• Chili pakoda, similar to the first time we went.
• Batata Vada: battered fried spicy potatoe balls, similar to croquettes, but with Indian spices and spicy!
• Veggie pakora: a bit greasy and overcooked this time.

Then we ordered the Bhel Puri or crispy puffed rice mixed with chutney and spices.

I was a bit disappointed: it was not as crispy as the one at The Masala Wala and not as good either. I did not eat too much of it...

Then, the Dahi Puri that are lentils shells filled with veggies and yogurt.

This was very good, but not as spectacular as the one I tried at The Masala Wala (sorry, I repeat myself, but it was a memorable dinner!!!).

This is a one bite thing and I loved the different layers, from the lentil shell that was very crispy to the veggies and yogurt. We ate it all!

I also wanted to try the lamb samosa.

I love lamb, but, unfortunately, this did not meet my expectations: the lamb was dry and the shell was overcooked.

Last was the chicken lollipop:

It really looked like lollipops! But again, it was a miss...The problem was that they left the skin that was  not fried and gave a gelatinous taste to the dish. They would have removed it, or even fried it, it would have been a great dish.

So, at this point I am really on the fence after these two visits: I liked the classic dishes but disliked most of what we ate...I will probably go for a third time to make up my mind and will stick with some classics.

Enjoy (...)!

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Churchwarden pipes and mutton chops at Keens Steakhouse in NYC, New York

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This is it! After visiting the oldest pizzeria in the US (Lombardi's), here we are at the oldest steakhouse in New York City: Keens Steakhouse that opened in 1885. So, Keens, that is considered by many as the best steakhouse in the city is known for two things: its churchwarden pipes and its mutton chops. A few people at work went there and had mixed feelings about that place; it was time for me to try it.

This is a big place, with its three floors (we were on the second floor, in the Lincoln room). The atmosphere is definitely the one of a traditional steakhouse: dark wood and dark leather banquettes with tons of political drawings.

But what makes Keens unique is the decor: the ceiling is covered with churchwarden pipes. Keens is said to have the largest collection in the world. I have tried to find the number and it seems to be more than 90,000. The tradition, as they explain on their website, comes from the 17th Century, in England, where travelers were checking in their 15 inches long pipes made of clay at their favorite Inn, the pipe being to fragile to be carried.

These pipes are a strong reminder that steakhouses were originally only reserved to men and women were not allowed! To the point that, in 1905, Lillie Langtry, an actress, sued Keens for denying her entrance and won in court!

Interestingly, at Keens, each table has a small pad, so you can take notes.

After we ordered our food, they brought us some veggies with an addictive blue cheese sauce.

It was celery, carrots as well as some olives with ice on top to keep it cool! 

They also gave us some bread and butter.

But we did not come for this! We came for steaks! Jodi ordered a filet mignon. It was served with a roasted pepper.

I admit that when it came, it did not look that appetizing. It looked more like a dry piece of overcooked tuna. It is the first time I saw a thin slice of filet mignon like this! And the taste was just ok, the quality of a filet mignon I would expect in a regular restaurant, not a steakhouse. It was not as juicy as I like and fortunately, we ordered some delicious béarnaise sauce.

On my side, I had to order their signature dish: the mutton chop!

This was a gigantic piece of meat, a 26-ounce saddle of mutton, that has been on their menu on day 1. If you love lamb, you cannot go to Keens and not try that! It was cooked medium, was juicy, with enough fat and a nice char. However, I think that it was way overpriced and restaurants like Dino & Harry's offer lamb chops that are tastier with a fabulous char, for a cheaper price.

However, I loved the mint jelly that I guess was homemade!

With the meat, we ordered French fries:

They were just ok and I thought the quantity was small compared to what other steakhouses would serve.

Last was dessert! We could not leave without it! We went for the banana foster with dark rum and vanilla ice cream.

It was good and I loved the bananas that were caramelized. It was sweet but the ice cream kind of neutralized the sweetness of this dessert. Hopefully the price ($14), that is high for a dessert, was justified by the quality of rum...

At the end of the meal, we were disappointed and a bit more when the bill came...

It was definitely some bad news...Overpriced and not as good as people say. I would add also that the service was just ok: they barely checked on us and did not make us feel welcome. So the only reason to go to Keens Steakhouse would be for the history, not the food!

Enjoy (...)!

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Desserts at Bann, a Korean restaurant in Midtown NYC, New York!

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I went to Bann for dinner few months ago to try some Korean food, especially their Bibimbap, and ended up going back recently for lunch with my colleagues. I like this place that is pretty big! To go to the dinning room, you first go through the bar area:

Then a small corridor:

With wine bottles on one side (left on the photo above) and chopsticks boxes on the opposite side.

Then, the kitchen and its counter where you can dine and at the same time observe the Chef cooking!

Then we arrived in the dining room (they have two in fact: a large and a smaller one). They first brought us some kimchi, pickled cucumber and I think daikon.

If you have never been to a Korean restaurant, know that a meal always starts with banchan or small dishes. Similar to last time, I was a bit disappointed that there were only three different dishes, being used to close to 6 in other restaurants. But I was pleased to see that they served kimchi!

They then brought us some salad with sesame seeds and a vinaigrette sauce.

We ordered our dishes that looked very good, such as the bibimbap that, in the lunch menu was a colder version, meaning not served in a very hot bowl!

Or the Un Dae Gu Jo Rim individual box:

The individual box contained a spinach miso soup, salad, rice, some side dishes (kimchi, broccoli and daikon), as well as some sort of pancakes. Then, the main dish was blackened cod simmered in a spicy garlic soy reduction.

Then I tried some fantastic fried rice with shrimp:

It was very tasty and not greasy, that can sometimes be the problem with fried rice. It was in fact my favorite dish!

On my side, I went for the Kimchi Chi Ge, a stew made with spicy pickled kimchi, tofu, onions, scallions and pork belly.

It came in a very hot bowl and between the temperature and the spiciness of the dish, I admit it was a challenge! But overall, it was good, spicy, but good and I tried to counteract the spiciness with rice...

It worked a bit but my mouth was on fire!

I also thought that there was too much kimchi compared to the rest: there was a lot of firm tofu, but not enough of the delicious pork belly. So it was good but not the type of dish I would surely recommend (the fried rice however...).

Then was time for dessert. I admit that I was not expecting anything as, in the past, I was not that thrilled with the dessert menus proposed in Korean restaurants. Well, Bann is different! They have a fantastic dessert menu and the desserts presentation is phenomenal!

Here is what we tried:

Hot Chocolate cake served with vanilla ice cream.

It was a chocolate molten cake that was very light, not too sweet and perfectly...uncooked, so the center was flowing like lava!

Asian pear crumble:

This was my favorite dessert! There were two components worth describing: the sorbet and the crumble itself.

The crumble first: it was very buttery with the sweetness coming mainly from the pear that had a fantastic taste, the juice soaking the cake in the bottom.

Then the pear sorbet that was also very good and was probably homemade, with some small bits of pear in it, to add some fruity taste. On top was a rose petal coated in sugar that was delicious and crispy (my assumption at the time was that it was meant to be eaten and not just for decoration...).

The most spectacular in term of presentation was the tropical snow:

It was shaved coconut ice with jellied fruits, sweet beans, coconut ice cream and creme anglaise. Imagine a big bowl of ice with all these elements on top. It was pretty good, especially the coconut ice cream that was very creamy.

Yellow mungbean cups:

The mung bean can have various colors, one of them being yellow, and is cultivated in Asia; it has some sweetness to it making it perfect for both savory and sweet dishes. It was the central element to this dessert where they made a custard with it added toasted pistachios and baked everything in a small phyllo cup. It was good and creamy, a bit too sweet.

The last dessert was macha green tea ice cream.

The ice cream was laid out on ice that looked like a little boat, keeping it cold. I am usually not a big fan of green tea ice cream because it can be bitter, but this one was very good and creamy. Surprisingly, after they brought the dish to the table, we started to hear some noise coming from the ice, like a whistle! Probably created purposely by the ice melting.

So, these desserts were definitely the big surprise of this lunch: the creativity and the presentation were phenomenal and I surely did not expect it. I am wondering now if one should go to Bann for the dishes or for dessert...Let say for both!

Enjoy (I did)!

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