Snapshots: For Those About to Chaat…

For people who are used to chicken tikka masala, biriyani and tandoori, ordering “chaat” (the word used to describe small plates of snacks) can be a little more confusing.  To make ordering it a little less intimidating, check out these photos The Flooz (who blogs about Astoria on Joey in Astoria) posted to the Midtown Lunch Flickr Pool, from Indus Express, the fairly new Indian steam table/kati roll place on 48th btw. 5+6th.
Somosa Chaat

The “Somosa” (sic) Chaat – Crisp turnovers, tangy chick peas, yogurt & mint chutney.  $4.95

Papri Chaat – Homemade chips, lentil dumplings, garbanzo beans, potatoes, yogurt, chutneys & spices.  $4.95

A close-up of the Papri Chaat, after the jump…
Papri Chaat

From The Flooz: “The Papri Chaat deliciousness.  For $4.95 you get this huge portion that is good for at least one lunch and a snack. I bought a naan to help with scoopage and i was ready to burst!”

Read more about Indus Express here

19 Comments

  • You just made my YEAR! Chaat in midtown… and for lunch? Could I be any happier? The answer is an emphatic no! Chaat for lunch is a trip down memory lane in Calcutta outside school. Thanks Zach…you do know that you are doing God’s work, right?

  • To Quote Queen Victoria to Prince Ablert on their wedding night:

    ‘ Fuckin’Marvelous’

    Even if it does looks highly Veggie

  • holy crap that looks amazing. chaats are SO good. anyone know where i can get some good ones in Curry Hill?

  • oh wow! that was MY samosa chaat! it was SO delicious. It fed me for 2 days and was still excellent on day 2. they’re really nice there too. the guy at the register gave me a free sample of the hot spiced (chai) tea. it was good but too much milk for me. it’s gonna be so hard to try new things there now that i know how good the chaat is!

  • hey thanks for the linkage!
    this place really has been a lifesaver- thanks so much for introducing it to me :)

    and now my question- where can i get a monstrous delicious pickle in midtown?

  • that looks fanTASTIC! i know where i’m going to lunch this week…!! :)

  • Heaven is a place called my office where I’m eating Samosa Chaat right now. Thanks for the tip! I hang my head in shame and admit I’ve only gone in there for the regular meat + 2 sides special before.

  • are you guys sure that’s not a typo? $4.95 for all that food???

  • Jane – I had bhel puri at Tiffin Wallah a few weeks back and almost licked the bowl. And it was LESS than $4. 3.75, I think.

    And why am I skipping lunch again? Grrr. This is TORMENT!

  • Wow, good stuff. Just come back and threw down a Samosa Chaat, It was so filling. Def. will be going back soon

  • There is no such place. They closed today. No one go there. They raised prices. They had a fire. Etc., etc., &c.

  • I had the bhel puri chaat there last week. I ordered it not really knowing what chaat was. It was ok but kinda boring, like rice crispies with vegetables and mangos, and it got soggy very quickly. The “somosa” chaat looks amazing, I have no idea why I didn’t order that instead. Oh well, I have an excuse to go back now. And yes, the chaat is $4.95, and I think there’s one that is $3.95.

  • FYI, for those who care, Indus Express was just added to SeamlessWeb. I’m guessing the samosa chaat will suffer during delivery, but I’m willing to take the risk.

  • Looks like I know where I’m going tomorrow!

  • great photos!

  • Tried the house chaat yesterday. Reasonably tasty and definately within my budget. I expect to return!

  • Pretty good stuff. Anyone tried the chicken chaat yet?

  • The problem is this stuff looks better than it is. I had a papri chaat a few weeks ago and found it to taste pretty bad – the balance of the spices was off.

  • I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for introducing samosa chaat to me as a lunch option. I got it from Tiffin Wallah this week and it was so great. Consequently I’m also renouncing my previous claims that Tiffin Wallah isn’t that good.

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