Spice Fusion’s Kati Rolls Are Like Naan Wrapped Indian Hot Dogs

spice-fusion-store-front

It’s been well covered that if you want an all you can eat Indian buffet in Midtown, your best bet is with Spice Fusion (on 8th Ave. btw. 47+48th). In addition to their buffet, they’ve actually been offering kati rolls for the past few years, although to little fan fare. I felt like it was time to see how they stack up against the competition.

lamb-kati-roll

At Spice Fusion, the kati roll is for take-out only and they offer four different options for fillings: chicken, lamb, aloo (potato), and paneer (cheese). It’s $4.00 before taxes and you get one kati roll with two dipping sauces. One was minty and the other was sweet, tamarind sauce. One might scoff at the notion of paying four dollars for ONE kati roll, however the offerings at Spice Fusion are quite hefty- mostly because the competition uses paratha, while Spice Fusion uses naan. I tried both the chicken and the lamb version.

chicken-kati-roll

The kati rolls are quite spicy (which they don’t really mention before you order) so the faint of heart should be weary. It’s not tongue searingly hot, but it’ll start to cause a sweat probably. They end up giving you more sauce than you can actually use, but the mint sauce with the lamb kati roll really hits the spot. These rolls from Spice Fusion feel less like other kati rolls and more like what an Indian hot dog might look like. That’s the way to really think about these things… they’re more like Indian hot dogs than kati rolls, and they also fill you up pretty well. If you can eat two and still go have dessert, you’re a real Midtown Luncher.

THE + (What somebody who likes this place would say)

  • Filling up for just $4 is a great deal!
  • I like naan way better than roti or paratha
  • The spicier the food, the better it tastes.

THE – (What somebody who doesn’t like this place would say)

  • I like my kati rolls the way the biryani cart and The Kati Roll company does them
  • Spicy food is just not my thing

Spice Fusion, 777 8th ave (btw 47+48th), 212-757-8100

8 Comments

  • I like biryani cart’s version. Not against trying the above for $8+ though. Def. can eat 2 and make room for chocolate cake. ;P

  • I was out getting kati rolls from Grill 44 when you posted this write up. I also got the lamb and it looked exactly like the weird hot dog thing you got. I wonder if the “lamb” is like a prepackaged thing like gyro meat?

  • $4 is a good price considering that the Kati Roll Co. on 39th st is $5+

    I also prefer the biryani cart’s version, but Kati Roll (and probably Spice Fusion) would be arguably better.

    (‘Better’ meaning “I don’t want mayo ‘whitesauce'” or “They don’t use off-the-shelf sauces like Sriracha or El Yucateco”).

    I do think the biryani cart has the best bang for your buck for the nearby kati rolls.

  • mgu I don’t think so. It’s just ground lamb formed around a skewer (hence the hole in the middle of the ‘hotdog’). Any reputable indian restaurant makes their own.

  • Don’t diss da Yucateco hommie!
    That green stuff is fiery heaven ;-)

    • Thats why I always have at least one unopened bottle of it at home. I’m not saying it’s bad, I’m just saying that it’s probably less authentic (and why the other kati rolls may be “better”).

  • Looks like the inside of Rudy’s trousers on Saturday morning.

Leave a Reply

You must log in or register to post a comment.