Midtown Lunch

Joy Curry & Tandoor at 46th St. (btw. Lex+3rd) has received praise as a filling and affordable Indian lunch since 2007 when Zach posted a +/- review. Donny visited again earlier this year and thought it was a good deal. I was struck by the loyalty of Midtown Lunch’ers to Joy evidenced by the positive comments in both of their posts. Spotted by Lunch’ers earlier this summer, a sign popped up on 39th btw. 5+6th hinting the arrival of a Joy #2. Although it took a little longer than two weeks as they had originally suggested, Joy Curry’s new location is now open. And, there’s a bonus for early adopters — for the next two months, their combo lunch plates are $2 off.

The choices for the combo special range from a $7.95 two vegetable option to a $11.95 three meat mixed grill. With the special, you get a generous portion of rice and a side of naan.

They offer lamb, fish, and chicken curry, lamb and chicken vindaloo, chicken korma, and chicken karahi (a Pakistani dish cooked with tomatoes and ginger). Vegetarian options include palak paneer, lentils, chickpeas, and a cauliflower-potato curry. There are plenty of other options, and the menu from Joy #1, which is the same as #2 according to staff, is available from simplemenu.com.

I went by yesterday and tried it out. The new restaurant’s interior has a nice, modern design. There are plenty of tables and the atmosphere is lifted by unique lighting and lots of live plants.

I ordered the #2 – one chicken plus one veg for $8.95 ($6.95, of course, including the special). I got the Chicken Vindaloo with the cauliflower potato side. It was pretty darn good and very filling. I was very happy with the spice level of the vindaloo. Although it wasn’t nearly as hot as I’ve tried abroad, at least I didn’t have to ask for my pet peeve whole chili pepper I complained about when I did a post on Curry Dreams. The potatoes in the vindaloo were great — the chicken could’ve been a little softer but it was still good. The cauliflower dish wasn’t spicy but had a great flavor, even if it was a bit on the watery side.

The rice was perfectly cooked, and the naan was better than any naan I’ve had in a while. It had just come out of the oven and was incredibly fresh. The mint chutney was also good; flavorful and not overly runny. And, happily, the folks were really nice, which makes me want to come back and eat more — perhaps the chicken karahi, something I’ve never tried before.

Lunch’ers, I hope the new Joy is close enough that you can make the journey to try it out and take advantage of their promotional special. If you get a chance to stop by, let us know what you think!

Joy Curry and Tandoori, 32 West 39th Street, (212) 490-1277