Midtown Lunch

I never really looked twice at the cart that has been set up for the past several months next to Kwik Meal on 45th & 6th avenue. As a loyal Kwik meal customer for several years and lover of their chicken pitas, I admit it never occurred to me to try whatever carts (and there have been a few over the years) that decided to try their luck nearby. While walking on 45th street the other day, I finally took notice of the Aamir Halah Food cart (sister cart to the one on 46th street), because they were offering Thai sweet chili kati rolls. Yep, like Biryani Cart, they added Kati Rolls to the menu, and not only that, but they’re ripping off Biryani’s popular Chennai rolls.

Kati rolls are two for $6, which is a deal, if you compare it to Kati Roll Company but the same price as Biryani Cart and Kwik Meal. I couldn’t get a good picture of it, but the photos that advertise kati rolls on the cart actually have the Kati Roll Company logo on them.

On the left is the non spicy chaat masala with veggies, which actually packed some heat, so if you’re looking for something that is actually not spicy, go elsewhere. On the right is the lamb with sweet chili sauce, which was a recommendation by the gentleman manning the flat top.

The lamb was of the gyro consistency, so in that respect, this cart can’t really compete with Kwik Meal’s lamb next door. Sweet chili sauce on chicken is delicious, but I’ve never tried it on lamb and was skeptical going in. But, when cooked on the flat top with Thai sweet chili sauce … I dunno, there was something not weird about it. It was actually really good! The sugars in the chili sauce glazed the outside of the goat chunks.

On another trip I wanted to see how the chicken stacked up. On the left you have the tikka glazed chicken (aka Biryani Cart’s King Koti roll, for those of you playing at home), and on the right is the chicken with Thai chili sauce (yep, the Chennai roll). This time, the gentleman wasn’t there, but the woman who was there before taking orders (and didn’t speak much English) was doing the cooking. She did not cook the chicken with the chili sauce. Instead, it went on top, after cooking but before rolling. This method was less effective. Both kati rolls were tasty, but I enjoyed the lamb cooked with the chili sauce much more than the chicken. Also, you will notice in the photo that these rolls were so stuffed with chicken (that’s a good thing!) that I couldn’t pick them up (that’s a bad thing!) and had to use cutlery.

They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery … but this might be taking it a little too far. That said, if you’re going to forgo Biryani’s Chennai for Aamir’s version, make sure they cook the meat with the Thai chili sauce, because it makes all the difference.

Aamir Halal Food, SW Corner of 45th and 6th