Midtown Lunch

First things first: Pakistan Tea House is up to a B rating from the Department of Health! The Pakistani standby on Church St. (at Reade) was saddled with the dreaded C the last time I ate there, not that I care about such things when there is a cheap, quality steam table lunch at hand.

I was here to try their three-item vegetarian combo, which we’ve somehow not reviewed on this site, instead focusing on the chicken dishes. They have several vegetarian items on offer every day and while none of them were labeled, I found that pointing and asking “What’s that?” worked just fine. I ended up with two hits and a miss using this system.

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When Saffron Thread Indian opened on Chambers St. (btw. Broadway & Church St.) they touted their kati-type rolls, and they were indeed delicious and filling. The thing most people order here is the $9 lunch combo, and as I discovered you get a boat load of flavorful food for the price.

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I can’t really think of many places where you can get a juice smoothie with a side of chicken nuggets and fries (that’s not McDonald’s). Sammi’s Nutrition House truck fills that void, allowing you to add nutrients to your body with fruit juice, and then get your recommended daily allowance of sodium with a plate of street meat. I noticed that since the truck first appeared in the Financial District they had added some other specialties to the menu including chicken tikka and biryani and was curious what they were serving up.

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Sometimes the best of lunch plans go awry against your will. How can that happen? Well, take my lunch at Shafiq’s Halal cart on Broadway & Liberty where I went last week to check out the dosa that popped up on their menu. When I got there super early at 11:30 a.m. I was told they had dosa, but after waiting for 10 minutes, was then told that no, they were out. I don’t have unlimited time for lunch, so it was time for plan B which involved ordering the cart’s chicken tikka.

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Late last week I stopped by the bank just as a cart on the corner  of Greenwich & Murray streets outside was being readied to be driven away at the end of the day. That cart was BIA Best Food, and it had an intriguing menu that included biryani, chicken curry, teriyaki chicken, sweet chili chicken (they must really like chicken) and then there was dal for the low price of $4.

Carts are sometimes lacking in vegetarian options outside of falafel or vegetables over rice, and so I was intrigued that they had another cheap non-meat option. At only $4, it was a cheap gamble to take to see if it was any good.  Read more »

Halal carts also dabbling in Indian food have sprouted up all over the Financial District (OK, mostly in the northern part of the neighborhood), bringing us kati rolls and biryani alongside the usual lamb/chicken/falafel trinity.

I spotted a new entrant called Quality Biryani on Water St. at John last week and decided to stop by for lunch. A sign taped to the street side of the cart advertises that they have Bangladeshi food, likely vying for the business of cab drivers.

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In addition to steam table lunches, Bombay’s on Pearl St. (btw. Coenties Slip & Broad) offers a few other items that aren’t commonly seen at competing spots like Diwan E Khaas.

They sells good kati rolls, and also a couple of Indian snacks. And then there’s the Indian fried chicken on the menu. I’d been curious about it, and decided to bite the bullet and see how this fried chicken was anything like Korean fried chicken or just the regular sort.

It turns out it’s a mash up, and one you might want to try if you’re into fried poultry in all its forms.  Read more »