Month: November 2016

Forgive the quality of the pictures – the lighting wasn’t the best.  The food is vibrant and colorful – and my pictures haven’t done it justice.

Much has been written about Paowala lately, including the two stars from the New York Times yesterday.

I will not try to compete with those reviews of course – here are my 2 cents from my visit.

I went to Paowala for my birthday dinner with my parents.

Pao is the word for bread which was inspired by the Portuguese who were in Goa, India.

Paowala means one who sells bread or bread seller.  I am a lover of all things bread and so these buttery Parker roll like buns were welcome on our table.  You have to pay for them, by the way.

Floyd Cardoz, former chef of Danny Meyer’s Tabla is a chef who likes to introduce diners to the robust flavors of India, especially Goa – a fun beach spot near Mumbai.  He cooks food that is unexpected and unique – not the mainstays of many restaurants like the Chicken Tikka Masala and Daal Makhani.

This here is Bombay Wada Pao with tamarind and mint chutneys – $9/-

Its a potato croquette on the above mentioned pao, doused with a generous amount of the chutneys which were very good.

You could probably feed a cricket team with these Wada Paos in Mumbai for $9/- .

Or not.  I haven’t been to India in about 8 years 🙂

This was Chicken Liver Masala with toasted Pao.

Chicken liver is one of my favorite things to make and eat.  This was good – nothing to write home about though.

We ordered a lot of small dishes and only one main course.

The crab on the left was cooked in onions and tomatoes and we ate it with the bread.  Once again, while it was flavorful – I have had much better preparations of crab.

The Pork Ribs were spectacular.  Falling off the bone and oozing of the most delicious Indian flavors.  Vindaloos are known to be spicy – this one wasn’t but really very good.  One of my favorite dishes that evening.

This was my absolute favorite dish by far.  Sent by my friend and sous chef Zia – he guessed perfectly what I would love.

These are Shishito Pakoras (Chickpea Battered, Peanuts, and Cilantro) $14.00

It was a unique preparation, the light batter and the flavor of the shishito peppers was incredible.  I would definitely have this dish again and again.

Excuse the greasy fingers but that’s how I love to eat.

This is the cover of the menu – its a file folder – a very clever idea.

Turns out I don’t have pictures of the bread – we had the cheddar naan which was good and I believe also a stuffed paratha.

 

This is the ubiquitous selfie you must expect to take if we are out to dinner – Me and my parents.

And now for my greatest complaint.

Before I do that, I want to say that I have the utmost respect and admiration for Chef Cardoz.  He is a generous and talented chef.  He came out and said hello as soon as we sat down which was an honor and a treat.

Zia Sheikh, the sous chef is an equally accomplished cook and thank you for sending the yummy goodies.

And now to my complaint:

As I had mentioned before it was my birthday and I believe the house knew it because the shameless me had told Zia 🙂

It was a rainy day and we were about half an hour late for our reservation.  I was texting the restaurant and Zia that we were running late and it didn’t seem to be a problem.  When we arrived, we were told that we would have to vacate the table by 8:15.  That’s not unusual and we were ok with it.

We finished dinner at exactly 8:15 and were waiting for the dessert menu.  Being in the restaurant menu, we had no intention of lingering and not giving up the table at the restaurant which was packed at that moment.

At exactly 8:15, the hostess or manager, I am not sure, told us what time it was and that we would need to give up the table.

As I mentioned before  – I was ready to leave – but because it was my birthday – I wanted a quick dessert, blow out my candle and be on my way (I know I know – I am a big baby).

Now I wish one of two things happened – neither of which did.

They could’ve just brought out a quick dessert with a candle and told to us enjoy (albeit quickly), and reminded us that we needed to vacate the table soon.

Or

They could’ve invited us to sit at the bar and have dessert.

I had to do this two days after my birthday at another restaurant.

I realize that I may not be the smartest person writing this about a restaurant and a chef that is so respected, when I am in the business and aspire to acquire a tenth of his talent.

But, while the meal was lovely: the service was good and the ambience was nice – the last couple minutes colored our whole experience.

We were kind of stunned when we were rushed out and couldn’t stop talking of it in the cab all the way back home.

This is in no way to take away from the goodness of Paowala and its food – I will definitely go back.

Until I eat again!