Imli is a new restaurant in my neighborhood at 1136 First Avenue.
They opened on Tuesday and I was there for dinner last night.
Because they are so new they don’t yet have an internet presence but this is how they describe their restaurant:
We are a modern Indian bar and restaurant specializing in small (tapas) plates, exceptional brunch menu inspired by old world Mumbai cafes, and of course all the regular favorites. All in a classy urban setting of exposed brick walls and an open kitchen. Our outdoor patio is perfect for enjoying the great weather and for cozy, romantic evenings. Our full service bar specializes in one-of-a-kind cocktails and an extensive wine list.
Right off the bat, I like what they have done with the place as far as the decor goes. It is a modern contemporary space with a bar at the entrance, a dining room on the other side of a wall and a patio area in the back. The bar is big enough and comfortable enough that I would meet a friend to grab a drink and a couple of appetizers. There are very few Indian restaurants where I would be compelled to do that.
Speaking of appetizers; that was the strength of their menu. And to be fair, that’s what we had the most of and so I cannot speak much of their main entrees in this review. Next time.
We were greeted by the friendly face of Vincent who is one of the owners and is behind the bar. There were a few people at the bar with food and drinks in front of them. In the dining room, we were accompanied by a couple of tables filled with diners. As the night progressed, several more diners came in, many of them opting to eat in the patio area in the back.
The menu was brought to us by the other owner Ram who was friendly and enthusiastic about his new venture. He has lived in many parts of the world and is trying to emulate that in some of the dishes on the menu.
Before I went I had read about the scotch egg which I was excited to try.
It arrived, one on a plate with a crunchy minced lamb exterior and was everything a scotch egg should be. When I complimented the scotch egg – Ram first told me that the mix was a secret and then promptly told me that the crunch came from panko crumbs. I could’ve guessed that but it was sweet how enthusiastic he was about it. I would definitely order it again – maybe two on a plate would be nice for a few extra dollars.
Next we ordered the calamari and chicken livers. The calamari was great – crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. There was no discernible coating which was nice and the calamari flavor was prominent. The chicken livers were tasty too, reminiscent of how my mother would make them for breakfast that we would have with parathas.
Now for my complaints or lets call it constructive criticism 🙂
Everything had an undressed mound of mesclun salad on the plate, which irks me so. To make it worse the lettuce was wilted. I don’t see the point of that. Many Indian restaurants seem to do this and it is a total waste of lettuce and is entirely unnecessary. If nothing else, at least dress the salad so one could eat it. Indian cuisine has so many other salads one could make – how about a simple kachumber salad, which is a chopped salad of onion, tomato and cucumbers. Or a nice cooling slaw of cabbage. I would highly recommend that the chef do away with the wilted greens entirely or take one of my suggestions.
Because I think of food all the time, I woke up in the middle of the night and thought to myself – when I go to other restaurants and order calamari for $9-$11, it is a large plate full of calamari. This wasn’t the case here. I think the portions could’ve been more generous.
My dad is obsessed with Samosas, which are deep fried turnovers filled with various fillings – most typically – potato and peas. They had lamb samosas which we ordered. I apologize if I am wrong but either they were the frozen kind from Whole Foods/Trader Joe’s or were damn close to them. I cannot say this with any authority except that I have had those frozen samosas so many times that I feel I can recognize them when I see them.
While we were having our mini lamb samosas, I saw what I assume were potato samosas going to another table. Those looked like the normal size and also house made. I would urge the chef to consider making the lamb samosas in the same manner instead of those that were served to us.
As I was ordering the crab cakes, I told Ram that I make the best crab cakes and want to see how they make theirs. He hesitated a little, or so I think. If he did, I think I know why. The crab cakes were more potato than anything else. I will often use crab from the claw which doesn’t look as lumpy as jumbo lump – but I had a tough time finding any crab in these cakes. As a cake of potatoes – lets say, they had a nice flavor. I think I tasted some ajwain (carom seeds). My advice: either add more crab with very little filler or do away with the crab cakes all together.
There is a nice variety of appetizers and why put something on the menu that one could possibly complain about?
We also ordered a mint laccha paratha (Flat bread with many buttery folds like those in puff pastry) with our appetizers and it was one of the best parathas I have ever had.
We had eaten enough food thus far that we could’ve concluded our meal and be satisfied. I however wanted to try at least one main entree. I wanted the pork vindaloo but that idea was nixed by my mother.
When Ram came to our table for our entree order, I asked him what he would recommend. He said the beef curry. Beef curry it was, and we added the yellow lentils to our dinner.
I really enjoyed the lentils. They had a strong garlic tempering which was great. These are a good change from the daal makhani (creamy black lentils) that I order often in Indian restaurants.
The beef curry was, well, beef curry. I wish I could say more. We had been informed before hand that it is boneless pieces of meat in the curry, but I really think they should consider making the curry with meat with bones. It adds so much more flavor and makes it more interesting to eat – for me.
That concluded our meal at Imli restaurant.
The food is flavorful, without excessive oil or any of those threatening spices that can sometimes cause heart burn to the most seasoned eater.
Overall a good experience in food, service and ambience.
They are still working on a dessert menu and that was just fine with me since we had had enough to eat.
Will I go back?
Definitely. And I can’t say that about most restaurants I go to.
I hope that you check this place out too and say hi to Ram and Vincent.
Until I eat again!
Indian Culinary Center, NYC 