Masala Bollywood

[Fat Guy]

I've now been three times to Masala Bollywood, one of the many Indian restaurant on Lexington Avenue near 27th Street. A friend suggested it was a cut above the neighborhood baseline, and I found that to be a correct assessment on my first visit, so I've been using it as my regular place in that neighborhood when I don't want to spend Bread Bar prices.

I wouldn't advertise Masala Bollywood as one of the great Indian restaurants in the New York area. It does, however, hit the sweet spot for me with respect to the combination of quality and value that it offers: superior food to the East 6th Street places and to most of the places in the East 20s, at very attractive prices.

Actually, there are a lot of attractive things about Masala Bollywood. The plates and platings are thoughtful: normally brown and dull-looking dishes are nicely garnished and served in interestingly shaped bowls. The decor is modern and bright, with gigantic Bollywood movie photos on the walls. There's a plasma screen showing Indian music videos but the volume of the music is kept low enough to allow for normal conversation. The restaurant never seems to be busy, which doesn't bode well for business but is nice if you want to show at 7pm with a party of 6 and be seated immediately (as was the case with our group tonight). And, as an added attractiveness bonus, the dining room is presided over by the smoking hot dancer-restaurateur Sonalee Vyas, one of the New York Post's "25 Sexiest New Yorkers."

The menu is part standard-issue North Indian and part mix of Bombay street food, South Indian dosas and a pretty large vegetarian section. Stylistically, the menu headings have a film theme: "supporting cast" for side dishes, "happy ending" for desserts, etc.

The aloo chat (potatoes, chickpeas, yogurt, mildly spicy sauce) is one of the better examples I've had. The bhel puri (puffed rice, chickpea-flour noodles, onion, tomatoes, herbs, chutney) is pretty good but not as good as what I've had in Jackson Heights. Both are $4 and big enough to share among 4 people for tasting (with 6 people we got double orders of each). The phool gobi Manchurian (fried cauliflower with sauce like you'd get with sesame chicken in a Chinese restaurant) is one of those dishes I alternate between being revolted by and being addicted to -- it's too sticky and sweet, but I can't stop eating it ($5). There's a green papaya salad that's tasty but shaved too fine ($4).

The Masala Dosa is big, delicious and served with coconut chutney ($8) -- maybe not quite as delicate as what you get from the dosa specialists but really good nonetheless. Breads are good. Naan ($2) is puffy and correct, and the onion kulcha ($3) is irresistible.

The saag paneer is a good rendition ($10), and the jeera aloo (potatoes with cumin and herbs) is also well executed ($9). Chicken tikka is pretty good for what it is ($12). You may be starting to suspect, and you'd be right, that the strength of the menu -- and the better value -- is in the non-entree sections of the menu.

Six of us had all that stuff, with some doubles (2 x naan, for examples) and some rice for $97 including tax and gratuity. Not quite as cheap as East 6th Street, but pretty damn reasonable.

Masala Bollywood

108 Lexington Avenue (between 27th & 28th Streets)

212.679.1284

http://www.masalabollywood.net/

[scottie]

I enjoy Masala Bollywood, and my Indian friend who is a cook likes it enough to bring his other Indian pals there. I take that as a pretty good endorsement. And much less crowded than Pongol!