Finding Indian Food in Jersey as good as NYC

[waves2ya]

Indian Chef in the International Food Warehouse in Lodi is great for Tandoori and Dhosa items...

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Have noted, droollingly, your photo reports in that link. I cannot wait (maybe next week, my tastebuds tell me); ummm - Dhosa...

[Anonymouze]

When I go out I look for handicapped access or armless chairs for accessible seating.

So far my favorite "weekend" places are for Asian/Thai/Indian food:

Bhoj - Saddle Brook - Indian food

Saffron – E. Hanover – Indian food

Raja Palace Route 46 E Lodi- Indian food

India Chef - Lodi? (When I run for a quick good lunch from my office)

Kailash (Also Kinara?) - Ridgewood - Indian / Thai food

Pimaan - Emerson - Thai food

Minado - Japanese "Asian" food

Sapphire Restaurant Bergen 37 River edge Road Tenafly - Middle Eastern food

Twins India Palace 38 Orange town Shopping Center Orangeburg, NY 10962 (845 365 3222)

Royal Siam Thai Cuisine 22 E Central Ave Pearl River, NY 10965 (845 735-5906)

Picnic is great for food (mixed bag! From American to Asian to Indian at times!) Best to bring home at 180 Kinderkamack Road, Emerson, NJ 07630 (201 262-5505) - tell the owner Christine that Stacey from around the corner sent you! (She's the owner and fantastic chef! My god her tilapia and other stuff like Jerk chicken or curry dishes... are pure heaven!)

NOTE: All these places are within 15 minutes of Paramus NJ except for Saffron!

Edited August 12, 2005 by Anonymouze (log)

[scott123]

Okay, I finally went it to Moghul (in Morristown) for the Sunday lunch buffet. I liked it so much I went back... and back... and back... and back. Yeah. I think the word is infatuation.

Chicken tikka masala, as anyone that knows me can attest, is my raison d'etre. I'll go for days on end pondering it's many intricacies. After tasting the CTM at Moghul and finding the spicing rather... awkward (too much ajwain?) and the chicken bone dry, I really thought the place was doomed. How could they compensate? The lamb might have redeeming qualities, I thought. Nope. Just your basic stew meat fare. So how could such an avid carnivore like myself end up head over heels in love with a restaurant that serves mediocre lamb and chicken? Well, let me tell ya

First word... panir.

When I first joined eGullet, I remember reading a post from Suvir talking about grades of panir and how easily panir can end up rubbery in the wrong hands. At the time, I was a little skeptical "panir is just panir," I thought. Nope. Panir is most definitely NOT panir. This panir transcends. If every panir I've ever had ranged in quality from, say, 1 to 5... this would be 50. It's completely revamped my perception of cheese.

I've made my own panir a handful of times, I thought that I knew a thing or two about the process. Compare to the craftsperson that precipitates this masterpiece, I know nothing. Absolutely nothing.

Second word... okra.

It's... the... I- I can't even talk about it... I'm getting ferklempt.

Go... just go... Sunday buffet (don't go on a weekday, it's not as good).

Sometimes the okra's not available (a day of mourning). Even without the okra, the cheese is worth the trip. $13 for what might be the best panir you will ever consume.

Oh, I haven't tried it yet, but the tomato soup is supposed to be killer too.

[jwjojo]

Found IT!@!!

On my search for decent Indian in NJ I have come up with nothing...not a decent place in the bunch compared to the better restaurants in NYC. But I have found the ONE.

KINARA in Edgewater. It was my last effort. I was going to give up trying in NJ, and was told by a few (including Egulleters) that Kinara was good. It is good...it really is good. I will go again and again. We had a chicken Masala, and a Chicken Tandori and they were perfect. The Nan was good too. The service was fine, the atmosphere is fine (it seems to have been an old bar that had a nautical theme?), and the food was better than good. Very good. Glad to have found it. A little out of the way, but worth the trip.

[Jason Perlow]

Tandoori Chef in Hackensack has now opened.

[Randi]

I too went to Moghul this weekend. But it was the Saturday lunch buffet at the Edison location.

I don't generally love Indian food, but it's ok, so when I suggested some lunch ideas and mentioned Indian food, my friend said YES, she wanted Indian.

So we went to Moghul. I've got to say - it was so good I was craving it again by dinnertime! My favorites were the 2 things I got from the cooking station where they prepared vegetable samosas and aloo papri chaat. They were sauced and topped with chick peas. Man! They were good!!

From the buffet, I found some things that rocked, and some that I found to be so-so, but that's the nature of any buffet, really. So as long as I can get excited by several dishes, I am happy!

I would mention the items I liked, but I am so new to Indian food that I don't really know what they are called. The only reason I knew the 2 dishes above was that I found them on their menu on their website.

Does anyone know if the Sunday buffet is different from Saturday?

[rumball]

i noticed nobody mentioned amiya yet - it's downtown jersey city, next to exchange pl path station.

http://www.amiyarestaurant.com/

it's usually quite busy and a lot of locals like it. in case you don't know lots of IT indians from wall st live in the area and seem to love the place. they serve buffet at lunch - which i usually avoid. but it was rather good. especially the freshly made just for you chickpea pancakes. at least that's what i thought they were. i've been looking for a good recipe since.

[scott123]

especially the freshly made just for you chickpea pancakes. at least that's what i thought they were. i've been looking for a good recipe since.

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Those are dosa. I haven't seen chickpeas in any dosa recipes- it's usually a combination of other legumes. Urad dal is a popular choice. Even if you find a good recipe, you'll need the right equipment (a cast iron frying pan works well) and lots of practice to spread the batter thinly, quickly and evenly. It's not easy to do.

[rumball]

thanks, i'll look for dosas too. they looked like soft light brown pancakes. i found some chilla and pudla besan chick-pea pancake recipes. next time i go, if they have them, i'll ask for the name to be sure. apparently it's north-western cuisine and from area to area names of dishes/varieties differ. i am still quite vague on the subject. unfortunately, when they provide recipe/ dish descriptions , you don't often know which area/cuisine they are from.

[McFoodie]

Can anyone suggest any good Indian restaurants in Monmouth County? The only place I am aware of (and it's decent) is Tandoor E India on Hwy 35 in Ocean.

Also, is Moghul in Edison still great? The last review I read here for it is dated 1995.

[byarvin]

Also, is Moghul in Edison still great? The last review I read here for it is dated 1995.

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"Great" is a pretty strong word! Indeed, declaring a New Jersey ethnic restaurant "great" on a board like this is like throwing a lighted match into a pool of kerosene.

Moghul is one of the more formal and refined restaurants here and they are consistently good. If you're interested in having a "real" (another fighting word) Indian experience, then go there on a Sunday for brunch buffet. You'll join large groups of well-to-do Indians in a really festive atmosphere.

On weeknights, I'd suggest Moghul Express, their dosa shop that's right across the street. If you've never had a dosa, or just one filled with mashed potatoes, try one filled with shrimp or lamb. It's well worth the trip.

But always remember that the Edison food scene changes constantly. My Moghul experiences were fine, but even the biggest places here are small operations that struggle. "Great" is relative.

[ghostrider]

Add BHOJ, a small Indian restaurant in Elmwood park. Does tandoor and breads and South Indian stuff very well, and has a nice sunday buffet. Very popular with Indians. Great Dosas. Not at all afraid to be spicy, either.

Bhoj

Address:    430 Market St, Elmwood Park, NJ 07407

Phone: (201) 797-6800

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A few weeks ago we finally tried Bhoj, recommended by the once (& future?) Jason Perlow almost 3 years ago. A bit tricky to find if you aren't handy with MapQuest, but if you just keep in mind that (coming from the south) you'll zigzag under the GSP 3 tmes, you won't miss a turn. It's easy to shoot by the little strip mall on the south side of Market, tho, if you don't know that you need to be looking for a strip mall. And now you do.

Anyway a good recommendation from Jason. I was impressed with their deft use of spices & aromatics. They seem to have a more robust approach to spicing than Kinara, a place we've also enjoyed several times. Bhoj is well worth seeking out, one of Bergen County's little gems.

Edited January 18, 2007 by ghostrider (log)

[Taboni]

Can anyone suggest any good Indian restaurants in Monmouth County? The only place I am aware of (and it's decent) is Tandoor E India on Hwy 35 in Ocean.

Also, is Moghul in Edison still great? The last review I read here for it is dated 1995.

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I have been searching for good Monmouth Indian restaurants since moving here 6 years ago. I haven't tried the one you mention (a little far for a take out) but I will now. I usually wind up at Neelam in Middletown on Rte 35.

[scott123]

Also, is Moghul in Edison still great? The last review I read here for it is dated 1995.

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Moghul in Morristown has been consistently top notch since it opened 10+ years ago. Because of this track record, I'm certain that Moghul in Edison (with the same owner) has also continued it's commitment to excellence.

[scott123]

Also, is Moghul in Edison still great? The last review I read here for it is dated 1995.

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"Great" is a pretty strong word! Indeed, declaring a New Jersey ethnic restaurant "great" on a board like this is like throwing a lighted match into a pool of kerosene.

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The Indian restaurants in New Jersey are some of the best in the world. Where's the controversy in that?

[byarvin]

Scott:

If it were just you and I, then there would be no controversy.

However, there are lots of opinions out there, and some are different than ours.

[scarlet knight]

We are going to Saffron in East Hanover as a group of six. My wife and I are experienced Indian foodies, but the other four are newbies. What would you recommend that we order. I'm afraid Tandoori Chicken may be as far as a couple of the newbies will be willing to go.

Indian food update for Morris County: Moghul on Morris Street is closed. I heard a rumor that they are moving to the HQ Plaza site of Bennigan's.

[Curlz]

Here are some of my standard dishes to throw out to newbies in Indian restaurants...all are fairly straightforward, not crazy spicy, and hopefully won't scare them too much. I'm sure that Saffron offers them in some form or another!

Samosas (be sure to encourage splitting them and adding some tamarind sauce)

Mulligatawny soup (lentils and a tomato base)

Naan and some of the Paratha (stuffed naan)...they usually have onion paratha, and I'm a fan of Keema (lamb) ones as well

Chicken Tikka Masala is a great 'exotic' dish and a classic for newbies to try--Saffron does it well, so order it!

Tandoori chicken or lamb or shrimp or fish may be playing it safe, but it sure is YUMMY

A vegetable Korma (usually a creamy sauce of cashews and almonds) is tasty and rich

Saag is essentially creamed spinach

Aloo Chole (chick peas)

Dal (lentils) in whatever sauce sounds good to you/them

vegetable Biriyani is the Indian version of veg fried rice

Make sure you get some raita, the yogurt 'sauce' for cooling

Whatever you do, let them play it as safe as they'd like, but be sure to encourage them to taste whatever you get!

And remember: if you can order a Thali, you/they can also get many tastes of different dishes--all on one plate!

ENJOY!

Now I'm craving Indian food. Thanks a LOT!

[scarlet knight]

Thanks, Curlz! Great tips, I'm sure it will inspire others, also.

[McFoodie]

[bgut1]

I have been searching for good Monmouth Indian restaurants since moving here 6 years ago. I haven't tried the one you mention (a little far for a take out) but I will now. I usually wind up at Neelam in Middletown on Rte 35.

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[McFoodie]

McFoodie - You saved me a trip to Tandoor E India. I had peeked inside on a recent trip to Takara and was about to add it to my short list. It may be too long a drive south but Aamantran on Rt 9 in Toms River is pretty good. Although I've never tried it, friends have recommended Aangan also on Rt. 9 in Freehold.

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[froggert]

i'm a fan of shabri, which is in royal albert's palace in fords, nj. anyone else been there?

[JohnnyH]

As long as we're talking Morris County, you should check out the Moghul Restaurant at 35 Morris St, Morristown (973-631-1100). I haven't been to the Edison location, but if it run by the same people as the one who own the Moghul in Morristown, I'm sure it's great. We loved going to Moghul when we lived near Morristown. It had a fabulous lunch buffet and unique and high end a la carte offerings at dinner.

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I will never eat at Moghul again. The food is okay, though expensive, and rice is not included with their entrees; you have to order it a la carte at $5 a pop. Umm, no thanks. Beyond that, all the blue formica makes it is a depressingly ugly place to eat.

[unleash]

As long as we're talking Morris County, you should check out the Moghul Restaurant at 35 Morris St, Morristown (973-631-1100). I haven't been to the Edison location, but if it run by the same people as the one who own the Moghul in Morristown, I'm sure it's great. We loved going to Moghul when we lived near Morristown. It had a fabulous lunch buffet and unique and high end a la carte offerings at dinner.

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I will never eat at Moghul again. The food is okay, though expensive, and rice is not included with their entrees; you have to order it a la carte at $5 a pop. Umm, no thanks. Beyond that, all the blue formica makes it is a depressingly ugly place to eat.

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moghul has closed the Morris Street restaurant and relocated to Morristown's Headquarters Plaza. haven't been there but heard there are three restaurants - Mehndi - the Art of Indian Dining, Ming II - Pan Asian reinvented, and SM23 a bar/lounge. Word has it that the three seat up to 1250 people!!