Indus Valley

[Daniel]

Indus Valley.

2636 Broadway (100th st)

212-222-9222

Indus Valley is solid Indian Restaurant located in my area.. I have been enjoying their delivery service for about a year now.. Recently, I went to there for the first time.. I have pretty much eaten everything on the menu, from lamb to cauliflower, this place is really good..

The restaurant is comfortable with an air of upscale.. The waiters are dressed more formal then any of its clientele, but no attitude..

We started with the Seekh Kabab.. Lamb with garlic,ginger, coriander.. Great flavor, great texture, really nice..

We also started with Paneer Hariyali.. This is paneer served cold in a mint,garlic, chile, sauce.. Very refreshing, the paneer was really firm and fresh tasting.

The next four dishes were: Lasooni Gobhi(Cauliflower), Kheema Matar (lamb), Some shrimp dish, and Chicken Tikka.

The chicken tikka is awesome.. Its one the better versions I have had.. RealLy creamy sauce..

The Kheema Matar is another stand out dish.. This is mixture of peas, lamb, cinnamon, caramoms, green peppers, and onion that gets cooked for awhile.. It forms like a stew thick chili like consistancy.. It goes so well with rice.. The flavors are really layered, getting bits of cinnamon, or the green pepper, or the meaty lamb.

The shrimp was under seasoned.. Whatever spices they put on didnt stick to the shrimp.. I could have done with out this dish..

This one I didnt picture.(Lasooni Gohbi)Florets fried with sesame sauec, and garlic, ginger.. It had a carmelized coating..

Is this place a destination spot.. Hmm.. I would say if i wanted indian food and was with in 30 blocks north or south, I would go here..Also if you live with in the delivery area this is your new place.. The food comes quickly and travels very well..

Edited September 7, 2005 by Daniel (log)

[Pan]

Thanks for the review and the pictures!

Since you said it had an air of upscale, I checked their menu on menupages.com. The place really isn't too expensive, especially for the area and especially if the food is good.

Given the name, I'm wondering if the chef or/and owner (same person?) are actually from Karachi or somewhere else in Pakistan. Since that's my parents' hood, I'll ask them if this is a place they've been to.

[Daniel]

Perhaps I should explain what the air of upscale is.. There are white table clothes, the servers are dressed up, and you have several different managers wearing suits, but the customers are in everything from jeans and sneakers, to business casual...

[mikeyrad]

Just ate at Indus Valley last night. Their Kabuli Nan, stuffed with dried fruits and nuts, is highly recommended. The Tandoori chicken is not the customary red that you seen in most Indian restaurants. My guess is that they don't use food coloring.

[Pan]

I went to Indus Valley for lunch today with my parents and brother. Their lunch specials are real bargains; if I remember correctly, $9.95-12.95 for soup or samosas, main dish with sides, and a small dessert. We all decided to start with their unusual rendition of Mulligatawny Soup, which included sliced shitake mushrooms, coconut, and slices of kaffir lime leaves, all ingredients I have never had in that soup. It had lots of lemon juice in it, which is the way I like it.

I didn't try all of the mains. My main, Malabar Fish Masala (? I thought it had another name on the lunch menu), was excellent if perhaps a little too rich for optimal stomach health for me. It was made with chunks of salmon that had been seared separately and then combined with the sauce. I also tried my mother's Seekh Kebab, which was tasty and not overcooked. Accompaniments included a nice toovar dal, and a very tasty vegetable curry, which included potatoes, cauliflower, tomatoes, and strips of ginger. The tandoori items came with a side of watercress. Also provided was an unnecessarily large stack of naan and a sufficient amount of rice.

The desserts on offer were Kesari Malai Kheer, described on their menupages.com menu as "A Delicacy Prepared with Aromatic Basmati Rice, Spanish Saffron & Milk," and Gulab Jamun. I thought the kheer really had an excessive amount of saffron, and I like saffron. The gulab jamun was good, and frankly, I didn't need more than the one ball they gave me, because the portions of the main dishes were sizeable, though not out of line with normal American portions.

I drank salty lassi with the meal and was satisfied with it.

My general impression is that this is a better restaurant than Salaam Bombay, where I went two days ago.

I really have to criticize Citysearch for their listing of Indus Valley, which claims that the establishment's open hours are 5pm-11pm. Because of that misinformation, we almost didn't go there today. Yes, they are open for lunch.

Edited October 4, 2005 by Pan (log)

[Daniel]

Great review.. Glad you liked it.. I am happy to have the place in my area..

[Pan]

I had a very pleasant dinner with my mother at Indus Valley tonight. It was her birthday, and we both found the experience very pleasant. I won't give a rundown of the whole meal, but I do want to make a particular point of the quality of their kulfi. We both had the pistachio kulfi, and it is really excellent: The real stuff, none of this watered-down ice cream bullshit you usually get in New York. I found it the highlight of a good meal.