Indian restaurants in Edison

[brescd01]

A friend has urged me to go from a place I work in Trenton, to Edison, to pick up Indian food on the way back to Philly. She has recommended dishes at various restaurants. Here is the list:

all on Oak Tree Rd, Edison 08820

Galaxy: chole bhatura, samosa, thali, pau bhaji

Dimple's: sambhar, dosa, idli, chat papri

Bombay Talk: chat papri

Rajbhog: moti choor ladoo , gulab janum, rasgula, jalibi, rasmalai

I cannot find records of these restaurants. Anyone have any info? The theory is that this is authentic Indian food. And she is Indian born and bred, so she should know...

[percyn]

A friend has urged me to go from a place I work in Trenton, to Edison, to pick up Indian food on the way back to Philly. She has recommended dishes at various restaurants. Here is the list:

all on Oak Tree Rd, Edison 08820

Galaxy: chole bhatura, samosa, thali, pau bhaji

Dimple's: sambhar, dosa, idli, chat papri

Bombay Talk: chat papri

Rajbhog: moti choor ladoo , gulab janum, rasgula, jalibi, rasmalai

I cannot find records of these restaurants. Anyone have any info? The theory is that this is authentic Indian food. And she is Indian born and bred, so she should know...

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Oak tree road is right off Rt 27 near the Metropark train station. You can easily get there from the NJ Turnpike or Garden State Parkway.

All the restaurants are in strip malls within walking distance of each other. Parking is a bit of an issue...be careful where you leave your car.

[Anonymouze]

You may want to look under ISELIN as well as EDISON lots of them border one or the other towns also South Plainfield or Plainfield as well.

Here's one of your choices: Dimple Fast Food 1326 Oak Tree Road Iselin Phone: 732-283-0002 (they are known for Chaat)

Want very delicious indian food go to Chowpatty if you want lots of things to order more vegan than non-vegan and nice chaat to order as well! - 1349 Oak Tree Rd, Iselin, NJ 08830.

If not I'd strongly suggest Rasoi on 1567 Oak Tree Road (one block east of Wood Ave.) Iselin, NJ 08830 you can't miss it it's always VERY busy and VERY full of people, reasonably priced as well. Great food all you can eat buffet lunch with about 5 vegan and 5 non-vegan dishes, breads, 3 desserts, fruits, rice and more.

Edited May 13, 2006 by Anonymouze (log)

[Randi]

A friend has urged me to go from a place I work in Trenton, to Edison, to pick up Indian food on the way back to Philly....

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Edison (and in this case, Iselin) is not between Trenton and Philly. It is quite out of the way. Or did I misunderstand what you were saying?

[Anonymouze]

A friend has urged me to go from a place I work in Trenton, to Edison, to pick up Indian food on the way back to Philly....

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Edison (and in this case, Iselin) is not between Trenton and Philly. It is quite out of the way. Or did I misunderstand what you were saying?

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Randi is right, it is at least 45 min to 1 hour n/e of Trenton/Ewing not quite on your way to Philly however maybe you meant you'd take a minor detour on the way to philly to pick this up for a good friend? Some hot indian food does not travel well like the breads you may want to ask for them uncooked and heat them up briefly at your friends home in an oven or microwave? Goodluck!

Edited May 13, 2006 by Anonymouze (log)

[BrianYarvin]

Anonymouze:

While I think Rassoi is a great place, it seems that the list is of budget places, not fine dining. Shops like Rajbhog are just a whole different catagory. Tiny, cheap, and intensely authentic, they provide an experience far more akin to foreign travel than Rassoi, Moghul or Ming - even those places have unquestionably better food and service (do Rajbhog or Galaxy even have service?).

Hybrids like Moghul Express or Monsoon (both on Oak Tree Road, but away from the Indian strip) offer fine dining quality food at about double the price of Rajbhog for those willing to carry their own trays.

In any case, the original poster's theory is pretty much correct. This is about the most authentic strip of Indian shops and restaurants you can find in the Eastern US. Certainly far better than anything in NYC proper.

All you have to do is walk down Oak Tree Road, you'll find all these places and at least a dozen more. None are more than a fifteen minute walk from the Metropark train station and there's almost always parking on Oak Tree Road a few blocks past the stores and towards Edison.

[brescd01]

Here is an updated and corrected list. You all understood me correctly, I was planning on one of those twisted detours that only a foody would contemplate, all for my beloved wife.

Galaxy: chole bhatura, samosa, thali, pau bhaji

Dosa Express (1170 Green) dosas

Dimple's (1326 Oak Tree) sambhar, dosa, idli, chat papri

Bombay Talk (1358 Oak Tree) chat papri

Rajbhog (1373 Oak Tree) moti choor ladoo , gulab janum, rasgula, jalibi, rasmalai

Delhi Darbar (1567 Oak Tree) chicken curry, goat curry

Mugal Express (1670 Oak Tree) chilly chicken

Sill no address for Galaxy though!

[percyn]

Galaxy does not ring a bell but all the "Desi" stores/restaurants are in a 3-4 block radius, so just park and walk around.

[Randi]

I have co-workers who have been to Galaxy. I am not sure, but I think it is inside a market-type place. You order your food and take it to a table to eat. Very casual.

I believe it is on the corner of Oak Tree and Correja Ave.

[BrianYarvin]

I have co-workers who have been to Galaxy.  I am not sure, but I think it is inside a market-type place.  You order your food and take it to a table to eat. Very casual. 

I believe it is on the corner of Oak Tree and Correja Ave.

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Randi:

This is it exactly. Inside are five or six stalls, each with a different specialty. They range in quality from awful (these don't stay in business very long) to pretty good. My favorite is the drinks and ice cream counter. Their chai tea for a buck is one of the best culinary deals in the state.

As for the list of places and their addresses, I hope that Dave realizes that most are within a hundred yards of each other and extremely easy to find. Green Street is what Oak Tree Road is called after it passes under the train tracks and I strongly suspect that "Mugal" is "Moghul."

There is one very important point to be made about these places (except for Moghul Express) and that's that they're pretty much family businesses run by people who cook from the heart but don't really have great chef skills. They can all be wonderful at the right moment, but they can be off just as easily. That's just part of the adventure.

[ghostrider]

All the restaurants are in strip malls within walking distance of each other. Parking is a bit of an issue...be careful where you leave your car.

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Since I hope to get down there one of these days, I'm curious as to exactly what that comment means. Is street crime an issue there? If not, what are you talking about?

[Anonymouze]

Here is an updated and corrected list. You all understood me correctly, I was planning on one of those twisted detours that only a foody would contemplate, all for my beloved wife.

Galaxy: chole bhatura, samosa, thali, pau bhaji

Dosa Express (1170 Green) dosas

Dimple's (1326 Oak Tree) sambhar, dosa, idli, chat papri

Bombay Talk (1358 Oak Tree) chat papri

Rajbhog (1373 Oak Tree) moti choor ladoo , gulab janum, rasgula, jalibi, rasmalai

Delhi Darbar (1567 Oak Tree) chicken curry, goat curry

Mugal Express (1670 Oak Tree) chilly chicken

Sill no address for Galaxy though!

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Delhi Darbar (1567 Oak Tree) chicken curry, goat curry is NOW Rasoi (sorry DD closed up about 18+ months ago... and we loved them for MANY years while they were open under the owner... but if you are looking for restaurant food of the same quality or better again Rasoi is it then! (I love the Goat Gosht (sic?) and other goat dishes they have) and you can go to 2 doors down to the Cash n Carry to buy some stuff to take home as well. If you want some great papri chaat to go - go next door to ChowPatty or to Chowpatty itself you can make your own chaat! Goodluck!

[brescd01]

Updated, corrected list.

Galaxy: chole bhatura, samosa, thali, pau bhaji

Dosa Express (1170 Green) dosas

Dimple's (1326 Oak Tree) sambhar, dosa, idli, chat papri

Bombay Talk (1358 Oak Tree) chat papri

Rajbhog (1373 Oak Tree) moti choor ladoo , gulab janum, rasgula, jalibi, rasmalai

Bengali Sweet House (1384B Oak Tree)

Rasoi (1567 Oak Tree) chicken curry, goat curry

Mogul Express (1670 Oak Tree) chilly chicken

Your description of Galaxy is not so flattering. Is it worth the effort?

[BrianYarvin]

Updated, corrected list.

Galaxy: chole bhatura, samosa, thali, pau bhaji

Dosa Express (1170 Green) dosas

Dimple's (1326 Oak Tree) sambhar, dosa, idli, chat papri

Bombay Talk (1358 Oak Tree) chat papri

Rajbhog (1373 Oak Tree) moti choor ladoo , gulab janum, rasgula, jalibi, rasmalai

Bengali Sweet House (1384B Oak Tree)

Rasoi (1567 Oak Tree) chicken curry, goat curry

Mogul Express (1670 Oak Tree) chilly chicken

Your description of Galaxy is not so flattering. Is it worth the effort?

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David:

Quick descriptions of most of the places you list will be "less than flattering." In fact, some are quite dingy. But at eight on a Friday evening, when the Galaxy is packed with Indian families, it's a great experience.

What's most odd about your list is the way it mixes adventure eating destinations like Rajbhog and Galaxy with fine dining restaurants like Rasoi. They really represent very different sorts of experiences; think a Trenton tomato pie vs a downtown white tablecloth restaurant that features Italian regional specialties and a serious wine list.

BTW...the list of specialties you associate with the restaurants is kind of off. For example, the Dosas at Moghul are far better than their chili chicken and the curries at Dimple's are several notches above their dosas.

You can spend a lifetime (and many people do!) exploring the foods of India as they are cooked in this neighborhood and your list is a very good start, but you only scratch the surface. There's a better version of every dish you mention at a place you don't name and I'm certain that there's a better version of every dish at a place I just haven't tried yet.

Oak Tree Road is an open book.

[brescd01]

Well, feel free to re-write the list! This is reality as seen by an Indian friend, and I am sure things change every few months anyway. What would you recommend and where would you recommend it? One thing I do not want to do is arrive there withj inaccurate or outdated info, hence the "list."

Edited May 14, 2006 by brescd01 (log)

[BrianYarvin]

David:

Things change really quickly around here! I'm almost afraid to make my own list. Of course, fools rush in...

Dosas:

Moghul Express

Monsoon - at the corner of Oak Tree Road and Park Avenue, South Plainfield

Khasiyat Fast Food - 77 Middlesex Avenue, Iselin

Snacks, Chaat:

Galaxy Food Court

Bombay Talk House

Rajbhog

Gokul - http://www.sukhadia.com/gokul.asp

Thali, Curries (set meals):

Chowpatty 1351 Oak Tree Road, Iselin

Khasiyat Fast Food

Indian Chinese:

Chopstick, 1734 Oak Tree Road

South Asian Fine Dining:

Moghul, 1655 OakTree Road, Edision

Ming, next door to Moghul

Rasoi

Best of luck and enjoy yourself! Oak Tree Road is a great food adventure.

...and of course, don't forget to keep us posted. Half of the places I listed have changed since this thread began, but which half?

[Anonymouze]

I have been to Ming and was not impressed maybe it was the time of day? The food left my friend Devi and I unimpressed and looking for something with more "zing" and taste! The prices were a bit on the high end for what you get as well, the only thing we liked was the decor and she's fresh from India and has been to Rasoi and said to me, let's NOT go here again let's go BACK to Rasoi!

[BrianYarvin]

Anonymouze:

I'm getting the feeling from this thread that you're a Rassoi fan.

[Cornus]

I'm also a fan of Rasoi...more info about this restaurant here:

http://rasoiindianrestaurant.com/rasoi2/index.html

[Anonymouze]

Anonymouze:

I'm getting the feeling from this thread that you're a Rassoi fan.

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Actually I was a Delhi Darbar fan and before that a Kohinoor fan... but now the best tasting "buffet" or non-buffet indian choice is Rasoi IMHO! But again I love Chowpatty as well which is a different style altogether and tasty!

[titmfatied]

How about Sweets? Where's everyone's favorite place for them? I've been going to Sukhadia's Sweets and Snacks and I've enjoyed the sweets there, but I'm wondering how other shops compare.

Are the restaurants in Iselin reflective of one particular region of India?

[BrianYarvin]

This morning I came up with what sounded like a great idea; while I was drving down Oak Tree Road, I'd list the restaurants that aren't on the lists and that I haven't tried. But by the time I hit number eight, I got sick of the whole project.

There are lots places to try!

[jb_973]

Moghul Express has some good sweets - their kalakand is great!

[Anonymouze]

Somehow "Kakaland" doesn't sound like anything I would want to eat at.... nor Doodooland either! (LOL)

Today hubby and I went to eat at... you guessed it - Rasoi in Edison on O.T. Rd.

As usual it was pretty crowded even for a Wednesday the service was great and the food was better. They had Pani Poori as well as the usual buffet items and a nice tasting sesame chicken as well. Their Tandoori chicken was not the usual dried out type that you get sometimes but very tasty and moist and the Naan was fresh made and hot. I wish I was a billionaire I'd hire their chef!

[BrianYarvin]

Stacy:

You're putting me in a tough position!

I would like to encourage you to visit places other than Rassoi without knocking it.

At least try Monsoon and/or Chowpatty...please.