I Want This Lunch Everyday
Last weekend G&G, be and i were in North Philly looking for a tasty bite to eat. We had tried to get a table at
Isla Ibiza during the
Girard Nights event but the wait was just too long. Luckily,
Tiffin was nearby and still open. I had heard a few mentions of it before (most notably, from the smart tongue of K) and everything was quite positive. be and i love Indian food so it was a go.
They were soon to close for the night so our meal was a little rushed. Besides a large table finishing their meal, the four of us were the only ones there so late. The place was bright, full of Ikea tables and the open kitchen wafted out delicious smells. Our waiter (an older white British guy) was knowlegable and funny.
Between us, we ordered: Aloo Gohbi (potatoes and cauliflower), Kaju Mattar Paneer (cheese and peas in a cashew sauce), Baingan Bharta (roasted eggplant) and Aloo Vindaloo (potatoes in a hot & sour sauce), along with freshly made Naan breads. Our food came with fluffy, soft Basmati rice. Everything was so awesome! I can't explain it but to say that it seemed "homemade," super fresh, with clear flavors and good textures. It was so damn good that be craved it for the following week, so much that he ordered dishes for lunch today with 3 of his coworkers - and even took the train a few stops to pick it up!*
I gladly finished his leftover lunch for dinner tonight: Aloo Gobhi with a side of dal (lentils) and rice. I could taste the ginger, mustard seeds and fresh cilantro in the sauce. The cauliflower was soft yet crisp. The potato chunks were flavored all the way through with a great, floury texture. I'm usually not crazy about cauliflower but this dish was just so yummy. I'm totally going back and trying more dishes. It definitely is "Fine Indian at Affordable Prices!"
* Unfortunately, Tiffin doesn't offer delivery nor tiffin box lunches to be's work area in North Philly. Hopefully, they'll expand to include many areas of Philadelphia ... especially Hawthorne where we live!
Must Eats
Last Saturday - my NYC food gorging celebration - we ate the best dish we'd had in a long time! Not surprisingly, it was at my beloved
Vegetarian Dim Sum House. We had just placed our orders for the usual suspects (pan fried noodles with mushrooms, ham and baby bok choy; mashed taro treasure boxes; rice flour rolls with cilantro and ham; corn jook; and monk dumplings) when they dumped a GIANT box of fresh snow pea shoots out onto the table across from us to pick through in time for the dinner rush! be and i were staring at the wonderful pile of beautiful greens, practically drooling and completely mesmerized. Then with a sudden urgent tone - like we had only 2 seconds left to do so, he added a plate of sauteed snow pea shoots to our order. The main waitress was slightly amused by our emergency addition but i think she totally understood; they were some damn good snow pea shoots.
The dish was sauteed in a very light broth. The greens were perfectly cooked, crisp and tender. A generous sized plate was enough for 5 of us, although secretly i could've eaten half of it by myself! Be sure to eat them now - it's season! I love you, snow pea shoots!
Here's my old
post and picture from 2005 in case you don't know what they look like.
Quick Reviews - Manhattan
As you know, i've fallen terribly behind with posts. Blogging a few times a day turned into once a day, then a few times a week, but in 2006 my posts were few and very far between. I mainly blame the move and all the messy work associated with uprooting your life. If you haven't already figured it out, be and i took 2 Uhaul trips + 1 car trip with 4 howling cats and became Philadelphians last September - a choice we don't regret at all, although it's been a hard few months getting settled and paying all sorts of new bills!
So in this past year, i've been collecting long lists of places and items to blog about. In my effort to catch up (so i can really start blogging about the great eats that Philadelphia offers!) i'll be posting super quick reviews, separated by location. First, Manhattan since it's the longest list:
Acme: Super crowded and loud, but decent Southern food - not amazing, but tasty and filling. Lots of hot sauce for you to try!
Babycakes: The apple muffin was AMAZING. The cupcakes were okay (but hey, at least there's something that diabetics, hypoglycemics and those with wheat allergies can eat!).
Black Hound: Such a cute bakery! Tons of samples. Little cookies, little cakes. Definitely want to try more!
Chennai Garden: Good and tasty buffet but not outstanding. Next time i must try the Chat Corner.
Chinese Mirch: Must order the cauliflower dish! Tasy fried okra, okay noodles. I'll certainly go back to try more Indo-Chinese dishes!
Cones: Why didn't i try the CORN ice cream?
Curly's Veg Lunch: Who doesn't love vegetarian diner food? Filling, homey and oily.
Gobo: Good but seems overpriced. Not spectacular, however the avocado starter was delicious.
Grand Sicuan: I hanker for their smoked pressed tofu in a spicy red stew. Very tasty!
Hip Hop Chow: Awesome mac n cheese! Amazing cheesy grits! Very tasty waffles! Totally underrated. Check this place out! Very cool owner.
Il Laboratoria de Gelato: Sterile-seeming shop, but refreshing clean flavors!
Indian Bread Co: Tasty kati rolls! (Especially since Kati Roll Co's been going downhill recently.)
Jacques Torres: He actually came out and passed around samples of chocolate cookies! I love their sugared macadamia chocolates!
S'Mac: Great concept, but i really wanted the mac n cheese to be better. A little too bland and mac was overcooked!
Tien Garden at Taste of Chinatown: Vegan rolls were very good! I want to check out the actual restaurant soon.
Wild Ginger: Vegetarian restaurant in Little Italy/Chinatown. Really nice people, cozy decor. Better than your average "pan Asian" place. I'd go back to try more!
Zen Palate: Some dishes great (like the eggplant), some dishes okay. Long waits around mealtimes.
