Gobble Hill

Red from happiness and gluttony, not from wine or "Asian Glow"

 

I only had the pleasure of living, working, and then obviously traveling in India for three months in 2008. This by no means made me into an expert on Indian cuisine. I did, however, gain exposure to foods I did not know even existed in the subcontinent’s repertoire. I also figured out which of these things I loved dearly, and was crestfallen, but not surprised, to find that they scarcely exist in reliable form in the United States.

The first time I surfaced from the Bergen Street F train stop, the bold burgundy awning screaming RAGA INDIAN CUISINE in white block font caught my eye immediately. First, I noted the name with a bit of nostalgic pleasure (raga is Sanskrit for the tone of music, or for specific melodic and rhythmic patterns of traditional and/or religious significance). Then, I quickly shuddered and decided to avoid the place. It was next to Atomic Wings and Domino’s pizza, and looked closed at prime time, so I didn’t see what good could ever come from walking through Raga’s door.

Of course, fate did lead me to walk into this dim, quiet, low-chic place with a friend who lives in the area. We were greeted by three avid waiters who were borderline creepy in their attentiveness. I couldn’t help but break into a grin, because I felt like I was traveling alone in India again, ducking into the cool darkness of an empty restaurant at odd times of the day and having a solo feast while everyone witnessed the spectacle.

Enough reminiscing, though, let’s cut to the chase. Here’s the menu, available on basically every food delivery website operating in the metropolis.

We had:

*Chicken Tandoori (NOT Tikka)
*Matar Paneer (NOT drivelly Saag Paneer)
*Lamb Biryani (NOT overplayed kabobs)
*Paratha (NOT just naan)
*Saffron Rice
*Mango Pickle
*Garlic Naan (the french fries of Indian food…they’re so pedestrian and fattening in excess but you just can’t let them go)
*(SALTED Lassi (not pictured since we’d already consumed them by the time more food arrived)
*(Red Wine (a bit incongruous, but we were in the mood to party after seeing all the food)

The tandoori chicken was MOIST and had that indescribably special yoghurt flavor, with a touch of tandoor smoke to it. The Matar Paneer had big, plentiful cubes of cheese curd quivering in a thick and flavorful spicy tomato sauce rich in firm, verdant sweet peas. The lamb biryani had tons of meat and veggies in it, not like the rice and boney bits you get at most places if you can even find biryani. The paratha was buttery with ghee but also crispy and flaky. The saffron rice was fragrant, and had ribbons of carrot integrated into it. The mango pickle was appropriately SALTY AS FUCK! The garlic naan could have warded off vampires, and the natural tasting lassi filled me up a bit too much, but probably neutralized the intensity of spices that I bolted down afterwards. The wine pushed us over the edge and all seemed right with the world.

At the end of the meal, as we sat holding our stomachs onto our bodies for fear that they’d fall off from the weight, the servers appeared and gave us Kulfi (thick, cardamom flavored traditional ice cream) AND rice pudding …ON THE HOUSE!

On the verge of hysteria from the food high we were now in, we hollered at the smiling men that we’d be back soon! The only thing is, the meal was so satisfying that we haven’t dared to go back just yet…it’s like we’re both still full from that meal.

Ordering via seamlessweb or other services might suck; I wouldn’t know. But honestly, what are people doing ordering something messy and complicated like Indian food? I’ve done it before, and was never satisfied. Also, when my friend and I were there, the place was spotless and the service was amiable and prompt (I repeat, they gave us free dessert). Suck it up and give this place a chance. You might find a roach somewhere, but you might find that under your own pillow tonight, this being New York City. OR, you might just be transported…