HOdown: Haldi Chowk 2/28 1pm, Middletown, NJ

Thank you for sharing.

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Agreed that was a good time AND a tasty lunch! Great to see you all and to the rest of you who didn’t come… PFFFFFT! :slight_smile:

We were treated to beautiful plates and descriptions from the chef; some were dishes I had tried on my first visit, others were new to me, and others had been tweaked from my previous dinner there.

I don’t know the official names of most of these, because once again, I never looked at the menu! Just note that EVERYTHING is made in-house - including the juices and the cheese in the Naanchos.

Cucumber/lemon and Rosewater:

Seafood patties on housemade potato rolls:

Vegetable (beet, green beans, zucchini, squash, and…and…) patties (my new favorite):

Chef’s version of Arancini, but filled with 5-day aged chicken and chiles:

Mushroom/truffle ravioli:

Bhel Puri (my other new favorite) w chile guacamole:

Naanchos - packed w chicken, housemade cheese, and naan within the layers:

Tiramisu made with chai, not espresso - CRAZY light:

Assorted ice creams:

NOT pictured because no one reminded me to take a shot!
Chocolate cake w 3 kinds of VERY dark Belgian chocolate, date syrup, chile, and pistachio.

@eleeper @gracieggg @MsBean please chime in if I got any of it wrong!

And PS, I looked up the Diners, Driveins, and Dives episode - haven’t found it online yet, but it was filmed in 2022 and it was definitely a traditional Indian menu at the point and a different chef.

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Great photos! The Seafood Cakes on Potato Bread Buns seem to have been an appetizer version of an entree that is served without the buns, and the beet patties are Beets & Yellow Squash Croquettes (in case anyone is trying to order these). I can’t find anything like the arancini on the menu.

(Lunch today was some of the leftovers with a guava lassi.)

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Excellent photos. I think you captured it all! I found the flavors very creative and the processes. Every item seemed to be painstakingly created from scratch. Holy moly. I’m stumped with how he can possibly be turning a profit. Thanks for putting it together!

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@CurlzNJ You did an amazing job capturing the wonder food. It was all great. My favorites were the Bhel Puri and the beet and yellow squash croquettes (thanks @eleeper ). I even liked the rosewater drink and I HATE anything with rosewater.

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I’m sorry, our plans changed and we had to be in Red Bank at 1. Glad you enjoyed!

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Just a word of warning to those watching their sodium: Great food, but it must be incredibly high in sodium because I was very thirsty Saturday afternoon (when I didn’t have any Naanchos), and again today after eating the leftover Naanchos.

Interesting - I’m pretty sensitive to that and didn’t have a problem, but I just had my leftover Naanchos for lunch today TOO, so I’ll pay attention and see if I notice it.

I’ll also say that the Bhel Puri is def a favorite - ate a little yesterday and finished it today, and even without the crunch of the puffed rice, it was still DELICIOUS!!

I just had the bhel and a salty lassi at Pakvaan on Oak Tree Road, and i think I liked it better because it did have the crunch.

(Sorry, I didn’t have a ruler. I’d estimate the bowl to be a six-inch diameter.)

(Has anyone ever counted how many restaurants are on Oak Tree Road?)

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Yeah, there’s no doubt that Bhel Puri is meant to be eaten when freshly made so you get the mix of textures!

My biggest gripe s that the Indian restaurants closest to my house don’t make Bhel Puri. Luckily The Sprout makes a mean version.

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Wah I’m so sad I missed this! The food looks amazing but I bet the company was even better. <3

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