Lifestyle / Dhamaka In New York City Lets You Explore Cuisine “From The Forgotten Side Of India”

Dhamaka In New York City Lets You Explore Cuisine “From The Forgotten Side Of India”

Lifestyle May 23, 2022

by Vallisa Chauhan

We continue our global culinary journey by making a stop at Dhamaka in New York City. Can you really find a good Indian cuisine inside a market place? You sure can. Dhamaka is bought to you by the same people that erected Adda in Long Island City and Semma in Greenwich Village.

**Dhamaka In New York City Lets You Explore Provincial Cuisine From India:. Outside Dhamaka.** Photo Credit: https://gothamist-client.prod.nypr.digital

Time Out New York listed them part of their “21 Best Restaurants In The World Right Now”. Dhamaka is one of the newest and hottest restaurants owned by duo Roni Mazumdar and chef-owner Chintan Pandya. They are known for pushing boundaries when it comes to their menu and Dhamaka will not disappoint in that section. The menu brings you an amazing variation of different dishes from all over India and the corners that have been forgotten by others and it would be hard to find a menu like this anywhere else in New York City for sure. The website itself states ‘This is the other side of India, the forgotten side of India.’

Dhamaka has a dine in option only which is very rare for a post pandemic restaurant however this is due to the owners wanting to preserve the food and experience you get from tasting the food fresh. There are two options when dining in, you can sit in the main food hall or alternatively they have an outdoor tent section.

The décor of Dhamaka is eye-catching and just looking in you will be drawn to the mural art on display which is all down to Sean Maze. In the centre of the room there is a bar that beautifully matches the décor with an array of bottles on display, which is perfect for the mix of cocktails they offer on their menu. Something else that has popped up post Covid is the QR code scanner that you use to pull up the menu, thankfully the online ordering system is not in use yet and therefore there is still some interaction with the staff.

Food wise as mentioned earlier there is a lot on offer and this may be one of the few Indian restaurants where the mains are just as tasty as the starters and therefore you don’t want to fill yourself up from the get go.

For starters my suggestions would be the Goan inspired tiger prawns, Lasooni Prawns, the Goat belly seekh kebab, yes you read that right goat belly, using this part of the animal leaves a soft texture almost good enough to spread it is so soft. If you are a little more adventurous then definitely tr the Doh Khleh which is ultimately a salad of pig’s head tendered to perfection in a pressure cooker.

There is one dish that has become famously associated with Dhamaka and that is the Gurda Kapoora which is a mix of Goat Kidney’s and testicals, this is something my mum has cooked at home for years and therefore I was not put off by the sound of it but believe me it tastes out of this world so don’t think about what your actually eating and instead just close your eyes and indulge.

If you are lucky enough and you come in a group then something that you could try is the Rajasthani Kharghosh where it can be ordered up to a month in advance and this is because only one a day is served. So what is the dish I hear you ask? It’s a whole rabbit and serves 3-4 guests.

However if this isn’t something your palette can take or you didn’t get the advance order in then do not feel disappointed there are plenty of other fascinating dishes on offer. Macher Jhol which is Baby shark, Champaran Meat which is a mutton stew cooked over 5 hours leaving the meat tender and scrumptious.

As a main there is one dish that is talked about across the City and that is the Pressure Cooker Pulao now not only is the dish made in a pressure cooker it is also served in the portable cooker right to your table, this is an experience in itself.

Honestly after all this food I had no room for dessert but I left the restaurant content and fulfilled.

Main Image Photo Credit: www.instagram.com

Vallisa Chauhan

Author

Vallisa Chauhan (@vallisachauhan) presents the Flagship breakfast show on Lyca Radio 1458. She has scripted and produced a full feature film called "Those 4 Walls" and is currently working on other projects. She loves travel and movies and tries to fit in both as much as she can.

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Dhamaka In New York City Lets You Explore Cuisine “From The Forgotten Side Of India”

by Vallisa Chauhan

Vallisa Chauhan

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