Hyberabad Mamajamma

Went out to eat last night to Deccan Spice, an Indian restaurant specializing in Hyderabadi cuisine from the south of India in Iselin. They have another successful, busy location in Jersey City. Started with the Manchurian Cauliflower which is just really good. Just spicy, oniony, garlicy, wok-crisped deliciousness.  I really wanted to try the Natu Kodi Dum Biryani, which sounds amazing and got a nice write-up in the Village Voice from Robert Sietsema as one of the 100 dishes you have to eat right now but alas you can only get it on the weekends. I instead opted for the Murgh Chetinad Curry which is a favorite as it’s donut hole-scorchingly spicy as balls. 

The star anise and cardamom levels were dangerous as hell in this bad boy. I thought I was going in on a piece of chicken and got a crazy mouthful of seed pods. It was still good though. P got the paneer tandoor which was basically a paneer makhni but was really tasty. We rounded it out with some basmati rice and garlic naan.

We got a bottle of  Makedonikos Vaeni semi-dry white from Macedonia. 

It’s really fragrant, floral and has a lot of fruits but it’s pressed from red grapes so it still has a tannic edge. Not too sweet. I figured it would be a good match for the spicier, lighter South Indian fare but think it would stand up a lot better with a heartier, richer meal (Maybe pork, or goat which Deccan Spice does really well) due to the tannins. Not bad for five bucks though, honestly.

We got a groupon for $30 worth of food for $15 bucks. After the wine, tip and all, it wasn’t more than $25 for everything, soup to nuts, which was pretty good. The food was good. Not the most amazing indian ever but hit the spot and the price was right. Will definitely have to go back for that Natu Kodi Dum Biryani. That shit looks fantastic.