A new restaurant serving South Indian cuisine opened a couple of months ago in Jersey City, in the Newport neighborhood. I was looking forward to trying this place from the owner of Dosa Spot, located close by, in the Newport Mall, but was at first disappointed when we went the first time. Why? Because, while they were doing construction, the poster announcing their opening was showing a thali, a traditional Indian platter that features classic dishes served with breads. Passed the disappointment, we decided to try their dosa, a South Indian crepe made with rice flour. I always love the presentation of dosa that always looks large, but the filling is usually concentrated in the center, so it is not as big as it looks. Jodi went for the cheese dosa ($15.99) and I went classic with a masala dosa ($14.99), that was filled with potato masala and was not spicy. Both were served with some chutney and sambal, a lentil stew, and I enjoy them, my preference going for the masala dosa that was more hearty. The crepe itself was deliciously crispy with a slightly spongy interior, and had a nice nutty taste. I loved it. They have other South Indian specialties like uttapam or idli, but we decided to go for more classic dishes when we went back. For appetizers, the samosa ($8.99 for two) were good but a bit spicy. I preferred the Masala puri ($12.99), where crispy chaat puris are topped with peas, onion, chutneys and fresh herbs, smothered in a curry. For dinner, we also got the butter chicken ($23.99) and the paneer butter masala ($21.99), that were served with basmati rice and that we ate with butter roti ($5), a whole wheat bread cooked in a clay oven and topped with ghee. The curries were delicious: comforting, mild (they asked us how spicy we wanted it), with that tomato based curry being quite addictive (I could not stop dipping the bread in it).

With my food, I got a mango lassi ($7.99), that is my favorite Indian drink and a butter milk ($4.99), that is yogurt churned with water, cilantro and salt, definitely different from classic buttermilk in taste and thickness. I should also mention their masala chai ($3.99) that was amazing and that I got with dessert. It was rich, creamy and aromatic, served very hot in a small cup that you are not sure how to hold without burning your fingers!

And these desserts were delicious. Of course, I had to get their gulab jamun ($7.99), that were perfectly made and deliciously sweet, and I loved the vermicelli payasa ($7.99), that is a traditional South Indian dessert made with milk, joggery (an unrefined sweetener made from sugar cane juice or palm sap) and vermicelli. Think about a sweeter version of rice pudding with vermicelli. Quite addictive, this is a must have!

Overall, the food at Bangalore Kitchen was really good. I would either go for a masala dosa or butter chicken, with dessert and that fantastic chai. But there are more to discover and I am sure I’ll be back!

Enjoy (I did)!

If you like this post, the photos or the blog, please feel free to share it or post a comment. Merci!

Bangalore Kitchen - 126 River Drive South, Jersey City, NJ 07310

Bangalore Kitchen in Jersey City, NJ

La Brochette Steakhouse in NYC, NY