Reviewer's Summary: Pathetic Food; OK Service
There's just no debate about it.
Indowok is by far the worst Indian-Chinese restaurant we've had the misfortune to dine at in New York.
Located on Lexington Avenue, right in the heart of Curry Hill (as this area is known because of the profusion of Indian restaurants here), Indowok occupies the spot that the Chettinad restaurant Asaivam had before it closed down.
We love Indian-Chinese food.
Like Pavlov's dog, our mouth waters starts drooling at the mere mention of Gobi Manchurian, Chicken Chowmein, Vegetable Schezwan Fried Rice or any other Indian-Chinese dish.
And Lexington Avenue around 28th St in Manhattan offers plenty of opportunities for Indian-Chinese food lovers. There's Chinese Mirch, the newly opened Indo Munch and Indowok. All within a three block radius.
Since we've already been to Chinese Mirch and Indo Munch, we decided to give Indowok a try.
And what a ghastly mistake that decision turned out to be.
Our dinner at Indowok was a chronicle of dashed hopes and repeated assaults on the tastebuds.
After the first spoon of Vegetable Fried Rice, our immediate instinct was to silently heap curses on the chef's head for daring to send us a dish this awful.
Bereft of any flavor and too bland for Indian palates, Indowok's Vegetable Fried Rice was hopelessly bad.
Vegetable Chowmein was worse. Besides tasting yucky, it also smelled lousy. However, what the bowl lacked in quality it more than made up in quantity.
Gobi Manchurian is a perennial favorite of Indian-Chinese cuisine aficionados. And we so love this dish. So, no sooner had we been seated than we ordered a bowl of Gobi Manchurian (gravy style).
Overcooked and underseasoned, Indowok's Gobi Manchurian was so unlike any Gobi Manchurian we've had. You see, it was that hideous, both in look and taste. The sauce tasted weird and the Gobi Manchurian balls were badly done.
For avowed Indian food lovers like us, it's a matter of immense irritation that even when we specify our preference for the food to be hot and spicy, it comes out of the kitchen extra bland. They completely ignore our request.
What's wrong with these bozos?
Is it the fault of the waiters who don't convey our preferences to the kitchen or is it the chefs who don't care about the diners request and just shovel out bland food tailored to suit effete American palates?
Most Indian restaurants in New York City and elsewhere in the U.S., we are convinced, do not cook for Indians. Instead, they cook for Americans unused to hot and spicy Indian cuisine.
Vegetarian or non-vegetarian, Indowok is an equal opportunity offender.
Our Chilli Chicken Dry was no better.
A bowl of chicken pieces with some green chillies strewn around with nary a thought given to taste, Indowok's Chilli Chicken was a travesty of the real stuff. There was no evidence at all that the chicken pieces had been marinated.
Indowok also has a selection of Beef dishes, uncommon in Indian restaurants in the U.S. because most Indians consider cow a holy animal and therefore are reluctant to eat beef.
If there is a single theme that runs through Indowok, it's the tasteless, bland food.
Our waiter Sreedhar, a friendly soul from Sri Lanka, was eager to please but hopelessly let down by the pitiful kitchen.
After such a horrid meal, we longed for something sweet to lighten our mood. But both our choices - Kulfi and RasMalai - were not available although they were listed on the menu.
Mercifully, the cook did not inflict much damage to our Masala Chai and Black Coffee. And yes, our Perrier sparkling water was the best thing on our table. - © NYIndia.us |
