Description: $23.95 Pre-fixe, all-you-can-eat vegetarian Indian
Burdie Approved Rating:
Pros: unique setting, friendly service,
Cons: reservations a must, pre-set menu, clean socks a must!
As somebody who's only a few steps behind Jeffrey Dahmer on the meat craving scale, the prospect of eating at a vegetarian restaurant can be about as appealing as watching Judge Judy receive a Brazilian wax in High Definition. But while I was unable to indulge in any sins of the flesh at Vatan, I did enjoy a one hour fling with an assortment of vegetables of the night that left me satisfied in ways I never dreamt possible.Let's start with the setting. Sweeping through the long entrance hall of Vatan, you'll be forgiven for thinking you've strayed into a cosmic wormhole and been transported thousands of miles away from the sensory machine gun of New York City. Glitteringly dressed staff seem to glide up to the surprisingly limited number of tables, and the painted sky-blue ceilings smile warmly on the lavishly decorated dining room.
If you're used to eating in small, cramped restaurants where it's not uncommon to find somebody else's elbow in your soup, Vatan will be a genuine God-send. The dining room is extremely spacious and the layout fosters a sense of real intimacy and calm. Some tables are configured for people to eat in the traditional Indian manner, and that means chairs are replaced by lengthly seat cushions and shoes have to be left at the foot of the table before entering your booth. This is great for anybody six feet and below, but for the lanky freaks out there (like myself) having a hernia midway through the appetisers could be a distinct possibility.
Talking of appetisers, Vatan has a pre-fixe menu that - depending on your point of view - removes the hassle from having to choose what to order, or unnecessarily restricts you to eating what they want. As somebody who likes variety, and detests work, my vote goes for the former. Appetisers came on a large silver tray - one per person - and each dish was carefully organized and identified by the extremely helpful server.
The individually portioned dishes ranged from the inoffensive but unspectactular samosas, to the excellent Chana Masala - chick peas with onion and coriander.
Also worth of note were the Muthia (steamed flour and spinach) and the perfectly spiced Sev puri (potatos, chick peas, yogurt and chutney).
With my early desires of a chicken vindaloo fading faster than Joan Rivers' natural collagen levels, the main event was bought to our table. Sauteed spinach and chick peas were extremely well balanced and the sak potatoes satisfyingly hearty, without ever being heavy. Meanwhile, the mountain of puri - puffed whole weat bread - served as perfect accompaniment for the Aam Rus (mango pulp), and the kheer added a nice dollop of sweetness to proceedings.
Who new that chick peas could be so filling? Certainly not me, and I was contemplating exactly how many pounds of spinach i'd consumed when the meal was capped off by a very nice warm cup of chai tea, and a reassuringly creamy mango ice cream.
If you're looking for a relaxing, intimate eating environment then Vatan fits the bill perfectly. The dishes on offer are satisfying and, even though nothing stands out as being spectacular, they work very well together.
While the menu has very few (if any) MVPs, it does have excellent spirit and strong tactical awareness - always important features in striving for success.
Vatan is one of those rare places where the experience is almost as good - if not better - than the food. It charms you from the minute you walk through the door, and any dissenting thoughts are quickly massaged away by its soft, herbivore fingers.
As a Brit, I have a certain snobbery when it comes to Indian food (after all, our cuisine is so bad we had to steal the Indians') and Vatan hits all the right notes. In fact after leaving, for a split second the prospect of becoming a vegetarian didn't seem quite that bad.
Well, almost.....
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I've been trying to get reservations for the past 3 weeks and every time I remember to call I'm always too late! So I finally succumbed and accepted the 10:15pm Friday slot.
The space is unbelievable, if you're used to L.E.S or East Village standards of practically sitting on your neighbor's lap - the seating at Vatan is unbelievable. The two-topper was bigger than our studio (well... almost)! We were asked to remove our shoes and hop up onto a very comfy cushioned nook. Our waitress asked whether or not we've been there before and kindly explained the pre-fixe menu. She started off with the sauce platter, half sweet half spicy. The green fried peppers caught by eyes but I was smart enough to dare Hillsy to give the peppers a shot. In true Hillsy fashion, he popped two of those suckers in... let's just say his eyes got all watery and quickly grabbed for copper water pitcher.
Appetizer platter: Loved the Sev puri (Potatoes, garbanzo beans, yogurt and chutney filled in fried bread) and the Batakavada Deep-fried potato balls in a chickpea flour batter. I found the apps to be a little spicy but not to the point where I couldn't enjoy it. Lots of fried mysterious balls and triangles - all were surprisingly light and bursting with flavors. At this point I was starting to get full and knew I had to pace myself.
Main platter: The main platter came with six different main dishes - I loved the spinach dish and the cauliflower with green peas -- YUMMY!!
I can't imagine anyone eating a second serving of anything, I guess this is how this place makes money.
I love the fact that I was able to taste so many different dishes - love variety. I always feel pressured to order the same old thing in Indian restaurants (Chicken Tikka Masala) so it was nice to finally taste some of the dishes that I've bypassed in the past. Dessert was mango ice cream and a cup of Masala Chai served in a super cute ceramic tea cup. I didn't care too much for the mango ice cream - a little too rich for me. I can usually handle rich and sweet things but after stuffing myself, I just couldn't take another bite.
Overall, the experience is what you pay for. Is it the best Indian food in the city? Probably not. But the private dining experience under a Banyan tree, the option to taste a variety of dishes with your feet up all the while .. you can't beat it!!!
By the way, being a carnivore was not as issue - I didn't even notice the lack of meat!
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