Location: 409 3rd Avenue, New York, NY b/w 28 th & 29 th Street
Cuisine: Indian (Vegetarian)
Best Dish: The puri and the cardamom ice cream are tied for our favorite items. The bread was warm and fresh with a light buttery melt in your mouth texture. The ice cream was only slightly sweet with a smooth creaminess that must be experienced.
Cost: $$
Overall: A quaint and comforting vegetarian restaurant with flavorful options and exemplary service.
When we think Indian food, fire-grilled chicken and thick curries brimming with goat and lamb immediately come to mind. Though that may be our initial thought the truth is India has the largest number of vegetarians in the world. With over a third of the country finding their sustenance with a plant-based diet, Indian cuisine is full of flavorful vegetarian dishes. Vatan has been serving vegetarian Indian fare in midtown Manhattan for over twenty years. The restaurant is only open for dinner and features an all you can eat pre-fixe menu of Indian delicacies. Ordering is as simple as sitting down, literally. The moment you enter you are at the mercy of the menu and will be served accordingly. Vatan has a few variations on their standard menu. Each variation targets a particular preference or dietary restriction. We chose the ‘regular” menu which begins with a round of appetizers, then entrees and finally dessert. Each course is served in metal compartmented trays and guests are encouraged to have ass much of any of the dishes they desire.
Appetizer Thali
The Appetizers featured a savory dish of curried garbanzo beans and cauliflower as well as an assortment of tasty finger foods including samosas and fried potato balls. The appetizer is accompanied by a few flavorful sauces and chutney for extra sweetness and heat.
The highlight of the appetizer course was the finger food. The samosas were crunchy and savory filled with seasoned potatoes and peas. The Batatavada or potato balls were also quite tasty. Be careful with that fried pepper, the spice really sneaks up on you. It starts off pretty mild before building to an inferno on your tongue.
Entree Thali
The entree course is served with two types of rice and a choice of bread. Unlike the appetizers, this course can be customized for your individual spice preference. The dishes included a savory spinach curry, cauliflower and green peas, spiced lentils potatoes in red gravy and rice pudding. At first glance, the sweet milky rice pudding is an odd addition to the plate but its purpose is clear once something spicy hits the palate. If you can handle a bit of spice go medium with this course and use the rice pudding to cool down between bites. Also served with this course is a sweet mango puree. The puree is ideal for sipping between bites, but we recommend saving it for the dessert course.
We chose both the roti and the puri pieces of bread for our meal, and the puri was the clear favorite. These puffed bread are buttery and delicious with a light delicate texture. They arrive at the table piping hot so beware the bursts of steam.
Dessert Thali
The dessert course featured two flavors of ice cream and Gulab Jamun. On our visit, the ice creams were mango and cardamom. The cardamom was an interesting and surprisingly mild flavor and the mango sweet and decadent. We used our saved puree as a topping for the ice cream for an extra punch of fresh fruit flavor. Accompanying our string of sweet treats was a hot chai tea cooked with cardamom, milk, and ginger.
Vatan has a full bar menu with an assortment of wines, beers, and liqueurs. The spirits include familiar domestic brands as well as a few from their native India. We enjoyed a tall glass of Bira White, an Indian wheat beer. This beer is light and refreshing with a hint of citrus and a smooth finish.
As an introduction to vegetarian Indian food Vatan’s concept is ideal. The menu is devoid of any of the millennial faux meat experiments making the rounds on social media. At Vatan, you will find real ingredients served as they are by nature. The food is fresh and the service is impeccable. Our server Mina was warm, inviting and friendly. The concept at Vatan is one of quiet luxury. You arrive and need only to relax as your server takes care of you. The tropical surroundings add to the ambiance creating a one of a kind dining experience.
HOURS:
Sun-Thurs 5:30pm-9:30pm
Fri-Sat 5pm-10pm