Mumbai Bistro: Slumdog Prices, Millionaire Spices

I love Indian food but I don't love the all-you-can-eat buffets because, well, I don't need to eat that much. (Damn efficient metabolism of mine!) For this simple reason--and because it's within spitting distance of my second home, the Jefferson University library--I decided to try the buy-the-pound lunch and dinner buffet at Mumbai Bistro. Oh, serendipity! This little unassuming storefront serves up what is quite possibly the best Indian food in the city.

The buffet costs just $4.95/lb and includes six entrees and basmati rice. Nan ($1), chutneys ($0.50) and desserts ($2) can be purchased separately. Get ready to gorge yourself on the cheap...

There is a weekly schedule for the rotating cast of entrees on the buffet. Last Tuesday, I tried all six of the entrees: Saag Paneer, Navratan Korma, Chana Masala, Mumbai Dal, Chicken Tikka Masala and Chicken Vindaloo. There are a few dishes that I can’t not order when they appear on a menu and Saag Paneer is one of them, which is why it's sayin' something that I consider the Saag Paneer here to be the best version I've had in Philly. The paneer cheese is first pan fried, giving it a nice firm texture, before being mixed with finely chopped spinach that is perfectly seasoned with just a touch of garlic and ginger and is rich enough that it's hard to believe Mumbai Bistro doesn't use ghee, the traditional clarified butter for cooking. The Navratan Korma is Indian comfort food: mixed vegetables in a mild coriander cream sauce. The Chana Masala, the standard chickpea curry, has a little heat to it and the Mumbai Dal is made with black lentils that have a nuttier flavor than the brown lentils most restaurants use. These dishes don't stray far from traditional, in short, but are a bit more interesting here. The Chicken Tikka Masala was perfectly cooked in the traditional tomato-based sauce with onions and peppers. Finally, the Chicken Vindaloo was pungent and tangy, the flavor of the vinegar nicely pronounced but not overwhelming.

In addition, Mumbai Bistro is hip with the times and expressly serves vegan, lactose-free and gluten-free options everyday. All of their entrees are clearly marked for patrons with these dietary preferences and food allergies. No wonder the Prodigal Jamesister and all the other glutards on the Jefferson campus have been singing its praises...

So far, my only complaint is that they're not open on Mondays.

Mumbai Bistro
930 Locust Street
Tuesday-Sunday 11:30am-9pm

Octopus Balls: A Lunchtime Anatomy Lesson

"I had octopus balls for lunch" sounds pretty badass--and as it turns out, tastes pretty good. Takoyaki aren't actually octopus balls, of course. (I don't know much about the anatomy of cephalopods but I'm pretty sure they don't have 'em!) Takoyaki are bite-sized Japanese pancake balls, traditionally made with octopus. Maru Global claims to be the only takoyaki restaurant in town and given the special molded grill required to make these little savory balls, I don't doubt it.

I ordered the Seafood Sampler ($9), which included three of each: original octopus, spicy shrimp and crab cake. All three were delicious although two were a bit similar. The original octopus and spicy shrimp were stuffed with savory scallion and aromatic pickled red ginger, the octopus served with a rich Tonkatsu sauce and the shrimp with a spicy mayo. (FYI: Red ginger, beni shoga, is not the same as the gari, the pickled ginger served with sushi.) The crab cake balls were actually made with lump crab meat, not crab stick, and were quite good if not especially Japanese--less the ubiquitous Japanese spicy mayo. The homemade green tea, served unsweetened for lame people like me who like it that way, was perfect for washing it all down...

Although I don't usually judge restaurants of the Philly Bites genre (i.e. cheap) on their decor and presentation, takoyaki strikes me as too delicate and refined, honestly, to be served on paper plates and ordered at the counter. And I mean that as a compliment.

Maru Global

255 S 10th Street

Soup Dumplings: It's What's for Lunch

It remains to be seen whether it'll help me get accepted to medical school, but eating Dim Sum Garden's soup dumplings ($5) for lunch--everyday for a week, I kid you not--sure did help me finish my applications.

"Dumplings are good," replied Baker Boy when I suggested it for our Center City lunch date. He had no idea...

See, it isn't dumplings in soup, it's soup inside dumplings. Don't ask me how they do it. All I know is that it's good--hot, wet and messy like good...yeah. The pork filling is sweet and juicy and the dumpling dough is chewy but thin. Perfection. It comes as no surprise that they're made to order by hand. The scallion pancakes ($4) are simple, savory and also worth trying. And if you're looking for a vegetarian option, The Prodigal Jameson enjoys the steamed vegetable buns ($4).

If the restaurant looks a bit ghetto--neon signs and plastic chairs and all-- the soup dumplings are, well, ghetto delicious.

Dim Sum Garden
59 N. 11th Street

On my recent trip to NYC with The Kosher Kid, I tried the soup dumplings, also called "pork juicy buns," at the midtown location of the well-known Joe's Shanghai restaurants--as did The Kid formerly known as Kosher. (I'm a bad influence, it's true.) Impossible though it seemed, Joe's pork dumpling filling was even juicier than Garden's. Unfortunately, the Philly-to-NYC train fare makes this a decidedly less than cheap lunch option...

Joe's Shanghai
24 W. 56th Street
New York, NY

Bánh Mì with Meat? Whodathunkit?!

That's right, Philly Bites is back by popular demand of my readers--all five of you.

After living in West Philly for upward of five years, I moved downtown this summer. I'm still not sure if Society Hill is quite my speed but its proximity to the inner South Philly foodie neighborhoods that are Bella Vista and Queens Village is hard to beat.

I shop for produce at the Italian Market semi-weekly and usually get lunch beforehand. There are dozens of Mexican and Vietnamese restaurants and take-out places, many of them good and a few amazing--and all of them amazingly cheap.

Like many longtime West Philly residents and devotees of Fu Wah Market, I came to associate báhn mi with marinated tofu. Until moving downtown this summer, I had never tried a traditional báhn mi with roasted pork.

Don't ask me how it's pronounced but Café Nhuy is a well-known if a bit hard to find mecca of báhn mi. Perhaps it's only fitting that báhn mi would become the new favorite sandwich in South Philly: with Sarcone's Bakery on 9th Street, the best baguette in the city is made fresh daily right around the corner. All of the báhn mi at Café Nhuy are served on Sarcone's baguette with it's crunchy, slightly chewy crust and soft, airy center. The classic roasted pork ($4) is served slightly warm with fresh, crisp cucumber and carrot, thinly sliced, and fresh cilantro and a mayo-based spread. The vegetarian deluxe ($4) adds crispy fried leeks and pickled veggies, giving the sandwich a neat combination of textures.

5 Viet Huong Restaurant at 11th and Washington also has an impressive and well-done selection of báhn mi but the fact that there's actually seating somehow seems inauthentic. I prefer my báhn mi to-go, at my desk or on a park bench.

Café Nhuy

802 Christian Street

Philadelphia, PA 19147

Saad’s Halal Place: Bring Your Own…Burqa

I’ve lived down the block from Saad’s for almost two years and let’s just say that Saad and I are on a first-name basis by now.

The Falafel Sandwich with a choice of hummus, baba ganoush, tabouli or feta ($4.50) is my standby. If you watch them prepare the sandwich, you’ll notice that after frying up the falafel balls they smash ‘em a little. The result is that you get falafel in every bite, along with fresh tomato, lettuce, parsley, pickles and enough tahini to warrant an extra napkin—or two.

Omnivores should try the Shish Tawook Sandwich ($6). Moist, grilled chicken is served up in pita bread with the same fixings and a mild garlic sauce. The Lamb Shawarma Platter ($14) isn’t as cheap and isn’t as good. I love it when that happens.

The Greek Salad Container ($7.50) is my other standby although it isn't especially, well, Greek. Shredded romaine lettuce, tomato, onion and parsley is dressed simply in oil and vinegar, topped with feta cheese, kalamata olives, American-style pickles and bits of fried pita. You’ll have to fight over the lone dolmathes with your lunch mate but otherwise the salad is enough for two.

The French fries are twice fried to a perfect crisp. The baklava is made in-house and is sickeningly sweet. And Saad himself will mostly likely be the person taking your order. Everything is as it should be.

Here’s to another year of happy eating, folks.

Saad's Halal Place
4500 Walnut Street
M-Th 11am-9pm
F-Sa 11am-10pm