Royal Tangra Masala: Awesome Food; Excellent Rasmalai & Good Service
To ferret out the tastiest Indian food in the New York metropolitan region, sometimes you have to go to out of the way
restaurants.
If you love Indian-Chinese cuisine as much as we do, you'd be missing a lot if you fail to make a trip to Royal Tangra Masala
on Hillside Avenue in New Hyde Park.
Owned by an Indian Chinese entrepreneur from Calcutta (now Kolkata), Royal Tangra Masala is considered the gold standard of
Indian-Chinese restaurants in New York.
And rightly so.
This is a restaurant that bestows lavish favors on its diners and intense flavors in its curries. Besides being spicy and
tasty, the food at Royal Tangra Masala is also excellent value for money.
Vegetable Pakoras
We tried Vegetable Pakoras ($5.95) for appetizers before heading into a combination of vegetarian and non-vegetarian entrees.
Fresh, crisp and spicy, the vegetable Pakoras (nine pieces in all) came with green chutney and tamarind sauce. At most Indian
restaurants, vegetable Pakoras are usually bland and seldom fresh making the fine Royal Tangra Masala Pakoras a welcome treat.
Lunch Specials
Among the entrees at Royal Tangra Masala, our picks included Manchurian Chicken ($6.95), Ginger Chicken ($6.95) and Tangra Masala
($6.95).
All the entrees we ordered for Lunch at Royal Tangra Masala came with a choice of Vegetable Fried Rice or Steamed Rice and Corn
Soup or Hot and Sour Soup (for an extra 50 Cents you get Vegetable Fried Rice Soup with Chicken). But keep in mind these are
Lunch Special prices available only Tue-Fri from 12:00PM-3:00PM.
Being partial to spicy food, we requested our waiter to make all the entrees spicy. Oftentimes when you ask for your curry to
be spicy, a lot of Indian restaurants - both on the East Coast and in California - just shovel chilli powder into the pan
without bothering to add other ingredients in the right proportion. Invariably, the result is a fiery disaster on your table.
But Royal Tangra Masala's Chef is a rara avis, possessing the secret recipe of how to make the food spicy yet at the same time
tasty.
Much to our delight, every single item we tried at Royal Tangra Masala was a real treat.
We chose Corn Soup, Hot and Sour Soup and Vegetable Fried Rice with our entrees. The soups were steaming hot and tasty.
Gobi Tangra Masala
Gobi Tangra Masala had the pleasant smell of freshly ground spices. Likewise with Ginger Chicken and Manchurian Chicken. All
three entrees came in a luscious, thick gravy. A lot of spices, a little sourness and a pinch of salt made our entrees a
delight till the last bite.
The quantity of both curry and rice served at Royal Tangra Masala was quite sumptuous, enough to satisy even a Bakasura (a
mythological Indian demon known for his prodigious appetite).
While Gobi Tangra Masala, Ginger Chicken and Manchurian Chicken were outstanding, our vote for the best dish goes to the Rasmalai dessert ($3.50).
Rasmalai, Lichee with Ice Cream
On both the East Coast and West Coast, we've had Rasmalai at scores of Indian restaurants. But none of them can hold a candle
to Royal Tangra Masala's Rasmalai. Set in a small cup of sweet milk, the Rasmalai was soft and absolutely delicious. Make sure to
try it during your visit.
Throwing caution - and our high Cholesterol - to the winds, we ordered a second dessert - Lichee with Ice Cream ($3.95).
Again, we struck gold. The Lichees had a fresh taste while the Vanilla Ice Cream was beyond reproach.
Clean Restrooms
Yet another nice thing at Royal Tangra Masala is the clean condition of rest rooms and the unusual instructions inside. More than
the cleanliness, what attracted our attention was the little, thoughtful note placed next to the light switch requesting
customers not to switch off the lights after use. Rest rooms in most Indian restaurants are typically dark hell-holes and you
have to grope your way for the light switch. Royal Tangra Masala is again the exception.
Service
Our waiter - a cheerful fellow from Malaysia - was courteous and attentive, promptly removing the used plates and filling our
water glasses.
Besides Indian-Chinese dishes, Royal Tangra Masala also offers Chicken Singapore Noodles, American Chop Suey, Chinese Chop Suey and Halal Meat upon request. It, however, does not offer staples of Indian cuisine such as Masala Tea, Tandoori Chicken and Naan
Breads. To tell you the truth, we never missed them because what Royal Tangra Masala has on the menu is good enough.
Royal Tangra Masala Rating
Royal Tangra Masala is an Indian restaurant in New York worthy of your attention and highest respect.- © LongIslandIndia.com
Other NYC Indian Chinese Restaurants
Chinese Mirch - Indian Chinese Delight in NYC
Nanking NYC - Below Average Indian-Chinese Food; Poor Service
Tangra Masala NYC - Disappointing Indian Chinese Food
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