Chaat Corner

Update Review, 2024

I've never been that much of a fan of Chaat Corner, but it is the closest Indian restaurant to my house, and sometimes, I just want Indian cuisine.

Or, I just want dessert.  Or I have a freebie to redeem.  All three were true one day, which led me to Chat Corner (also sold as "Damn, Dosa!" on some delivery platforms ...) to pick up a free dessert.

Rasmalai. $3.95.

Well ... I didn't have high expectations, as reviews basically said "meh", "not the best", etc, but it was a very, very random craving of mine.  I wanted rasmalai.

These however were fairly awful.  The balls literally tasted like generic white bread.  Sure, the milky syrup was kinda tasty, in that it was sweet and creamy, but it had no actual flavor going on, no pistachio sprinkled on top, no cardamom, just, nothing.

Fairly certain these are frozen item, not fresh, and, well, just truly, truly lackluster. *, at most.

I drank all the sweet milk though ...

Yogurt (side). $0.99.

I also got a side of yogurt, to use with my breakfast the next day.  It was just strained, thick style, yogurt, but it is what I wanted.  ***.

Update Review, March 2020

Another Shelter in Place meal, another chance to help nearby restaurants continue to have some business ...

I wasn't particularly impressed with Chaat Corner, the "local" Indian restaurant on my street last time I visited, but, they were still open, and I decided to check out the other salad I almost ordered last time.

I was pleased with the pickup experience - I ordered online in advance (delivery.com, although they are listed on nearly every delivery platform), and it was ready for me to pick up (contactless!), when I arrived.  Everything was nicely packaged, nothing was missing, and my requested utensils were provided.

Side note: Stuck doing a lot of pickup and delivery these days? Want to try some free food and new pickup or delivery services?  Here are some codes ...

• Door Dash ($15 off, $5 each of your first 3 orders) [ Delivery or pickup ]
• Caviar ($20 off, $10 off your first 2 orders) [ Delivery or pickup ]
• Ritual ($6 off) [ Pickup only ]
• Delivery.com ($10 off) [ Delivery or pickup ]
• Grub Hub ($10 off) [ Delivery or pickup ]

Caesar Salad (Separate Packaging). $7.99.

"Romaine lettuce, Parmesan cheese and croutons tossed with a zesty mint Caesar dressing."

Since I wasn't planning to eat my salad right away, I asked to at least have the dressing on the side, and, ideally the croutons (so they wouldn't get soggy).  My requests were easily handled.

As with my first time at Chaat Corner, I was also thrilled with the packaging of everything - separate, but also, in the right kind of vessel for the item, and, anything potentially messy was additionally wrapped in foil.

I can't say the salad was nearly as exciting as it sounded (zesty!), but, I was pleased with the care put into the assembly.

Romaine Base.

The first time I ordered from here, I was amused by the giant box of greens that was my salad, but this time I knew to expect it, and, I think it was even more generously filled.

It was just romaine of course, but, this was really pretty fantastic.  Super fresh, super crisp, and they used all parts - the left hand side of the box is the leafier pieces, the right hand side the hearts.  All were torn/cut into large size chunks, making it very moorish.

It is just romaine, but, I was really pleased with the portion, freshness, and prep.  Was it $7.99 worth of romaine?  Well, clearly not, but consider ... $1 for dressing, $1 for cheese and croutons ... ok, yeah, still not $5.99 worth of romaine either.  But, I was pleased.  ***+.

Croutons & Parmesan Cheese.

I asked in my notes for the croutons to be packaged separately, assuming it would be done like the chaat salad before, but instead the croutons came in a larger, soup/deli style container, along with the shredded parmesan cheese.  This was fine, I mostly just didn't want them to get soggy with the lettuce.

The croutons were entirely standard, average croutons.  Super crispy.  Not really seasoned much.  I had hoped they'd do something more ... inspired like naan croutons, or at least have some Indian spicing on them?

The shredded parm was fine, not much to say there.  Basic caesar salad ingredients, no more, no less.  ***.

 Zesty Mint Caesar Dressing.

Just like last time, the dressing came wrapped in foil, so it wouldn't make a mess.  I continue to laud them for this.  So appreciated.

The "zesty mint caesar" dressing certainly sounded interesting, but, it really ... wasn't.  I would not call it "zesty", nor would I call it "caesar" ... and I can't say I tasted mint.

It was ... a slightly herby mayo.  Really, it tasted like mayo.  It did not taste anything like Caesar dressing - no anchovy, no cheese, no tang ... it just tasted like mayo.

I actually liked it for other things (of course I saved it!), and used it as a spread in wraps, and as an aioli with some fries, but, a dressing?  It was super thick, and just mayo.  ***.

The portion was also a bit small - they used their 4 ounce container and filled it less than halfway, which didn't seem like enough, had I used it on the salad.

Tandoori Shrimp Add-On. $4.

To my salad, I could add on chicken breast, chicken kebab, or paneer for $2, or tandoori salmon, tandoori shrimp, or sheekh kebab for $4.

I wanted some protein, and, had been eating a lot of paneer recently, so, I opted for shrimp, a bit hesitantly.  I do like well cooked shrimp, but ... so often shrimp is not well prepared - not properly cleaned, rubbery, etc.  I was hopeful that the tandoori treatment would be successful.

Sadly, this was not well prepared shrimp.  It was hot, the spices were fine, but ... it was incredibly chewy.  Chew, chew, chew, chew, chew.  I've never experienced such chewy shrimp.  It also wasn't really cleaned, and certainly wasn't deveined.

It was fairly horrible, sadly, and after trying (chew, chew, chew, chew) a few pieces, I gave up and tossed it.  $4 for 6 shrimp would have been fine I guess ... if it was decently prepared. *.

Raita. $0.99.

I didn't actually get this to go with my salad, but, I had a spinach roti wrap at home, and I really wanted some raita to pair with it, so, I also added on a side of raita (4 ounces) for $0.99.  They also sell 12 ounces for $2.99, and offer plain yogurt and curry in this way as well.

The raita was ... well, super watery and thin.  It did have plenty of spicing though.  I was glad to have it, but it wasn't remarkable. **+.

Like the dressing, it came wrapped in foil, so it didn't make a mess. I really appreciate their packaging, and the price was good for the serving size.

Tamarind Chutney, Mint Chutney. (Complimentary).

I also asked for tamarind and mint chutney, to jazz up the flavors in my salad, and, of course, to use with my roti wrap.

I've had these before, as they are the "dressing" that comes with the chat salad, and my opinion was the same this time around.  Definitely generic, and not made in house, but, useful to add flavor.

The tamarind one however was more sweet than I remembered.

Combined with the raita they did form a nice set of sauces for my wrap, and, also kinda worked as a salad dressing, but, I certainly wouldn't call these remarkable in any way.  **+.

Original Review, May 2017

I've walked by Chaat Corner more times than I can possibly count.

I used to live a block away.  I walked by it daily on my way to work.  I walked by it every night on the way home.  Yet I never went, even when it was the only place open in the neighborhood.  Chaat Corner is open every day, and that area does not have many options on Sundays.  They are open until midnight every night, and it certainly isn't an area with late night options.  They are open for lunch, starting as early as 11am.  Yet these things still never encouraged me to visit.

Even since I moved down the street, I still walk by several times a month.  It has managed to stay around for years now, which should be a sign of something.  And I still never visit.  Why?  I have no idea.  I like Indian cuisine, and I'm always looking for good indian food in the city.  But this place just never jumped out at me.

Chaat Corner recently opened a second location near Union Square.  That too should indicate that they are doing well.  But Yelp reviews are fairly mediocre.  No one I know has ever mentioned going there.  "Meh", I thought.

And then one day I was at home and really, really wanted salad.  And naan.  And something with spice.  I quickly looked online at menus of indian places nearby, and saw that the intersection of naan and salad is fairly limited, but Chaat Corner had several salads that sounded interesting (Indian ceasar? Grilled paneer topped salad?), and a huge assortment of breads, so, Chaat Corner it was.

I placed my order online, and headed the few blocks to pick it up.  My order was completed soon after I arrived.

Setting

Chaat Corner is really quite large.  I was shocked by how much seating and open space they had inside.  It was 5:15pm when I arrived, and it was mostly empty.

It isn't fancy.  It has basically no charm whatsoever.  I was glad to be getting takeout.

Cashier at Front.

Right inside the door is a cashier station, with a menu board on the wall.  This surprised me a bit as I thought this was a regular full service restaurant, so I think they must do a lot of takeout (unless tables order and pay up front too?)

On the side is also a cooler with canned/bottled drinks (do tables get cans too?)

Seating.

Decor is not particularly interesting, fairly low end, lots of shiny materials and faux stone.

Bar.

There is a small bar with counter seating, where I was invited to sit while I waited for my takeout.  I could have watched TV while I waited.

Food

The menu is large, all standard indian offerings.  I didn't explore it much, as I had my eyes on exactly two things: salad and bread.  That said, they had an extensive selection of pakora, and I almost threw some battered fried onions into the mix too ...

Sometimes, you just need 2 spoons and a fork?

Things started going downhill as I opened up my packaging.

I was provided a fork and 2 spoons.  No knife.  Luckily, I was bringing it home anyway.

Tandoori Roti. $1.99.

I'll admit, I was overwhelmed by the bread selection.  I thought I knew indian breads, but, once I started reading the list, I realized I'm still uncertain.  One section was titled naan, with 13 different options, including 10 types of naan (plain, butter, garlic, garlic pesto, paneer, cauliflower, potato, onion, chicken pesto, ground lamb), plus tava roti, bhatura, and tandoori roti.  Then, another section, labelled paranthas, with 8 more options (plain, laccha, potato, cheese, onion, cauliflower, ground lamb, chicken).  Why were the roti and bhatura listed as naan?  And what is tava roti vs tandoori roti?

I fairly randomly picked the tandoori roti, thinking that tandoori items are usually nicely smoky, and, I like roti.

It turned out to be basically ... whole wheat naan?  Hearty tasting, but, very boring.  Dry, no butter.  Crispy bottom.

I guess fine, but highly, highly boring, although I suspect it was supposed to be?  **+.

Chaat Salad. $6.99

"Romaine lettuce, lentil chips, spicy chickpea noodles, cilantro and spices tossed in
tamarind and mint sauces."

For salads, I could pick the interesting sounding caesar (zesty mint caesar dressing!) or the chaat salad (lentil chips and spicy chickpea noodles!).  I opted for the later, based entirely on the promise of fun crispy things on top.  Since I had other food at home to finish, I decided not to add a protein topping, but I could have added chicken breast, chicken kebab, tandoori salmon, shrimp, seekh kebab, or paneer on top.

Since I got it to go, my salad came disassembled.  I appreciated this so it wouldn't get soggy.  The dry toppings came in separate containers, and the wet sauces even came with an extra protective foil wrapped around them.  Points for this.

Chaat Salad: Lettuce.  $6.99.

I did have to laugh when I opened my box though.  It was ... lettuce.  Just lettuce.  It seemed freshly chopped, not wilted, very crisp.  A decent base.

The menu said there should be cilantro too, and other people seemed to have tomato and cucumber in theirs (in the photos I saw), but mine?  Just lettuce. ***.

Lentil Chips, "Spicy Chickpea Noodles".

Things got more amusing as I opened my other containers.

I quickly discovered the "spicy chickpea noodles" were ... just chickpeas.  Not toasted, no spicing.  Just chickpeas.  They seemed like they came from a can.  I had seen photos of this salad from others, and they did have chickpea noodles.

Since I actually hate chickpeas, I tried one, recognized that it was watery, slimy, and like from a can, and threw these out.  Chickpea noodles would have been nice. *.

The lentil chips were tasty though.  While I don't like lentils, I do like lentil chips (and likely would have liked chickpea noodles!)  I really liked the crunchy element, and the promise of the crunchy things is what made me order this in the first place. ***+.

I added a bunch of the lentil chips, but it looked like there was a bunch of rubble left in the bottom of the cup.  It was only later that I realized this is where the spices were added.  Doh.  I missed out on a lot of spice and flavor by missing this.  Not their fault though.

Tamarind and Mint Sauces.

The dressing for the salad is a mix of standard tamarind and mint sauces, like you use to dip samosa.  It was pretty strange putting these onto my salad as if they were dressing, but, actually, the result was good.  Obviously, normally it comes dressed for you, which seems less ideal, as you can't get the right balance of flavor that way.  I liked that I could add different amounts of each to create my preferred flavor (heavier on the herby mint, less of the sweet tamarind).

Both sauces were pretty standard, though I doubt housemade.  They didn't have that kind of freshness about them.  Still, it was nice to have some left to dip my naan in.  ***.