Botiwalla is an Indian grill restaurant that recently opened in Ponce City Market. Restaurants like this originated as tea and kabab houses run by Zoroastrians, who emigrated from Persia to India in the late 19th and 20th centuries. They created a delicious and interesting mash-up of Victorian and Indian food. After the British left, the cafes continued to work and adapted to the Indian taste, creating their own unique Indo-Persian cuisine.
The most traditional Chaat, or finger food, on Botiwalla’s menu is sev puri dahi puri (SPDP), a savory flour crisp, or puris, stuffed with potatoes, onions, cilantro and crunchy chickpea noodles. It is then piped with sweet yogurt, green, and tamarind chutney. SPDP has a very interesting taste and even though it has many flavors, they all balance each other out. I personally found this dish very interesting because of its specific taste and flavors, but I don’t think it will fit everyone’s taste.
Mango lassi is a traditional Indian drink made from chilled yogurt drink with sweet mango pulp and cardamom. The drink is very thick and can feel like you are drinking food. If you are looking for a drink that will refresh you and help you wash down your Indian food’s many flavors, this drink will not help.