Polash is a hidden gem all the way in Spanish Harlem. I think they cook Southern Indian/Kerala styled foods (because they have alot of fish dishes prevalent to Kerala) Delivery is lightening fast. Eating in at the restaurant can be plain awkward because you're the only one there, but they seem interested in saying "all we have is the buffet" and service is very laid back (think 3-hour meal on Goan time)...so if you want to be attended to, don't go except during dinner time. If you like long lunches without being pushed, do go for lunch.
For East Harlem, Polash is a God sent if curry is your comfort food.
After 3-years of ordering from Polash, here are my hits and misses from literally eating my way through the entire menu:
1. best Mulligatany soup (have tried every Indian restaurant in midtown east and UES for this and they all fail). Polash's is tangy with mashed chickpeas (or poss. gram flour?) and cilantro. It seems to get better overnight, especially with extra squirts of lemon juice. I crave it everytime I get sick.
2.Avoid the coconut cinannamon soup--it's literally a hot brew of sweet coconut milk with grated bits of coconut meat, and doesn't taste savoury...it tastes like almond joy soup.
3. the Muglai paratha is my favorite. It's a filling lead-belly hang over meal (street snack in Asia--similiar to a kati roll and omlette in one). Their version is loaded with curried ground beef, scrambled eggs, tomatoes, peas, onions, and peppers. They do it so well in comparison to other Muglai parathas.
4. My favorite curry has a vindaloo curry base. Before my favorites have been madras curry, jalpreji, bhuna, dopizia, and the rogan josh. Polash does all the curry sauces well (and fiery). I have a biased love for red tomato based curries, which they do very well with my favorite curry meat: goat or beef or lamb. They do other sauces like sabji chicken well but I just don't love them as much as I love tomato based curries.
5. The kurma sauced dishes are creamy and delicious, esp. chicken kurma (my bf, who can't tolerate spicy foods can and will only eat kurma or malai, and Polash always makes a silky smooth sauce without clottage)
6. their biryani is okay..just okay. I prefer the Burmese version of biryani, which is wetter, more nutty biryani with more meat and curry and lots of fried onions melted into a curry, which is sauced into the rice and baked with the rice (and theirs is dry and isn't loaded with dried fruits and nuts like my mom's). So compared to mom's, Polash fails for being bland and dry.
7. my obsession for the past 4 months has been their crab curry. I've stopped ordering meat vindaoo and have been obsessed with trying different curries with their crab. Polash gives you a generous amount of lump crab meat in a red tomato-based harmonious curry sauce. (the crab curry is no. 1 on the crab curry list. The crab saag, I didn't like. The crab sabj I hated, but if you want milk and creamy, you'll like it. crab malai/kurma? No thanks. biryani-nope)
For vegetarians:
1. My favorites are the two okra curries (with the bindi bhajee being my absolute favorite okra dish, rather than the bindi masala dish)
2.Aloo mutter gobi: didn't like it or hate it but found pineapples in there when the menu listed cauliflowers and chickpeas (but then I don't like white cream sauces since I like red tomato based curries with lots of spice)
Also order a coconut, pistachio, or mango lassi (or any of their other ones) to cool your taste buds with (those are my favorites). Eating dairy alongside spicy curry dishes keeps your mouth from getting overheated by the spices. Theirs is salty, tangy, sweet, with crushed ice and is a flavor exposion in your mouth. I endure splotchy faced dairy allergy attacks for their lassi shakes...they're THAT good.
Try the kulfi ice cream if you can make it to the restaurant.
If you care for ricotta cheese based desserts, try those little balls of sugar syrup covered desserts like gulab jamoon and wash them down with lots of masala tea or earl/lady grey tea.
I don't like their Kher (rice pudding with mango or coconut) because it sometimes has a stale and sour taste. In Indian restaurants, you won't find fresh desserts so expect stale gulab jamoon and ker.
*exhale* As you've read, I've literally eaten through the entire menu. read more