Ok. So, my first visit would have definitely been a 4/4.5 star experience. The decor was pretty basic, the interior wasn't posh, but neither was it shabby. I went with a friend and we shared the Samosa Chaat to start, then several other items for our meal. Now, when I tell you that the chaat was so good that I wanted to come back every day that week, I need you to believe me! The biriyani was good, the dosa was pretty tasty, many of the mixed pakoras were dry, and the rice pudding was delicious. But that chaat, though; I nearly wrote a sonnet while sitting at the table!
I couldn't seem to get back to Uru Swati for the chaat I was craving (they are closed on Tuesday, I was too late on Wednesday, had other plans for Thursday, etc.), so I went to my old standby Spinzer and tried theirs. It was good; a larger portion, even--but it did not compare to the foodgasm I remembered from Uru Swati!
Fast forward a few months. I'd been bragging to my lifelong-vegetarian coworker about how good this place is, so I took her for her birthday. It was an excessively hot day and we were ready to soak up some A/C. Before we enter the establishment, we notice a rather foul odor. It changes somewhat for the better upon entry, but there was still something rotten in Denmark! The interior seemed a bit dim this time and the table we were shown to had tape on the chairs. Our initial server was pleasant and sufficiently attentive. We ordered drinks and a samosa chaat for each; I was NOT going to share this time! The spiced, sweetened almond milk beverage (Bhadam Thandai?) was delightful, and my friend enjoyed her mango lassi.
I ordered the puri and paneer-stuffed naan for the table, my entree was Dal Makhani (black lentils and beans in a creamy sauce), while my coworker opted for the Baigan Bhartha (smoked eggplant curry). Now, sometime during the course of our food preparation, there was a changing of the guards. We were served by a few different people, but we never saw our pleasant and attentive original server again. The breads arrived, and the puri was fine, but the naan had no filling. My entree may as well have been fish tank rocks, soaked split yellow peas and dry navy beans. My coworker's eggplant dish seemed to be to her liking, other than a bit more spicy than she would've liked. When I was able to get someone's attention, I mentioned that my naan lacked the cheese and cilantro it was supposed to be stuffed with. There seemed to be some uncertainty amongst the staff about whether or not that was the case, but someone later brought me out some hot, fresh paneer naan. Only, this paneer was like freeze-dried large curd cottage cheese, and there was still no cilantro.
I was determined for this lunch to end on a good note, so I ordered rice pudding because my friend loves it. Because it was so good last time, I ordered myself one, too. Someone brought two spoons to our table, then, shortly, someone else brought out a small dish of sweetened hot milk with rice. If I'd had a chance to engage whomever brought the dish out, I would have requested the second dessert, but my friend took a look at it and said "Nevermind. I don't need any rice pudding." The taste wasn't bad, but the consistency, flavor, and presentation were all off. The rice pudding I had on my first visit was a cold one, lightly spiced with cardamom and saffron, plenty viscous, and garnished with crushed pistachios. What this miscarriage of porridge was I don't know, but I'm rather glad I only had to deal with one!
I'm not going to write Uru Swati off because that chaat was so good, so I'm hoping that it was just an off day. Next time, I think I might just stick with the samosa chaat. Maybe I'll just order several to go... read more