Chama Mama — Restaurant in New York

I guess this would go on as once try kind of a place.

The drinks were quite good and clean on the taste. We tried a bunch, their spicy margarita, the lychee margarita, the Mexico meets Georgia and the rum old fashioned.

For food, we got a variety. Overall, the cheese was a bit overwhelming both on the quantities and the smell.

The Georgian sampler platter was a quick sweep as we were hungry. It was bread with 5 dips. One of those was a la 'sangri' from Rajasthan on the texture. The eggplant and beet dips were the faves there.

The crispy potatoes looked different, albeit yummy. Those boiled and fried and spiced kind. What's not to like?

Their special bread with cheese was a bit much for us - 4 adults and 3 kids couldn't finish it.

Ditto for their cheese dumplings. The mushroom dumplings were better but again, the taste was overwhelming. My take is stick to Asia for dumplings. These were very plump and doughy.

The cauliflower was the cleanest and my favourite to eat here. Cooked well and that curry / gravy subtle enough, though I envisioned a thicker one.

The lobia one I pictured as black eyed peas but these were your red kidney beans. It could pass as 'rajma' of some kinds. Rice, and an Indian would have definitely found it a meal. That cornbread with it was very dry and guess, an acquired taste? Presentation on this - top notch.

It came with pickled vegetables, most of which we got with the pickled vegetable platter as well.

A very friendly server; the place was packed at 6pm this Sunday and it wasn't just families with young kids, in fact, we were the only other table with kids there.

The desserts didn't appeal as much to me, but the...

The whim of Georgian food continues at Chama Mama. This is the most wide-spread yet okay Georgian restaurant in my opinion. Good on average food, lacking the standout-element, and below than average service.

App: TASTE OF GEORGIA 🌱 The selection of all their Pkhali (beet, ekala, spinach, lobio, and eggplant), and smoked cheese. Comes with two Chama mama bread.

The dips are all awesome. My fav is the ekala and eggplant. Walnut does bring the best of the dips. The breads are great too. Doughy soft with wheat aroma and slightly milk-lactose sweetness.

Smoke cheese is a big NoNo. the flavor is too pungent to be consumed: dry and wayyy too salty. I worry about hypertension right away.

IMERULI KHACHAPURI 🌱 The Imereti dough with cheese blend inside. If you like bread and cheese, you will like it. The dough itself tastes like Asian pancake dough, a mixture between flask and airy. I think it is quite light tasting considering the composition. Cheese blend is very creamy, not overly salted.

KHINKALI Georgian soup dumplings with Beef and Pork Not salty, nice tasting, smaller than the ones I had else where, and waiter refused my request to add one more to make it 4 for 2 people (cannot blame them, but the other places all agreed).

Decor is nice, room is well-lit. But the attitude I sensed from this restaurant is not so motherly, contrary to their brand name. More like “I don’t care” kinda attitude to service. I wouldn’t recommend here unless you have no other places around to...

It was our first time trying Georgian food — all dishes impressed us and left us craving for more. We ordered everything we wanted from the menu and below are my brief thoughts on the dishes:

BREAD: ＊Adjaruli Khachapuri * — Apparently I came here for this signature cheese boat. Absolutely amazing. Better to eat it fresh and share with more people as it is very cheesy.

＊Chama Mama’s Seasonal Khachapuri — Very herby, but not impressive. Totally skippable.

＊Freshly Baked Bread — The chili oil is so good.

STARTERS: ＊Taste of Georgia* — Got to try a bit of Pkhali and vegetable spread with this colorful starter.

＊Adjapsandali** — A must get for roasted eggplant lovers. Can’t stop myself from scooping in!

＊Beets in Tkemali with Farmers Cheese — Healthy and flavorful. Not bad but skippable unless you really like beets.

＊Khinkali (beef and pork, mushroom)* — Another famous Georgian dish. We were told to use fingers to grip the tip of the dumpling. The fillings are unbelievably juicy.

MAINS: ＊Megruli Kharcho Chicken** — 100% recommend this main plus a side of bread! It’s like a creamy curry chicken. The sauce is addictive and the meat is perfectly tender.

＊Roasted Cabbage in Baje — Nice choice if you want some veggies lol.

DESSERT & DRINKS: ＊Honey Cake — Too sweet for my liking. Better share.

＊Tarragon Lemonade, Strawberry Lemonade — Refreshing. The tarragon lemonade is more...