The Drunken Munkey - UES

Coming all the way from Atlanta. And from Manhattan where we were staying during our NY visit, it was a major hike to get to this restaurant. Unfortunately, the food greatly disappointed! The chicken tikka masala dish that I ordered was just excessively salty. I merely tasted the gravy and realized that it could not be consumed. I asked for what I thought was another “safe vegetarian option” instead - the saag paneer. This curry lacked flavor altogether unfortunately. It was pretty much chopped spinach with highly lacking authentic Indian flavors. And again over-seasoned with salt. Think frozen, prepackaged Indian food that tends to taste this way. As I looked over to the kitchen, I didn’t see any Indian chef or even a supervisor there. I don’t know if the food was being prepared fresh or pre-prepared curries were just being served. Nonetheless, it was totally inauthentic and the flavors reflected that. Our server was very accommodating, and was happy to have me taste a couple of other curries before choosing one. While she also mentioned that “sometimes she just finds everything to be extra salty” - insinuating that’s what was happening here. Not true. It was not a personal palate issue, the food just was not up to par. As an Indian that’s fairly well traveled, I can trust my judgement. I got a taste of the paneer tikka and vegetable korma before ultimately settling on the vegetable korma, which was just about edible, but genuinely nothing special. I shouldn’t have had to do any of this. I should be able to go to a restaurant a eat what I’m craving/wanting rather than having to do a taste test to find something that can be edible. Not to mention that this completely took away from my dinner experience with my partner during our short trip to NY. While this place has good service, a nice ambience, and good cocktails, the Indian food is just plain inauthentic. And I regret wasting one of my few meals in NY here. A city where there are a number of some of the best authentic Indian food options in the country!