Name: Chaat Cafe
Address: 320 3rd St, San Francisco, CA 94107
Phone: (415) 979-9946

1. What kind of meal did you have?

A. Tiffin, well a “just because we wanted a bite to eat”.

2. What kind of food is it?
A. Chaat and North Indian.

3. What did you eat and drink?
Bhel poori and pani poori.

4. How is the ambience, decor and service?
A. nothing special, but lots of seatings, some torn seats.

5. What can you get to drink?
The usual desi spread, not sure if they serve beer.

6. What other dishes would you recommend?
A. Paneer bhajia.

7. Is vegetarian friendly?
A. Very

8. Cost?
A. Reasonable about $5 a dish, atleast for chaat.

9. Eat there again yourself?
A. Not unless I am in the city and craving bad chaat.

10. Would you recommend to friends?
A. See the answer to the previous question.

Other comments (if any):

Note from author:
We need more desi restaurant reviews from you, our readers, across the US and even in India and other parts of the world. You can now submit your own Jhatpat Restaurant Review by answering 10 simple questions in under 10 minutes now.

Read all our Jhatpat reviews

Jhapat Restaurant Review: Chaat Cafe, San Francisco - Über Desi

While the former gets plenty of face time, the latter has been conspicuously absent since Presidentji deemed that Indian mangoes were ok to be imported into the glorious nation of Amrika. In the meanwhile, in the glorious nation of India, matches made in heaven were obliterated on terra firma thanks to mangoes. Yet, the much anticipated invasion of hapooses on American soil never materialized.

The reason? Cost. [MSN]

India has launched a promotional drive to make its mangoes popular in the massive market for the fruit in the US, but high prices are impeding the effort started last year after the lifting of an 18-year import ban.

Among efforts to make the fruit more popular in the US, mango tasting festivals.

A mango festival was held at the Indian consulate in New York this week, which was attended by a large number of Indian American community leaders, local traders and mango exporters from India.

Anyone know how we can get invited to one?

The factors that drive up the cost include a rigorous testing process …

After the agreement to lift the import ban was signed between APEDA and the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), every consignment of mangoes has to undergo irradiation and a rigorous testing process before being exported. This is being done in the presence of USDA at the only testing centre in Maharashtra, the cost of which is borne by the mango producers.

and a short shelf life …..

Costs go up further because the shelf life of Indian mangos being about a fortnight, all the consignments are sent by air.

resulting in each mango costing as much as $3.

As a result, a carton of a dozen mangoes costs around $35, making it out of reach of the common American. The same carton of mangos coming from Mexico, which accounts for 60 percent exports of the fruit to the US, or grown locally in California costs about $10.

Still there’s good news on the horizon for mango aficionados.

With more testing plants coming up in India in the next few years and the USDA hinting at easing import restrictions, Tripathy hoped that the volume of mangoes exported to the US would jump manifold after a couple of years, possibly bringing down the price to $15-$20 a carton.

Of course, by then $600 a barrel gas would drive up the prices again but that’s besides the point.

Meanwhile, Indian mangoes are being marketed to an exclusive market.

So anyone here buy any Indian mangoes in the local Indian grocery store? Do they really cost $3 each?

Price of Indian mangoes biggest barrier - Über Desi

Previous post on this season’s The Next Food Network Star.

The Next Food Network Star: Week 2 - Was Nipa eliminated? - Über Desi

Verdict: Not filling, below average taste. At $4 a box, not worth it.

Taste of India frozen dinners - Über Desi

Name of Restaurant: Dosa Grill (http://www.dosagrill.com/)
Restaurant Address: 1980 Route 27, North Brunswick, NJ-08902 (Near the intersection of Route 27 & Cozzens lane)
Restaurant Phone: 732-422-6800

1. What kind of meal did you have?
A. Dinner

2. What kind of food is it?
A. South Indian / North Indian mix

3. What did you eat and drink?
A.
I had -
a. Idly in Sambar (Mini Idlies soaked in sambar) @ $3.75
b. Gunpowder Dosa (Spicy Milagai podi dosa with masala) @ $7.25
Friend had -
a. Veg Samosa @ $3.75
b. Ghee Roast (Thin crispy rice crepe flavored with Ghee ) @ $6.50

4. How is the ambience, decor and service?
A. Decent service, Ambience and decor - Diner like, nothing special.

5. What can you get to drink?
A. Me - plain water
Friend - Salt Lassi (apparently one of the better salt lassis that she has had)

6. What other dishes would you recommend?
A. Lunch buffet

7. Is vegetarian friendly?
A. 100 % vegetarian

8. Cost?
A. Reasonable

9. Eat there again yourself?
A. Yes.

10. Would you recommend to friends?
A. Yes. Decent enough food at a reasonable price.

Submit your own Jhatpat Restaurant Review - 10 simple questions in under 10 minutes now.

Jhatpat Restaurant Review: Dosa Grill, North Brunswick, NJ - Über Desi

The What?
Jhatpat = Hindi slang for “instant”.
UberDesi.com is introducing a new feature: Jhatpat Restaurant Reviews. This section will feature restaurant reviews submitted by our bloggers and most importantly, you, our readers. Staying true to the theme of our blog, we will cover only desi restaurants. However, we may choose to include some quirky non-desi places, world famous restaurants or ones by celebrity chefs. No Applebees or Olive Garden.

The Why?
Because, we all love to travel, socialize and above all, eat! Lets say you had dinner at this small local desi restaurant and you loved it. You want to share it with your friends and the world. But you don’t like to write a long winded review and neither do you have the time or patience to do so.

Use our Jhatpat Restaurant Review form and write one by answering 10 simple questions in under 10 minutes. We have even provided sample answers you can copy-paste. Everything is fast and free - 100% desi ishtyle.

How will it benefit me/others?
1. Get to know the restaurants in your area from contributions of other readers.
2. We will feature all desi restaurants irrespective of size, menu and/or location.
3. Get recognition for your contributions.
4. Find out what food and drinks others recommend.
5. Find a cheap but good restaurant for lunch.
6. Discover reasonably priced restaurants to take your date/significant other to.
7. Use as travel guide when you travel to other cities/countries.
8. Know which restaurants to avoid.

And above all, in case we forgot to mention this, it’s all fast and free - 100% desi ishtyle.

Inspired by Rapid Restaurant Reviews on San Francisco Metblogs, tailored to suit our readers.

Submit your own Jhatpat Restaurant Review - 10 simple questions in under 10 minutes now.

Read our preview post: Jhatpat Restaurant Review: Naan N’ Curry, Berkeley

Announcing new weekly feature: Jhatpat Restaurant Reviews - Über Desi

Name of Restaurant: Naan n Curry
Restaurant Address: 2366 Telegraph Avenue(between Channing Way & Durant Ave)Berkeley, CA 94704
Restaurant Phone: (510) 841-6226

1. What kind of meal did you have?
A. Ala carte Lunch/Dinner. San Francisco locations open 24 hrs a day
2. What kind of food is it?
A. Pakistani/North Indian fare.
3. What did you eat and drink?
A. Butter chicken, karela sabji (bitter gourd vegetable),Naan. Complimentary chutney bar and complimentary chai
4. How is the ambience, decor and service?
A. Decor: Minimalist and dhaba-like. Service: Self service.
5. What can you get to drink?
A. Soft drinks, sweet tea, beer, lassi, chai
6. What other dishes would you recommend? Any other selling point - music/dance?
A. Palak Paneer
7. Is vegetarian friendly?
A. Not really. However, the karela is a standout. Menu heavily non-vegetarian.
8. Cost?
A. Excellent. Still one of the cheapest desi meals you can find.
9. Eat there again yourself?
A. Yes
10. Would you recommend to friends?
A. Absolutely.

Other comments (if any):
Parking is a pain. Wouldn’t take parents there, kids maybe. Crowd is mostly Berkeley students.

Next week: My Jhatpat Restaurant Review of a lunch thali at Memories of India - part 2, Lake Mary, FL.

Jhatpat Restaurant Review: Naan N’ Curry, Berkeley - Über Desi

“Crunchy Cheetos”, he calls them
img: via Gothamist

The word “Kurkure” means “crunchy” in Hindi, and not surprisingly the author compares kurkure to something Americans are more familiar with, (yuck) Cheetos. He proceeds to describe the various flavors, namely, Masala Munch, Green Chutney Rajasthani , Red Chilli Chatka (does Chatka really mean “burn” in Marathi?) and Tamatar Hyderabadi. Most desi snacks, of course, are served with Chai. But Joe suggests something else, we here @ Über Desi, also approve of, beer, and hence won’t prosecute him for blasphemy.

Check out the comments where someone answers Joe’s question of what the word “mast” means.

I’ve never tried the Tamatar Hyderabadi and Chutney Rajasthani flavors. Anyone of you try all 4 flavors? Anyone try to make the recipe for the “Mexican Bean Burrito,” created by the Fab Four, a “trendy Punjabi family”, which claims “Even real Mexicans couldn’t have made something this mast!”? Please share your thoughts with us.

The Gothamist discovers Kurkure - Über Desi

Rice shortages hit US desi community
img: via CNN

Limits placed on sales of several kinds of rice by Wal-Mart Stores Inc’s (WMT.N: Quote, Profile, Research) Sam’s Club warehouse division are meant to stop large distributors or wholesalers from depleting its stock, a spokeswoman said on Thursday.

In what should come as a major blow to restaurant owners, each customer is restricted to only four bags of rice per visit.

The chain said on Wednesday that it was limiting sales of 20-pound (9 kg) bulk bags of Jasmine, Basmati and long grain white rice “due to recent supply and demand trends.”

The shortage is partly because of global food shortages and rising prices. Even in India, smuggled rice from Pakistan is in vogue. [2]

India may be worried about smuggling of drugs, arms and ammunition and infiltration of jehadis from across the border but Pakistan seems to be more concerned at the possibility of smuggling of rice, pulses and wheat from its territory.
Skyrocketing prices in India has “forced” Pakistan to send an urgent missive to its Rangers deployed along the Indo-Pak border to check any possibility of smuggling of pulses, rice, wheat and flour to India and other countries.

However, some industry experts are taking a contrary view and proclaiming there is no real shortage. [3]

Although warehouse retailers are limiting specialty rice sales, industry experts say U.S. consumers shouldn’t worry that there’s a shortage in the making.
On the contrary, production of U.S. rice - which makes up the lion’s share of domestic consumption - is expected to increase between 3% to 5% this year to about 198 million hundred-weight (hundredweight is a unit of measure equaling to 100 pounds).
Martin said he was “puzzled” by media reports that said both Costco (COST, Fortune 500), the No. 1 wholesale club operator, and rival Sam’s Club, a division of Wal-Mart (WMT, Fortune 500), were restricting how many bags of rice people could buy.

Maybe, Walmart know something the experts don’t?

Rice shortage hits shortage, no need to panic, yet - Über Desi