Pondicheri, one of our favorite restaurants in Houston, TX, has finally opened their New York City outpost for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. In Houston, Pondicheri is our go-to for exciting brunches (the green masala chicken burger is a must) and, more importantly, one of the best bakeries in Houston. The masala shortbread cookies and coconut mint chocolate chip cookies are just the best. So, when we heard that one of our favorite Houston establishments was opening in the city, we high-tailed it over as soon as they opened to bask in some BK (NYC) TX action.
The first thing we noticed when we walked in was that it’s definitely more upscale than the OG Pondicheri, much fancier than the Houston location’s clattering counter service. The menus are generally the same, though, and we ended up ordering a little bit of everything: an appetizer that was spicy and bitter and sweet and salty, two different thalis, and pistachio apricot stuffed naan. There were some opening night kinks — some of the curries seemed more like non-spicy stews — but we pretty much immediately forgot about them after taking a bite of the beautiful rose cake with cardamom cream we got for dessert. Pondicheri’s strength is DEFINITELY in its baking. This was the cake of dreams: fresh raspberries kept the fluffy (not too floral) rose cake from being too sweet, and the cardamom cream was as thick as butter. We can’t wait to go back soon to try their cookies and treats — we’re especially intrigued by their kolaches (Czech-Texan-Indian-New York?) — and taste a little bit of Houston in New York.