Image Copyrights: The Gothamist

FreshDirect trucks plying all around the city is now a city staple. Like the yellow cab and the hotdog vendor it is part and parcel of New York life. When FreshDirect started out, it served Manhattan initially and slowly spread to the outer boroughs. This inspite of the fact that its warehouse and facilities are in Queens.

Since then it has followed an arbitrary pattern of opting neighborhoods into its delivery zone. Many parts of Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx are not yet served by FreshDirect.

These are neighborhoods that FreshDirect deems underserved, or in plain terms…not worth the bother.

Bed-Stuy my old neighborhood is one such place. It borders Williamsburgh and Clinton Hill but FreshDirect wont go there. And this has riled a lot of residents, who are venting their frustration on this discussion board.

As one poster to the board writes

….they had the nerve to have a subway ad in the Myrtle-Willoughby train station and they don’t even deliver here!….And what’s more insulting is that I think some of the people around here actually WORK for Fresh Direct! Evil or Very Mad Fresh Direct can go directly to hell.

Having ordered from FreshDirect initially when they started out, I was baffled by the number of boxes they used to pack things. Groceries worth 40$ came in 5 boxes. And after I unpacked, I had to discard the boxes. There was no system of returning them to FreshDirect to be recycled.

Also the trucks park all over my neighborhood and are idling all the time. Each delivery takes about 10-15 minutes from the time the driver stops to the time he pulls out of his illegal double parking spot. Is an idling diesel engine good for the environment. I can understand that it is necessary that the refrigeration units stay chilled but that does not mean that I, living on the first floor breathe the exhaust directly aimed at my window. And all that because one of my neighbors wants to eat healthy.

As much as organic healthy food is necessary for a nation of people battling obesity and all kinds of related health conditions, FreshDirect may not be right answer. At what cost does one demand convenience ?

The missus and I decided to try it out for dinner yesterday, the first day of the restaurant.

The restaurant was only a quarter full around 8:15 pm, but while we were there, a lot of people came in for take outs, so my guess is they did fairly well on the first day.

The décor of the restaurant is as tacky and kitsch as all Indian restaurants of this type. Funny rope lights, and the ubiquitous pictures of the Taj Mahal adors the walls.

The waiters were friendly and the services prompt and fast. However the food was disappointing.

We ordered

1) Paneer Tikka: Tough and bland, the chunks were too big and tough. They lacked spice and marinade. Paneer (cottage cheese) is a very tricky dish to get correct. For the simple reason that it needs to be made fresh and daily. This was clearly frozen paneer and it lacked taste.

2) Cheese and Garlic Parathas: The parathas were warm and freshly baked. However the cheese and garlic were spread over them as an afterthought and not something that should have been integrated in the dough of the bread before baking it.

3) Chicken Makhani: The missus loves this, so we had to order it ! This was the only dish that got passing grades. The curry sauce was too smooth and lacked texture. It was also too sweet. However the chicken was cooked properly and not overdone.

4) Shrimp Biryani: This was another disappointment. Frozen shrimp used in any cooking leaves a very distinct taste. Also in most Indian restaurants they prepare the rice en masse and then just add the meat/chicken/seafood as per order. Therefore the tastes never gel. This was the case here too. Also it came with a smattering of sliced almonds, cashews and raisins on top. That left us both confused as to whether it was Biryani or Pulao.

Verdict: The restaurant was pretty average. It is slightly better than Amin, the other Indian restaurant on Dekalb. However a point to be noted. Both these “Indian” restaurants are run by Bangladeshi cooks. Nothing against Bangladeshi chefs, but frankly they should stick to cooking Bangla food and not tamper with Indian food. Its like asking an Mexican cook to make New England Clam Chowder. You get the point.

If you crave good authentic Indian food, stick to restaurants in Manhattan. There are none in Brooklyn that make the mark. If you are lazy and want a take out, or delivery, then once in a while, Kinara II will serve the purpose. But in any case, do not go in and think that you are getting authentic Indian food. Believe me, I am Indian, and I know what I am talking about.

A view of the interior

Ropelights, Taj Mahal and what have you!

I personally am not vegan or vegetarian, but would not mind vegetarian food once in a while. Hence I looked forward to this experience. However a look at the menu left a lot to be desired.

For any restaurant to base its whole menu on trying to imitate meat and fish dishes is a little weird.

The reason I would want to eat vegetarian food is because I want vegetarian food. And if I wanted to eat shrimp I would go to a restaurant that served shrimp. Why take some veggie, and make it look like a shrimp in shape and then deep fry it and call it Cajun Shrimp.

Same with the dish that had mashed potato around a sugarcane stick and wanted to be taken seriously as a lamb shank (or something on those lines).

The décor of the place is nice, nothing spectacular. The seating could have ben a bit more creative. The lighting definitely needs working on.

The bar had no beer on tap. And the bottle selection was the regular stuff. Even among the Caribbean beers, only Red Stripe was represented.

The restaurant was nearly empty on the inside, but even then our server took a long time in getting our orders.

We ordered the cajun “shrimp” as an appetizer, and one bite into a rubbery mass was enough for me to pass on the dish. The missus however liked it so she polished it off.

The same was with our entrees. The flavours were nice but I wish they would try to make the dishes as real vegetarian or vegan dishes with their own identities instead of imitation the non vegetarian ones.

All in all I would not go back to this restaurant unless they changed their menu, one with its own identity. Especially since there are so many other interesting options all around.

Red Bamboo: [Restaurant Website]

Red Bamboo Picture Galler [Flickr]

Another Opinion [Gridskipper Review]