The newly relocated Naan 'n' Curry is a godsend to drinkers: it's between the tenderloin bars and the bus shelters in Union Square and open 24 hours. For anyone who enjoys the British tradition of heavy drinking followed by hellishly hot curries (subsequently followed by indigestion, intestinal problems, promising to never drink again if you could just get off the toilet and finally planning your next day's drinking and starting all over again) - N'n'C is your salvation.
Here's the deal - walk in and scope a table. Cross your fingers that nobody else takes it. Then go to the counter, place your order (giving your table number), grab your soda, plates napkins and silverware, consider getting a nuclear hot milk chai, then rush back to your table, hoping nobody has claimed it. Sure, you could just leave your coat at the table, but that would take all the skill out of ordering, wouldn't it?
There are three northern Indian dishes that I feel are perfect after a heavy night of drinking: mullagatawny soup, chicken jalfrezi and keema naan. Though Naan 'n' Curry doesn't offer soup, it's one of the only places in town that makes a jalfrezi - and a pretty damned decent one at that.
How was the food? It was McIndian - typical fast-food indian and nothing special - but actually much better than expected. The keema naan was stuffed with a thin sheet of ground lamb paste similar to the sliced meat used on a gyro. I prefer coursely ground lamb, but the flavor was spot-on (though it could have been spicier, and because the lamb was ground into a paste, many times the naan bread itself would tear off, leaving a grey sheet of meaty goodness attached to the remaining naan ) and it was nice and moist. The jalfrezi was a little heavy on the tumeric, but the chicken had a nice flavor as did the peppers and onions that comprised the dish. The rice was pretty pitiful - mushy and overcooked, but for a dollar, I could put up with it. I know this doesn't sound like a rave review, but it was just alright... however, at 3am, it would be the perfect way to avoid the post-drinking spins.
The curry, naan, rice and a can of squirt soda came to just over $10 without tip - a perfect deal! Now, if they can just include free dry cleaning so my clothes don't smell like a tandoori oven, I'd be happy. Seriously, I've been to enough Indian restaurants around the world to learn to appreciate which ones invest in a good ventilation system!
A word to the wise: don't wear anything there that you don't plan on immediately throwing into the wash.
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