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Restaurant
At Rajdhani Cafe & Sweets If you enjoy the exotic flavors of Indian food, you should visit Rajdhani Café & Sweets in Woodside. Owners Hasan Salm, Hossin Akram and Rumy hail from Bangladesh. Traditional Indian dishes are given a local twist sure to please the palate. Though this small café does not have a dining room, Rajdhani more than makes up for its humble surroundings with fast and friendly service and plenty of delicious food at prices that are astoundingly low. Rajdhani has about a dozen appetizers to choose from, ranging from $1 to $4. Samosas, crisp triangles of puff pastry filled with vegetables or minced chicken and spices, can be dipped into one of two homemade sauces. The tamarind sauce is sweet and pungent, while the minty cilantro and chili sauce has a little kick. Or for just $1, sample a shami kabab of ground beef with herbs and spices formed onto a skewer and cooked in the tandoor oven. The same $1 will get a savory chicken patty in a puff pastry. The soup, chicken and corn chowder whose recipe comes from neighboring Thailand, warms you up for just $3.
Rajdhani’s entrées run between $3 and $7. The tandoor oven renders the juiciest, tender chicken, kababs and even fish. My favorite is the chicken Tikka, which is tender thigh meat, marinated for hours in a mixture of yogurt and spices, and baked in a traditional clay oven. Chicken Tandoori marinated with ginger, garlic and yogurt is cooked the same way. Sheek kabab is a skewer of tender meat with spices. Indian cuisine incorporates many herbs and spices in its traditional recipes, so the food is always flavorful and sometimes hot. If you don’t care for hot food, just let your wait person know and Chef Hossin will be happy to accommodate you. Beef or chicken Biryani is a wonderful dish, made with basmati rice and mild spices cooked in a crock. I also loved the beef Jhal Frazi, a flavorful stew made with onion, bell peppers, tomato and a touch of clove. Chicken Makni is tender chunks of boneless chicken cooked in a creamy and mild coconut butter sauce. You’ll want to soak up this creamy sauce with some fluffy nan bread or fried puri bread at $1 each. Keema nan is a type of pocket bread stuffed with minced meat and spices that will surely complement a meal. Traditional curry dishes, made with lamb, beef, chicken and even goat, go well with steamed rice and bread. They also serve mildly spiced fish dishes with shrimp and onion, tomato and herbs.
Rajdhani Café & Sweets does not serve alcohol. Instead, try a mango lassi, a delicious yogurt drink made with fresh, sweet mango that is both refreshing and a perfect palate cleanser after the meal. Rajdhani makes creamy rice pudding, gulab jamun and a number of sweets to eat there or take home. They don’t accept credit cards in order to keep the prices low and they deliver to home or office for free, with a minimum $8 order. Lunch specials offer a choice of menu with rice and bread for only $4. For delicious Indian cuisine with no frills and lots of sweet treats afterward, try Rajdhani Café & Sweets. Rajdhani Café & Sweets 39-26 61st St. Woodside 718-426-7510 |
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