(Bloomberg) -- On Sept. 15, Masalawala will open its doors as one of New York City's most anticipated restaurants this year. And when you eat there, you can also shop for the ingredients.
Chef and co-owner Chintan Pandya will serve foods from Kolkata, along with his take on under-the-radar specialties from across India. On the shelves that line one wall of the restaurant, in Brooklyn's Park Slope, will be spices and other products from small producers.
In the past two years, the pair have opened some of the city's most dynamic spots, including the high-volume, flavor-packed restaurant Dhamaka on the Lower East Side, which made slow-roasted Rajasthani rabbit the most coveted dish in town. T most recent spot, the fried chicken sandwich storefront Rowdy Rooster in the East Village, has set the city's collective mouth on fire.
With Masalawala, Unapologetic Foods is making its first foray into packaged goods and food products, which the pair have seen demand for and plan to expand in the future. “
Masalawala, which means “spice merchant,” is a reboot of a restaurant on the Lower East Side that closed last year when its lease expired after a decade-long run. A few dishes from its early menu will be revived, such as beetroot and banana flower chop.
Other dishes Pandya will serve include daab chingri, a Bengali prawn curry that's cooked—then served—in a tender young coconut. He'll also offer a few chicken dishes, such as Kashmiri-style yakhni pulao, a pilaf made with long-grain basmati rice that's cooked in a stock infused with fennel, ginger, and garlic. Also on the menu will be saoji chicken, a fiercely spicy dish from the Vidarbha region in central India, is a meat-based cuisine that the chef has become interested in. Mazumdar's father, Satyen, will be the manager.
To start, the products at Masalawala will all be shelf-stable. In the future, the pair plan to sell some prepared foods including Pandya's exceptional paneer, served at Dhamaka. They're sourcing products from spice importers Diaspora Co. and Burlap & Barrel, as well as chocolates from the vegan bar makers (and Goldman Sachs Group Inc. alum) Elements Truffles.
Opposite the groceries is a white brick wall adorned with a bold, colorful mural of the Hindi word for “spice.” The full-service, full-bar space seats 30 indoors and about 30 in the backyard. It will be open throughout the day, from about 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
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