The List: Chai Pani
If you have had a bad meal in Decatur, you aren't trying hard enough! You already know about no. 246 and Cakes & Ale, but have you discovered Chai Pani for Indian street food?
Oh my! What a find!! I can't wait to explore this menu.
As you can imagine, Creative Loafing's Best Dish List brought me here, but there's plenty to bring me back!
To begin, the environment is bright and happy. If the space was a person, it would be your most fun friend! During a late lunch, the place was empty, but this isn't the case during the weekend. The host told me weekend waits can last 60-90 minutes, so plan accordingly.Fortunately, my late lunch made everything easy. I was there to order the kale pakoras. These are fritter-like bites where the kale has been dipped in a savory chickpea batter, then fried.
Yum.
The delicious morsels are then served with a green chutney and a yogurt which is just a little bit sweet. The result is divine!
I was eating alone, so I brought some of the leftovers home. I'm happy to report the leftovers traveled well!!Of course, one can not live on fried kale alone. I had to try a salad too!
I opted for the roasted corn salad served with a fantastic cilantro/cumin/lime dressing. The salad is normally a vegan dish, but I asked for chicken (yum!).Have any of you, my food-adventuring friends, been to Chai Pani? If so, what should we order next??