Saturday April 3rd, 2010
8:30pm
306 East 6th Street

Birthday’s are usually the one day where you can call the shots and your friends willingly agree with your choices. So when a friend announced he wanted to undertake the Phaal Challenge (featured on the Travel Channel’s Man vs. Food, click here to watch the episode) we headed over to the Brick Lane Curry House for dinner. Since misery loves company another person in the group decided he would try it too. The restaurant describes this as the “hottest curry ever” and challengers must verbally agree to a waiver (see photo below).

Phaal Fun Facts

• 60 times the heat of a jalapeño
• Made from a blend of 10 different kinds of peppers
• The chef wears a gas mask while preparing it
• Challengers must eat the contents of the entire bowl, including all of the sauce
• Winners get a free beer and their photo on the “(P)hall of Fame”
• 5-6 people order it per month, most don’t finish

The phaal really doesn’t look any different than most curry dishes – it was a thick brown sauce covering chunks of meat – one challenger chose chicken and the other lamb. Out of curiousity the rest of us at the table dipped a small piece of naan bread into the sauce. Simultaneously my mouth went numb, my face went red, my tongue started to burn and I began to feel a little dizzy. Taking a pull of Taj Mahal beer was the only thing that helped quench the burning. I like to think I can handle spicy food—but this wasn’t a flavorful, multi-layered kind of spice. Rather it was more of a hot, burning, almost chemical kind of taste. While the challengers (teary-eyed and sweaty) finished all of their phaal meat, they technically didn’t win the challenge because of the leftover sauce. It was quite an impressive effort none the less, and a birthday dinner none of us will soon forget!

The rest of the group ordered a more traditional Indian meal. The restaurant is small, and while they do accept walk-ins it’s probably best to make a reservation. The service is spotty, at times the waiters were over-attentive and tried clearing dishes we were still working on and at times under-attentive like when we had to keep asking for more water. The prices are a bit high considering the neighborhood, and especially given there are many other Indian options on East 6th Street. The entree prices range from $14 to upwards of $20 and they charge $4 for an order of Naan (which is usually included). Each of the curry dishes comes with rice and a choice of chicken, lamb, goat, fish, shrimp, paneer, tofu or vegetables. Overall the food was good, but the cauliflower appetizer was a surprising stand-out.

Dinner (for the rest of us)

Appetizers (shared)

• Lasuna Gobi – crispy cauliflower florets tossed in a sweet and tangy garlic tomato sauce
• Vegetable Pakoras – fritters in a chickpea batter
• Vegetable Samosas - crispy pastry stuffed with spiced potatoes and vegetables

Bread (shared)

• Classic Naan
• Stuffed Naan with Cheese
• Tandoori Roti – whole wheat bread cooked in the tandoor

Entree

• Jalfrezi with shrimp – medium spiced tomato curry with stir-fried with onions, bell peppers and tomatoes

GOOD FOR: DINNER, CURRY, PHAAL CHALLENGE