FirstLook: Aamchi Pao

Arthur Bovino — June 17, 2009

“There’s always a right time to reinvent yourself,” Chef Surbhi Sahni, told us recently at Aamchi Pao.

No, Chef Sahni isn’t leaving her post as Devi’s pastry chef. But she has joined Nandini Mukherjee as co-owner at the reincarnation of Mukherjee’s West Village restaurant of almost six years, the Indian Bread Co. As previously reported, the Stuffed Parathas and Naanwhichs (grilled Indian “panini”) are gone. There are still Kathi Rolls, but the Naan sandwiches have been replaced by “Pao,” renditions of Pav Bhaji, a Mumbai street food that is essentially an Indian Slider. The word “Pav,” in Marathi (the language of southwestern India), is said to come from Pão, the Portuguese word for bread.

Supposedly, the sandwiches originated as quick, light lunches for workers in Mumbai’s textile mills. Vendors mixed remnants of several dishes into a mixture that became known as Pav Bhaji, and substituted pav for traditional rice or roti. From there, Pao evolved into a street food (particularly popular in western India) prepared on a slightly concave, disc-shaped griddle called a tava.

 

Aamchi Pao’s ten slider fillings are cooked or reheated on a three-feet wide tava that is also used to toast their slider buns from Hot Breads. “Our specialization is that we make our own chutneys and our own spice mixtures,” said Chef Sahni (above). “It’s something many of the other Indian fast food places aren’t doing.”

We asked for a selection of sliders (below) that were most authentic representatives of Pao and found the Tandoori Achari Paneer, the Bhaji with Mixed Vegetables and the Vada to be the most noteworthy. They were spicy, reasonably priced and characterized by a lot of different flavors. The Chicken Tikka Kathi Roll, was still one of our favorite items. It’s another option for Asian sandwich enthusiasts who are tired of Banh Mi, Kathi Rolls, or Frankies from Tabla’s Frankie Cart.

Like the menu, which portrays Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (also known as Victoria Terminus or VT Station, one of India’s busiest railway stations), the décor may soon feature other Mumbai scenes. With its $5 corkage fee, creative daters may have a new recession spot for adventurous companions. At the least, Chef Sahni and the appearance of her well-known Mango Cheese Cake and Pao Ginger Bread Pudding, reasserts the restaurant’s profile over the nearby Indian fast food competitor, The Kati Roll Company.

 

from left: Chicken Tikka with Tandoori Chicken, Mint Chutney and Roasted Onions; Bhaji with Mixed Vegetables, Kutchumber Salad and Lemon Juice; Vada with Potato, Chickpea Flour and Coconut Garlic Chutney

 

from left: Tandoori Achari Paneer with Pickle Marinade, Mint Yogurt, Roasted Peppers and Mango Chutney; Spinach Lentil Tikki with Tomato Mustard Chutney, Chickpeas and Chili Mayonnaise; Parsi Beef Keema with Coriander Cumin Masala and Tomato

 

Chicken Tikka Kathi Roll

 

French fries come with Chili Mayonnaise and Spicy Ketchup