I attended the Varli Food Festival in NYC this past Thursday and what an amazing food experience it was. The scent of wonderful Indian spices, bold and vibrant colors at every turn, and the food, oh the food…I was in heaven! I had this whole strategy leading up to the event, thinking oh I’ll start with small appetizers, then sample mini version of my favorite curries and heavy dishes then on to dessert. Well needless to say, that strategy lasted about 2 seconds and you’ll see why. There was food everywhere, and finger lickin’ good food! They even had a spice market where you could go in and pick up all the spices you wanted, on the house! See my swag bag at the end of post. OK, I’ll stop writing now and just let you see for yourself…
As soon as you walk in…
This papaya salad was amazing…tangy, a little sweet and spicy. Oh and those lotus root crunchy snacks were just yummy. I was tempted to bite into one of those chiles but glad I didn’t, definitely wanted to actually taste the next few dishes…
Some Pani Puri filled with yogurt, tamarind, mint and chickpeas, one of my favorite flavor combinations.
Thinks that’s a lot? Well there’s more, much more…
This chicken cooked on a Himalayan salt slab was probably the most tender and moist chicken I had. The chicken was marinated without salt and cooking the chicken on the slab gave it a nice flavor.
Lots of mango treats and desserts. This mango mousse was lovely from Amiya in Jersey City.
Let’s not forget the drinks. The booze was flowing all night but these little lovelies here stole the show…let’s see if I remember correctly…ginger vodka cocktail with rose petals frozen into round ice cubes and rimmed with tajin. I have to do this rose petal ice, just makes you feel so pretty when drinking it!
Check out this gorgeous cake! Love the color, the details and intricate design.
Last but not least, some of the talent…
Hope you enjoyed the photos! I would’ve had more but my camera battery bailed on me. I did get to try some other amazing dishes like fried cauliflower, chicken tikka, various types of breads, lotus root three ways from Junoon, kati rolls, seared Kangaroo meat with curry. Yes, I said Kangaroo…I figured why not, it was there and it looked so good. It’s very similar to beef and was so tender, very nice dish. So I basically rolled out of there, seriously, I ate way too much! The portions were so big so just wound up taking a bite or two and moving on but there were so many good spots to try. Next time I’ll post a few of my favorite restaurants from the event.
So all in all the event was a huge success and was worth every penny! I would certainly do it again if it comes back to the NYC area! Especially when most of the proceeds from event will be donated to charity, love that! I heard next year they’re heading over to Dubai so I’m glad I made it to this one. If you can, definitely check them out! Oh, check out the swag too!
