It’s a late Saturday afternoon and while making the long-delayed trek to CVS, your stomach begins to growl incessantly, as if punishing you for the seemingly eternal stretch between brunch and dinner on the weekend. You try to hush it with the smashed apple shoved at the bottom of your backpack — but alas, a mere apple was not enough to quiet the ravenous monster that is a college appetite. You need something heftier, something more flavorful and fulfilling, yet not quite enough to constitute as a meal.
Then, the tantalizing memory of a samosa drifts into your mind.
You remember the delicious explosion of spices perfectly combined with potatoes bundled in a flaky pastry wrap. You remember the comfort of such a warm, well-seasoned snack on a warm day. You wish you weren’t on a college budget, or a college schedule for that matter, so you could tour the many South Asian restaurants in the Princeton area to figure out which ones offered samosas within a reasonable price.
Yet all is not lost. 'Street' surveyed the South Asian restaurants that offered samosas, including Tandoori Bite Indian Cuisine, Cross Culture, Masala Grill and Mehek, and narrowed it down to the top two most affordable and quality options for you.
Masala Grill
If you’re looking for a place where you can sit down and listen to 90s alternative rock while drinking a mango lassi, then Masala Grill is the restaurant for you. Though more on the expensive side with $6.95, the samosa dish comes with two sizeable samosas. As an added premium, you can also choose the level of spice (low, medium or extra hot!), as well as a choice of sauces, including green chutney (made of coriander) or sweet chutney (made of dates and tamarind). If you’re looking for that full flavorful experience, we say go for the medium spice, and combine the two sauces together to get the best of both worlds.
Mehek
Though it houses a homey sit-down restaurant upstairs, Mehek is a great option if you’re really in a hurry but need those samosa noms to fill your belly. You can enter the store, get the ready-made samosas, pay with a credit card and go, all under a minute. While the crust is not as satisfyingly crunchy as the Masala Grill samosas, it is of great quality for such a low price ($1.50 each). According to manager Shripad Kukarni, while there are many ways to prepare samosas, this specific recipe is inspired from Northern Indian cuisine and is meant to be both vegan and halal. So if deciding to cater an event and considering what options may be best for dietary restrictions, an order of samosas may be a great call.
In any case, if you find yourself at either of these restaurants during lunchtime, we say, accompany that samosa with the special deal of a $10.99 buffet at Masala grill and a $10.95 buffet at Mehek.
Wherever you are, wherever you’re going, stop by Masala Grill or Mehek for a samosa. We promise, these golden balls of seasoned joy are in for the journey.Read More
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