EAST VILLAGE — After opening three successful restaurants in Australia, a husband-and-wife team is bringing their nacho-like Indian snacks, yogurt kebabs and a “serve yourself” beer fridge to the East Village.
Babu Ji, opening Tuesday night at 175 Avenue B, will offer a rotating menu of Indian street food and curries made with locally sourced ingredients in a casual, modern setting, said co-owners Jessi and Jennifer Singh, who recently moved into the neighborhood.
“We don’t add colors in our cuisine, we don’t sell anything frozen,” said Jessi, who is also the restaurant's chef. “Everything is from scratch.”
The couple sold their businesses down under after they decided to open a restaurant stateside and move to the city to be closer to Jennifer's parents, they said.
Menu highlights include the nacho-like snacks, called Papadi Chaat, which are made with chickpea, cucumber, pomegranate and a mint and yogurt chutney, the couple said.
Other offerings include kebabs made with yogurt-filled croquettes and Gol Gappa, which are small round snacks made with semolina flour and filled with ingredients that assault taste buds with tangy, spicy, sweet and sour flavors all at once.
To wash it all down, customers can step up to the restaurant’s beer refrigerator and grab one of about 50 kinds of craft brews.
"If you see anything that you like, just grab it," said Jennifer. "It's really fun to see people stand at the door of the fridge and just deliberate. They really enjoy being able to get the bottle out of the fridge. It's kind of fun."
Babu Ji will also serve wine, she said.
The Singhs said they are still finalizing their hours, but plan to be open from 5 to about 11 p.m. on weekdays and from 11 a.m. to roughly midnight on weekends.
