QUEENS — Forest Hills, which already boasts dozens of restaurants serving a variety of ethnic cuisines, just got a new Indian eatery.
Aaheli, at 71-51 Yellowstone Blvd., between Dartmouth and Clyde streets, opened about two weeks ago and replaced Pomegranate Glatt Kosher restaurant, which closed earlier this year.
Aaheli, which, according to the owners, means "pure" in Sanskrit, opened its first location in 2009 on Ninth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan.
Aaheli serves a large menu of Northern and Southern Indian dishes, the owners said.
Patrons seeking vegetarian options will find more than 20 meatless dishes, such as Queens tofu jalfrezi, which consists of tofu, onions, eggplant, carrots and okra cooked in a tangy sauce ($10.99), and sabji saag malai, which includes spinach cooked with potatoes, eggplant and cauliflower ($10.99). There are also several bean and lentil specials.
Also on the menu are various seafood and meat dishes, including a separate section featuring more than a dozen tandoori-style dishes, including lamb chops, marinated in white pepper, coriander and mint ($25.99).
Among typical Southern Indian dishes served at the eatery patrons will find masala dosa — lentil and rice flour crepes stuffed with potato masala ($9.99), and vada sambar — South Indian doughnuts served with lentil soup ($4.99).
“Every order is custom made, we don’t keep anything,” Girish Kp, one of the managing partners, said. “When the customer orders, we prepare the dish according to their taste and requirements.”
The eatery also serves all-you-can-eat buffet lunch special seven days a week from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. for $10.95.
This area of Queens is known among foodies for its numerous restaurants, but only a handful of them serve Indian cuisine, Kp noted.
There is Haveli on Queens Boulevard, near 77th Avenue, and Baluchi’s, also on Queens Boulevard, which was closed earlier this year by the Department of Health and is currently being remodeled.
