#InauguralReview @MunaNyc #MunaNYC by #SuMadhab 152 East 46th Street Midtown Manhattan
Owner Su Madhab with the Tandoori Shrimp and the Mango Lassi
Oooh and we love chandeliers!
We feature few Indian spots in Manhattan because we have simple taste-we like the best! Fortunately we have worked with several of them over the past decade, but new ones do not escape our culinary surveillance of Manhattan!
Meet Muna, the brainchild of owner Su Madhab, above and Executive Chef Deepak Sharma. He came to the USA in 2012 three years after we started Whom You Know. It opened May 1, 2023 and we hope we are the first to tell you about it. We were graciously greeted and our water glass was well-attended to which we cannot overemphasize the importance of in these sweltering Manhattan days.
Located in Midtown on the East Side (Darbar used to be here in this space), Muna means overflowing spring in the Himalayan language; our new friend Su hails from Himalaya. No one needs a passport in Manhattan to travel: you just need to know where to go for dinner to meet the world. Muna also means a wish in Arabic. It means delicious in the language of Peachy's stomach, which is why we know you are all here!
With their liquor license still pending, Muna does have other interesting drinks. We don't remember ever trying a Lemon Jeera Soda before. It's spiced and Su recommended it. Containing black salt from Himalaya, roasted cumin and fresh lemon, it is widely known as a digestive.
Many Indian places don't really commit to green salads, but Muna absolutely does.
We were super impressed with the "Beans Greens." Everyone knows Peachy is a huge advocate of haricots verts but in this case we are talking about black beans. They are joined by carrots, cucumber, green pepper, onion and flat cabbage to add nutritious punch in your dinner. Excellent.
There is a whole section dedicated to Himalayan food, and we tried the Steam Mo:Mo which means chicken dumplings steamed and served with two sauces: a dark spicy hot chili and a lighter peanut sesame seed. Keema ground chicken with at least a dozen spices is the gem inside. These hit the spot and are also available in lamb or vegetable.
If you are new to us you ought to know we never edit pictures.
You kill it like Su on your first try or we do not publish.
Yes this is their inaugural review and no we have not been to Muna before.
Note it is one letter off from MONA whom you also should know.
They only have two salads on their menu but we believe they should expand here because it sets them apart. Meet the Chicken Tikka Salad, also exemplary. It's a new take on Chicken Tikka Masala adding greens and they listened to the Super Picky One and put the dressing on the side because that is how she always wants it.
The Chicken Tikka Masala is a staple in Indian cuisine and it measured up to our expectations; clay oven grilled chicken in a cream tomato sauce totally hits the spot. And the Dal Makhni: black lentils cooked with cream and spices is absolutely not to be ignored and is among our favorite items we tried this visit.
And what did the Garlic Naan Monster (akin to the Cookie Monster) think of the Garlic Naan? Fluffy and fresh and just what you need! If you are not accustomed to Indian food you should know this is not that different from Garlic Bread. Which we obviously also love....
As it is cooked in a homestyle masala sauce, you might not recognize the superlative chunks of shrimp and salmon but we are here to tell you this is just divine. Green peppers give it a bit of a kick and Onion Kulcha makes an ideal dining companion. Kulcha is stuffed whereas Naan is flatter, yet still fluffy. This onion kulcha was gorgeously stuffed and makes the great entrees even better.
If you are into vegetable entrees, the Vegetable Korma has your name all over it. Su suggested it and the Mixed Vegetables creatively danced in an almond cashew nut sauce. Recognizing how much Peachy has an affinity for carbs probably, Su suggested the Coconut Naan which we would recommend for all coconut proponents. It was a nice summery flavor.
We love Chicken Biryani!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Now we love it at Muna.
Slowly cooked rice with chicken and spices, it is enthusiastically joined by Raita, cool whipped yogurt with cucumber and carrot, perfect for a summer's day.
The final firework of the occasion was the Tandoori Shrimp: clay oven grilled shrimp was aesthetically motivated on the plate, perfectly spiced and the Mango Lassi rounded out the Muna experience wonderfully.
We were so impressed on our first visit and hope they keep up the great work!
152 E 46th St, New York, NY 10017
(646) 398-7960
Their website tells us:
MUNA is a ‘new spring’ with home style Indian taste. It is a sister location by SATHI group. It is a ‘desire’ to serve mother-made recipes to Indian food lovers. As SATHI is getting so much love from our customers, MUNA is another step to serve midtown with simple dine in experience, private party hall and traditional and authentic food. We also offer patronage to Nepalese and Himalayan food lovers with Himalayan recipes.
MUNA is offering Dine In, bar( upcoming), private events (up-to 75 people), takeout and delivery services. We welcome all our Indian/ Himalayan food lovers to join us in this new journey as MUNA.
