We’re back with more restaurant recommendations, because there’s just so many cool places to visit in New York!  Today we’re focusing on two restaurants that are just half a mile from each other, in the area where the East Village meets the Lower East Side.  They represent two different cuisines, and we enjoyed being able to eat so many interesting things in just a small radius.  So here’s where we went and what we would recommend getting at each spot – but just be aware that we do have one image of meat here.

First up was Gazab, a small space serving up Indian food dishes that are more involved than what you might typically see on takeout menus.  We decided to begin our meal there with these pani puri:  some dough pockets filled with a mixture of potatoes, crispy chickpeas, and broth.

We also shared an order of the bok choy chaat, which has fried pieces of bok choy served with pomegranate and a chutney made with dates, mint, avocado, and tamarind, then topped with a sweet and sour yogurt and some chickpea flour crispies.

Then Miriam decided to try the mushroom paneer biryani, because it looked very, very cool baked into its own dish:

And Cyril had the rampuri taar gosht, made with goat, onions, and nuts in a yogurt sauce.

Now just a little bit north of Gazab is one location of Spicy Moon, an all-vegan Szechuan restaurant that also has a second spot in the West Village.  We were excited for the chance to try meatless versions of all different kinds of Szechaun foods, so we started with some vegetable wontons in chili oil.

And also this crispy eggplant.

Then we shared an order of the dan dan noodles …

… as well as these dry pepper-style potatoes (you can also get this dish with tofu, eggplant, or just vegetables).

We thought both these places were pretty cool – at Gazab we dug into some Indian dishes we’d never really tried before or seen in such an interesting presentation.  Meanwhile, at Spicy Moon we got to eat entirely vegan, and we also tried some things that we hadn’t had a chance to sample before because they’re usually made with meat.  These two spots are both on the cozy side, so it’s best to make a reservation if you want to snag a table.  They’re both worth checking out, and in the coming weeks we’ll share even more of the food we got to try and loved!