The Kati Roll Company
49 West 39th Street
New York, NY 10018

One of the first things I do when I move to a new office—or anywhere really—is scope out the scene. Ok, so for some people the scene might be cool bars to drink at, or clubs to get their dance party on, but to me the scene is all about the food! Are there any cute little ramen bars? Or a fabulous French bakery? Or a hot and spicy Thai restaurant? So when I stumbled upon The Kati Roll Company around the corner from my office, I knew that I had to try it out.

Originally just a sole location in Greenwich village in 2002, The Kati Roll Company has grown to include multiple restaurants—3 in NYC and one in London’s Soho area—including one in Midtown West, which is where I dined.

As I walked through the door I was hit by the aromas of chickpeas, ginger, onion, garam masala—very warm spices, and makes me imagine being in an open air market and automatically conjures images of various street foods, which is good because kati rolls are a very traditional Indian street food popping up more and more around the USA. The space was unassuming—a no frills, all about the food kind of place. There was Indian Bollywood music playing at some points of my visit, and sometimes pop music/Top 40 singles—only added to the atmosphere. My kind of spot!

So here are the basics. Each kati roll has the same base and is wrapped in warm paratha—an Indian flatbread. It’s not as puffy as the ubiquitous naan, but slightly more chewy and is flavored with ghee—Indian clarified butter. All of the rolls are also available with whole wheat roti as well. They have cheese rolls, veggie filings like chickpeas, potatoes etc. and meats galore—lamb, chicken, shrimp, beef—and you can order any of them everyday.

One nice touch is that they offer a sample of masala chai tea. The tea is much different than the Chai tea latte you’d get at Starbucks or The Coffee Bean. It has a strong black tea flavor and is very soothing with a thin consistency and an almost smoky aftertaste. It  would’ve also made a nice appertif, but hot tea on a hot summer day was a little much. Still, it was good.

The person behind the counter told me that a basic, filling meal at The Kati Roll Company consisted of two rolls—three if you were really hungry. For mine, I ordered the Shrimp Masala Roll ($6.75) and the Unda Chicken Roll ($6). The shrimp roll was simple,  but delicious. The shrimp were perfectly cooked, moist from the coconut they are marinated in, and big. The masala spice blend was subtle in its spice and warmth, giving the wrap a wonderful earthiness. The roll itself was chewy, but not too thick with a nice char on the outside. There was a nice punch of tartness from the pickled shallots, and aromatic flavor from the onions. Overall, it was very tasty—the recipe was actually developed by  a former Top Chef Masters contestant!

The Unda Chicken Roll was also great, but different from the shrimp. It was much bigger with a  layer of egg—unda referring to the addition of the egg—attached to inner bread layer of the roll. The egg wasn’t a very forward flavor profile, but mostly just gave the wrap more meatiness and heft. The roll was also slightly looser and not as tightly rolled as the shrimp roll. There were big pieces of barbecued white meat chicken that really filled me up. The similar masala flavors were present, but a bit more in the background. The flavors might not have been as bold, but it was very classic and filling.

One of the highlights of many Indian meals—at least for me—is having a nice, cold Mango Lassi ($4). At The Kati Roll Company, the lassis, which they are famous for, are available in mango or berry are individually packaged in reusable bottles. They are made fresh everyday and absolutely delicious! The mango lassi was a wonderful yellow/orange, almost daffodil-like, color, and not too sweet. It was thick with a full body and mouthfeel, with deep mango flavor and a hint of tartness that coats the palate. I ended up drinking it after finishing the rolls and it was almost like dessert—so refreshing. Yummy!

The Kati Roll Company is now one of my favorite lunch spots and great for a quick, out of the normal box meal. The best thing on the menu for me was the mango lassi, which I could have every day, but the shrimp masala roll was also delish. I can’t wait to try lots of other rolls from the menu as well. Lunchtime is on a roll!