Mandi has come to Austin! (Leander before yall roast me in the comments) For those who do not know, Mandi is a way of eating the the Middle East and India. It consists of a large plate with a bed of spiced rice with various meat toppings and options to chose from. This is a 2 meat option that cost $41. It was easily enough food for 4 people.
Also Mandi is traditionally eating in one plate by everyone with their hands but if you are hesitant about that then they will provide plates and cutlery!
Highly recommend everyone to check it out! They have a ton of other Indian dishes as well!
by tiki1359
5 Comments
Wait, the place is called hashtag india?
I drive by it every day, I’ll need to stop in now!
Is this just like the largest plate of rice for a single dish ever? Or is perspective really tricking me.
Glad to see so many new Indian restaurants in the Austin area, and I will check this one out.
Mandi is a Yemeni dish of rice with roasted meat served with a tomato ‘salsa’ (dagoos or sahaawiq in Yemeni Arabic, or chutney in Indian restaurants). Pouring the salsa on your portion is important. Mandi is the dish itself, not the way of eating the dish. It doesn’t have to be eaten on a large shared plate, but that is traditional in Yemen. Yemeni mandi restaurants are popular in neighboring Gulf Arab states sort of like how El Pollo Regio/El Pollo Rico is popular here. There are a lot South Asian expats working in the Gulf states, and they have picked up popular Gulf food trends and brought them back to South Asia, so you find South Asian versions of Yemeni mandi popping up on Indian menus. Mandi has taken off in the same way birria tacos did here a few years ago, and they’ve made their way onto US Indian menus, especially at restaurants aiming for Hyderabad flavors. There are Indian touches on the way the mandi is prepared and seasoned, and it doesn’t really taste like the Yemeni version. It’s not really an Indian dish. It’s only found in restaurants inspired by the Yemeni dish. The fact that Hashtag India calls the mandi section of the menu ‘Mandi House’ is a nod to the famous Gulf mandi chain, Bait al Mandi, meaning Mandi House.
Damn looks great! Wish it was in Austin!