Cafe Spice, Newport

537 Washington Blvd @ PATH-Newport, 201-533-0111

[Map][Citysearch][Menupages]

Cost per person: $12
"YGWYPF" factor: 7.5/10 (you get what you pay for)
Food: 7/10
Ambiance: 6/10

Soma and I wanted to eat out, and did not feel like taking the PATH to the City - weekend evenings have such a horrible schedule, with a tour of Hoboken and what not thrown into the trip - so Cafe Spice at the Newport Mall / PATH Station area looked like a nice joint.

The ambience is really nice - with good, subdued lighting, and some funky cloth covered lights on the ceiling. The wall art with utensils - well, Vatan (3rd/28th) has done a much better job a that. The seating is comfortable, and the space very NJ-esque - not crammed like the City.

We ordered one platter, and one entree. Platters are entrees with a little rice, one vegetarian dish (sampler size), one dal (sampler size), and a naan. From the price point, platters are good, as they present just the right amount of everything for one (hungry) person.

The Tandoori chicken was awesome. The Lamb Vindaloo Boneless Lamb, Cooked In a Spicy/tangy Sauce with Diced Potatoes. a Goan Favorite was even better - really tangy and spicy, and the meat was cooked to a beautiful tenderness. That was all we ordered, so can't say much about the other entrees, but judging by the example set with these, everything should be just as good.

That said, there were a couple of things that could use some improvement. I ordered a Roomali Roti A Special Large Paper Thin Bread on the side - it was horrible. It was closer to Papadum Light Spicy Wafer than to a roti, if you know what I mean. Also, the dal that comes with the platter is just the plain version, not the Dal Makhani Black Lentils Cooked to Perfection, with a Medley of Spices On Slow Fire which I really like. You may be better off ordering the right one as a side.

Please note: The Menupages link points to their location at 72 University Place in the Washington Square area, and not the one at Newport.