Best Thing We Ate Last Night: Gol-Gappa at Tashan

Story and Photo by Danya Henninger

While the crowds might be drawn in by Tashan’s half-off everything weekday happy hour (a deal that means you can score a $70 glass of über-fancy Johnny Walker Blue for just $35, by the way), it’s Sylva Senat’s food that entices guests to stick around for dinner. Such was the case when we stopped by the sleek South Broad dining room yesterday. Out of all the tasty Euro-Indian fusion dishes we ended up trying, the best bite we had was the gol-gappa, currently on the small plates menu for $7.

Rounds of durum wheat flour are fried into puffs so thin and crispy you can see right through them. The hollow insides are then filled with a potato filling that is cool in temperature but spicy in flavor, and come five to an order with an individual squeeze bottle of tangy mint-cilantro water. After a squeeze of the sauce, pop the whole thing into your mouth - the chef was miffed when we tried to sample our first in two separate bites - and enjoy the mingling textures and flavors.

Other must-try plates include the Afghani chicken kabab (featured in our roundup of fall dishes here) and the red snapper, a flaky filet with crispy skin surrounded by curry froth. There’s no need to stop there, and if you’re tempted to enjoy your after dinner drink while stretched out on one of multiple comfortable couches in the stylish lounge, not a soul will stop you.